Spoofee said:
Bestbuy has the SpecTek 256MB PC2700/PC2100 DDR RAM Memory for $20 shipped after rebate. Officemax advertised the same memory as Crucial memory and the item number is very similar to Crucial.
FYI, the PC2100 spectek sold at OM says PC2100 on the product packaging, yet also has a sticker on the ram itself indicating PC2700. If I had to wager, the ram didn't pass testing at PC2700 speeds and was sold as PC2100.
mineralblue,
Supply vs demand. This always happens when memory is at the absolute tail end of it's life. Manufacturers drastically cut back production of older RAM module because there isn't enough demand to warrant maintaining 1999 production levels for example. DRAM makers are pumping out all the stuff currently in demand (and working on improving yields and production processes on upcoming products not yet released) which they can reasonably be assured to sell, even if not at the price point they'd prefer.
So, you wind up with a situation where there is still SOME consumer demand for pc100, yet not a lot, but that demand still tends to exceed production. Whenever demand is higher than supply the price is higher. They aren't going to waste their manufacturing capacity to increase production of obsolete technology, too much risk of overstock, besides increasing production would just cause prices to drop so what do they have to gain?
Personally you're probably better off buying pc100 off ebay, stick with names like Micron, Mushkin, Kingston really is fine, hell actually like the K-Byte stuff but that's me. No "generic" pc100, given that the difference in prices for used ram on ebay are only a few dollars for a 128mb pc100 dimm, get the good stuff. Buy from someone with a really good feedback rating, and stick with good quality ram and you'll be fine, it's not like quality micron ram gets crappier over time. 128MB PC100 goes for about $10 - $20 on ebay, tops. DON'T buy PC133, at one time it used to be backwards compatabile but that changed a few years ago and most sellers aren't going to know if their PC133 is single or double density. If your system requires PC100, buy pc100.
Rolsz,
You do realize that what you just described is EXACTLY what Intel did with Celerons for years right? Chips that didn't pass muster as a P3 got a few paths blocked off and the cache dropped to 128K and it became a Celeron. That silicone and them thar wafers cost a pretty penny (manufacturers are always looking for ways to get more cores and chips per wafer) and they don't just throw crap away willy nilly if it still has use at a lower speed grade.
For PC2100 I wouldn't have a problem with spectek, I've run assorted "PNY" dimms that used spectek aka micron chips and they work fine, pass memtest86 for 24+ hours with no errors. You just aren't going to be able to get ANY kinda overclocking or use aggressive settings, and I probably wouldn't trust spectek ram at higher speeds like pc2700 although it's well possible that such ram are comprised of chips that wouldn't pass testing at pc3200 and got marked down.
P.S. On the spectek ram from officemax, it still has a small gray square on the chips with the MT logo on it, aka Micron Technology.
