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I saw this and it got me excited for the possibility of having 16GB ram in a mini-ITX system.

Then I realized it is server memory.

I'd have to opt for this instead. More than twice as expensive.

Why? I was under the impression that Registered memory is more expensive to produce. They are able to cram 18 memory chips onto that module where normal ones only have 8 chips. I suspect that under the Adata heatspreaders they only have 16 chips. Are there strange economic factors at play here?

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You have to add more capacity to store the ECC checksums and registered chips are less produced/more expensive. The real reason, I guess, is that server people want reliablity more than anything and is less sensitive to price... – billc.cn Oct 9 '11 at 22:33
Oops I just realized I typed the title question wrong. Fixing now. – Steven Lu Oct 9 '11 at 22:42
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Yes, it's due to basic economic principles in effect.

Supply and Demand: The demand for such large RAM capacities on a single stick is mainly for servers at this time, and the amount manufactured (supply) will be higher. So, both Supply and Demand are higher for 8 GiB ECC RAM sticks than they are for non-ECC, making them substantially lower in price.

Supply and Demand

There is probably a little bit of Economies of Scale going on as well, making the increased manufacturing of 8 GiB ECC sticks cheaper, even though they include more RAM chips, but S&D will be the main factor.

Ecomomies of Scale

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Okay. Does this mean that basically it makes more sense for a manufacturer (for whatever reasons) to sell their unregistered desktop 8GB DIMMs at $200 each today, even if it only costs them $60 to produce them? It just seems to me that the demand would go up if they lowered the price.... – Steven Lu Oct 9 '11 at 23:37
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@Steven: No. You need to read up on S&D. Because Demand is low at this time they cannot manufacture higher Quantities to increase supply without making a loss. Competition is another factor which determines Supply. Prices are not set arbitrarily, but determined to maximise Profit taking competition into account. – paradroid Oct 9 '11 at 23:46
Okay, so the defining aspect of the situation is the low demand for desktop ram. Yes I am satisfied with that. – Steven Lu Oct 9 '11 at 23:46
@Steven: Not just Demand. Supply as well. Think about the reasons why DDR2 RAM is now more expensive than DDR3. – paradroid Oct 9 '11 at 23:47
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