From : https://techhub.social/@sawaba@infosec.exchange/115924627853343043 (mastodon)
The enshittification of computer repair is happening.
AI has amazingly managed to make repairable computers practically worthless.
The increase in memory and storage pricing is destroying the second-hand market for computing hardware and this makes me sad. I watched a video from someone that runs a repair shop, and this is what’s happening:
The memory/storage alone is worth more than the rest of the computer, so people are stripping them out to sell separately.
The second hand market is now flooded with computers that have no memory or storage. Buying new memory or storage to put in these used computers is now more expensive than buying a new computer.
So we now suddenly have a giant e-waste problem PLUS a giant problem for repair shops that want to stay in business.
In the video, he was basically saying that they have to pivot to the only computers that folks aren’t stripping RAM and storage out of - computers that have those things soldered on. The irony here is that repair shops now have to ignore the most repairable computers and focus on the least repairable computers instead.
Check this out, this is DDR4
Ok, but that’s sort of extreme, because I could buy, RIGHT now, 32GB DDR4 3200MHz for about $140. You’re showing off a retailer and/or brand that are gouging, just to prove a point.
Now, yes there’s a difference, because this is so-dimm for laptops vs standard desktop, but Newegg and Amazon are both gouging process pretty bad right now. But deals can still be found!
Edit apples to apples (though my post is 3600MHz)
Actually I pulled out the exact same product I have sitting here on my desk as I was debating selling it and wondering what the price was. I wasn’t trying to do a full market analysis.
I have pretty much the same ram in mine, and I think I put 128gb worth of it in there for less than this (if that’s priced in USD)
Insane. I bought 2x32GB 6000MHz DDR5 sticks for less than that back in May. Now the same 64GB I bought then for $210 is worth over $800.
I just checked the RAM I bought two years ago for 92€. It is 289€ now, insane!