I agree with The Inq

I'll keep it simple but my system brand I see most is Dell. I have put memory in everything from small desktops to rack servers. I have also always bought 3rd party memory at about 50 to 25 percent of the price Dell charges.

Hundreds of upgrades later I have never, ever had a single problem with any type of memory. Me thinks the OEMs are greedy.

duh

Anyone who's ever done a memory upgrade by purchasing "original" OEM modules (all too often made by Kingston) knows that this is extremely expensive.
I'm never ever buying DELL memory again. that's for sure

Nothing against the CPU Ripoff

In the Server markets you cant just put in a second CPU into your MP-Workstation, you have to buy a CPU-Kit.

That actually is a CPU, a Cooler and a retention kit.
For this, HP and IBM happily charge you the double price of a boxed CPU.

RAM is even cheaper than that

My experience is that I can get the KTH-XW667/8G for around €500. http://www.provantage.com/kingston-technology-kth-xw667-8g~7KINB0V8.htm

Also, a different model from Kingston's value line for 1/3 the price http://www.compuvest.us/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=291119&CategoryCode=MEM_DDR2

I'm not sure what the difference is, but I'll have to track that down when I'm in the market for a new server.

@jbo5112

KTH-XW667/8G is FB DIMM while the other memory you link to is plain old ddr2. Very different and incompatible.

It is overpriced but

Although HP ram is overpriced and the dimms are identical part no's to any generic Hynix/Qimonda/Micron etc etc modules, HP pays the vendors a premium to have extra stress testing done on the dimms they buy to ensure they buy the best quality they can. It's still overpriced but its not without some reason.

Comparing to HP memory? Look at Apple!

I remember seeing Apple charging 500 quid for a 2GB memory upgrade.
Absurd?
You betcha!

How's that for price inflation?

Is maths too hard for you?

Distributor Sale Prices from Kingston:
Kingston KTH-XW667/2G: €107.00
HP 397411-B21: €148.97
Difference: 28%

Well, let's get a calc, divide 148,97 by 107, and what do I get? err? 1,39?
Is it like 39% difference? Or am I doing something wrong?
If I compare prices of 2 goods, I rather count difference between them, basing on lower priced, and calculate interest rate for the higher-priced. You counted a discount for Kingston from regular price of HP memory, which is a bit confusing, at least for me.

Reminds me

Reminds me of the last company I was an actual employee of. They were buying Sun boxes with 2G of memory. I pointed out that they could buy the box with minimal memory config and buy 2G of memory from Crucial and save $1k/machine. They asked if it would be compatible. I pulled out one of the memory sticks and showed them where it said Crucial on the ones the ones Sun was putting in the box. Paid for my salary with just that suggestion. Too bad the company didn't give bonuses to non-execs.

You get What You Pay For

An interesting read on why you may wish to buy HP memory.

http://h71028.www7.hp.com/ERC/downloads/4AA0-4216ENW.pdf

Nope-All Parts are DDR2

The parts listed are all Kingston Memory part numbers. All 3 are DDR2 2 DIMM kits and are comparable to one another.

If you're using Intel Xeon processors in your servers, you're likely using FB-DIMM. Prices are comparable, but you're also consuming more Watts for FB-DIMM.

Service & Support - Be Aware

I believe this to be true of both HP and IBM.

SERVICE - OEM memory is not stocked from a service parts perspective. So if you have your server under four hour repair, you don't necessarilly have the same service level with the OEM memory. The tech may show up, but if it is OEM memory, they have to order/overnight it, whereas with the manufacturer's memory is in their service parts system. So you generally may not get OEM memory replaced until next day.

SUPPORT - OEM memory is not supported, and not deemed "compatible." So during any problem determination, they may ask you to remove it.

Not worth it

When you've lost your job due to increased downtime for saving a few bucks on memory hopefully Kingston will hire you. 32% difference? Who cares. Getting the memory that is certified to run your server is what is important. By this logic, we'd all be building servers with the cheapest off the rack hardware possible.

3rd party not always up to the task

I've had issue with Kingston and other third party memory. Sometimes it was obvious - the server refused to POST or boot. Sometimes it was more subtle - random lockups every few months that went away when we changed memory. I don't have any specific insider knowledge, but my interactions with the companies give me the impression that they take a "throw it against the wall and see if it sticks" approach to specifying memory - they'll take chips from vendors that matches the general memory specs but don't actually test them against the specific hardware in question. If you have a problem they simply send you a stick with chips from another supplier. What really annoys me is that they'll often use chips from several different suppliers in modules sold with the same SKU, making it impossible to get chips from a specific manufacturer.

So in my experience, third-party memory may indeed save you money (I've had modules that never had a problem) but it's a crap shoot - you may wind up spending considerably more time and money tracking down mysterious problems. Let's be honest - memory is rarely the first thing you check, and how often do you have spare server DIMMs lying about? If your tech time and downtime are "free," then third party memory is a good deal. Otherwise, you're usually better off just taking it in the shorts and buying the real stuff.

64-bit is the issue

The cost of memory is somewhat irrelevant to the more immediate problem. I can't go gang-busters with virtualization in my enterprise without full support for applications on 64-bit operating systems.

Not just server apps, developers apps too, because the developers will want to work locally, and will thus need 64-bit OS support themselves. Please tell software vendors to go whole hog for 64-bit. 2 GB of RAM just doesn't cut it anymore.

OEM always too expensive _ GREED

Hi, everything extra that you buy from OEMs is way too expensive CPUs,RAM,HDs. It is not just HP but all big names (IBM,Dell,Sun,...) Sometimes you pay 3 times more than orginal model. I believe,that this is because the stickers that they put on are so expensive ;-)

Check your maths

€148.97 / €107.00 = 39.22% premium, not 28%

€298.00 / €237.00 = 25.74% premium, not 20%

€959.00 / €654.00 = 46.64% premium, not 32%

While, €107 may be 20% cheaper than €148.97, €148.97 is nearly 40% more expensive than €107, etc.

On buying Kingston on Sun

I have deployed couple of Sun X4150 Intel boxes and 3rd party memory.

Sun BIOS is smart enough to detect that the memory installed comes from a non-supported vendor and the amber LED is turned on.

Windows still run..but the amber LED remains..

Value for money

I've been in the industry for over ten years and am still constantly surprised how many people actually think that if they buy the memory from the manufacturer of their server or workstation at the inflated prices they charge, they must be getting a 'better quality memory product'. They simply don't realise that these manufacturers don't make memory, they contract it out. There are alternatives to the 'original' OEM such as Dataram which offer even better value for money since they are designed and tested for each system listed, have a Lifetime Warranty and offer huge savings too, which surely is the REAL reason users buy from an alternative source !

To all the people criticizing the math:

The proper way to calculate percent difference is the absolute value of the difference of the original and new values divided by the original value.

So the proper calculation of the first one is (148.97-107.00)/148.97 x 100% = 28%

Just buy the Kingston RAM

Always bought Kingston, never had any problems. Keep your extra stress testing to yourself.

If you're really paranoid, buy a few spares with the money you save..