Gaming desktop PCs get plastic surgery in the RAM crisis V-Color has announced "1+1" RAM kits with a single DDR5 desktop module paired to a dummy module, to soothe the egos of cash-strapped PC gamers. , PDT AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D have shown more than 30% stronger gaming performance in certain scenarios compared with older DDR4 dual-channel-based gaming builds.” “Accessible” is PR speak for “affordable.” Exactly how affordable these packs will be, I couldn’t guess. Though the press release says they’ll be available on Newegg, I can’t find them on the US store as of this writing. If you’re wondering, a 32GB (2x16GB) pack of basic DDR5 V-Color desktop RAM is selling for an eye-watering $440 on Newegg at the moment (including a $90 “discount”), so presumably a 1x16GB package with a dummy unit would be about half that. Assuming the company can get the package out before the price doubles again, of course. That same 32GB (2x16GB) package was only $170 six months ago (via Price Tracker). Dummy RAM isn’t new and it’s hardly surprising, considering how much importance some gamers put on blinging out their PC’s internals and gazing lovingly at it through tempered glass. But it might get a lot more popular if memory continues to be a literally rare coin, as the industry prioritizes production for far-more-profitable data centers over regular consumers and even PC manufacturers like Lenovo and Dell. V-Color V-Color’s promotional post shows an illustration of a single genuine RAM module with three filler sticks, though it doesn’t appear to be selling a “1+3” package at the moment. The image might just be to show that you can put the dummy stick in any of the three empty slots. Or it might be a harbinger of the way desktop RAM will be sold in the future. Personally, I’d rather just build a desktop without a window, showing off the sad state of PC gaming for anyone on a budget. : Michael Crider, Staff Writer, Michael is a 15-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip. Recent stories by Michael Crider: Nvidia calls DLSS 5 the ‘GPT moment’ for graphics in PC games Mislabeled Ryzen CPUs spotted in Chuwi and Ninkear laptops Nvidia’s dynamic frame gen will max out your monitor on March 31
