Re: Memory costs

Larry,

From a conversation with my BP, it's my understanding that IBM doesn't allow

you to order memory configured to take best advantage of the i5's available
slots. When we ordered a 520 with 8GB of memory last year, I specifically
requested that the memory be configured so as to take up the fewest number
of available slots. I expected to receive a machine with 2 - 4GB DIMMs
installed leaving 6 open slots. What I received was a machine with 8 - 1GB
DIMMs leaving no available slots. I questioned the BP and they questioned
the distributor (AvNet) who together called IBM Rochester and reported back
that they were lectured on memory configuration and that the gist was IBM
will configure the memory to use the greatest number of slots no matter what
memory feature is ordered. So in our case, just as you've described, we will
leave memory on the table when we upgrade which is an additional backdoor
cost for the i5 memory. Very frustrating!

Kind regards,

BJ


On 3/5/07, Larry Bolhuis <lbolhuis@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Years ago IBM priced memory 'flat' meaning so much per MB no matter what
size you were purchasing. This largely had to do with the fact they they
took trade ins then (Give them back your 8MB board and get a 16MB Board
for the 8MB Price).  Also back then they had lots of room on the memory
boards so the price was much more linear for IBM too.  Double the memory
was just double the number of chips. I have some old memory from 3xx
machines and it's pretty neatly done. Four rows, 8 rows, or 8 rows
double stacked but all the chips are the same.

Back then we would often by the biggest memory features leaving open
slots. It didn't cost any extra and gave us flexibility for the future.

Today real estate on memory DIMMs is minimal. Memory speeds are
*WAYUPTHERE compared to the old days so things need to be much closer
together limiting DIMM size. So IBM must purchase higher density chips
for the higher capacity DIMMs and greater density costs more. Hence the
range Mike describes here in pricing from a little over $500 to nearly
$5000 per GB.  Also IBM no longer takes trade ins on memory (hasn't for
some time) so you are paying a price more relative to IBMs cost than in
the old days.

Today we must do more thinking on memory configuration, not where to put
it but how to size it. A POWER5 520 can take only two memory features so
if you put in two 2GB features it's full and the next upgrade leaves
some memory on the table. Another example is an 8 way 570 full of 16GB
Memory DIMMS. On that machine it is actually cheaper to upgrade to a
12-16 way machine (doubling the available memory slots) and put in more
16GB DIMMs than it is to replace the current 16GB DIMMs with 32GB
DIMMs!!  Your business partner needs to understand this.

All in all today's set up is much better but I still wouldn't call i
memory 'Cheap'

- Larry