Here's one solution to the ongoing PC memory crisis: Make your own DIY DDR5

A promotional image for Samsung's 12 nm-class DDR5-DRAM production, showing multiple DRAM modules on a UDIMM circuit board. — (Image credit: Samsung)

Desperate times call for desperate DIY, I think the saying goes. And what with all the signs suggesting the memory crisis will get worse before it gets better, these are certainly desperate times. So, here's one solution: Make your own memory sticks.

That's exactly what one Russian modder claims to have done (via Videocardz). Now, breaking ground on a new fab to actually manufacture memory chips might be a bit beyond the wit of even the most enthusiastic DIY'er. But where there's a will...

Framework 13 laptop on a dark grey background — Are laptop teardowns and RAM chip harvesting the future of desktop PC gaming...? (Image credit: Future)

Of course, as you'd expect, this isn't an easy process. Even if you think you're up to all that soldering, you'll also need to be comfortable handling memory DIMM firmware. This mod is said to have pinched some ADATA firmware with a 6400 CL32 XMP profile.

The overview of the DIMM creation process doesn't detail what chip was used for the firmware, so it's not clear how difficult that might be to source. Whatever, the newly home-brewed DDR5 stick is said to be up and running, cranking out stable frame rates.

This kind of mod is no doubt beyond most DIYers. However, it does hint at the distorted state of the market right now. If you can DIY yourself to a 32 GB stick for a third of the usual price, there's surely some fat in the market, right?

Likewise, this suggests that if the memory crisis rolls on long enough, it might become economically viable for someone to take this kind of mod on commercially, buying up redundant memory sticks and repurposing the chips to meet the highest demand segments.

I doubt that would send RAM prices tumbling. But it might be better than nothing if this ludicrous crisis carries on for years.

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Jeremy has been writing about technology and PCs since the 90nm Netburst era (Google it!) and enjoys nothing more than a serious dissertation on the finer points of monitor input lag and overshoot followed by a forensic examination of advanced lithography. Or maybe he just likes machines that go “ping!” He also has a thing for tennis and cars.

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