Gamers Thought China Would Save Them With Cheap RAM But It’s Not That Simple

For a few months now, many gamers had seemingly pinned their hopes on a company in China to help alleviate rising prices on RAM resulting from the ongoing and worsening memory shortage fueled by AI hyperscalers and tech giants. But while new tests show the Chinese-developed RAM is good for gaming, it’s unlikely to be the silver bullet many had hoped.

Over on the (sighs) PC Master Race subreddit, one of the largest PC gaming communities on the internet, people have been talking about Chinese tech company CXMT with some hoping that the DRAM maker could help produce more consumer RAM while the bigger players, like Samsung, pivot to supporting companies hungry for parts and memory to power future AI data centers. The idea being that while the big RAM makers focus on that, CXMT will be here for the little guys, aka PC gamers looking to upgrade their rigs without taking out a loan to do so.

CXMT 32GB DDR4 RAM reportedly selling for less than $150 online caught the attention of a lot of gamers. Even though DDR4 is older and slower than DDR5, it represented a more affordable option. (And considering the fact that DDR4 is also starting to sell out and see huge price increases, there is demand for it.) Would China save gamers? Memes were created suggesting this was the case. But the reality isn’t so simple.

CXMT RAM is good for gaming, but…

First, the good news: RAM using CXMT chips is comparable in gaming performance to RAM sticks created by bigger-name companies like Samsung and SK Hynix. In a new and comprehensive report. TechSpot tested Kingbank-produced RAM containing CXMT bits against G.Skill RAM using SK Hynix memory. And the results in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Rainbow Six Siege were promising, with the cheaper Kingbank RAM performing within a few percentage points of the more expensive G.Skill RAM. In the current market, cheaper RAM performing this well really is good enough.

Now, the bad news: In the last few weeks, CXMT RAM has gone up in price, something noted by TechSpot and others. The company can’t produce nearly as much as its bigger competitors, and it is likely raising prices as demand increases, shattering some gamers’ hopes that CXMT would be the hero they hoped for in the ongoing memory shortage.

Another thing to note is that CXMT has been essentially banned in the United States for a few years now. And while there are signs that this might be changing soon, especially with rumors that Apple wants to cut a deal with CXMT to help the tech giant fill in supply gaps, for the moment, CXMT is unlikely to flood the U.S. market.

The other big problem is that CXMT has already committed to allocating around 20 percent of its production to creating memory for AI companies. That doesn’t mean CXMT is pulling a Micron and abandoning consumer RAM anytime soon, but it is yet more evidence that China’s DRAM maker will noy be some PC gaming savior. “It’s over,” posted one person on Reddit to the news of CXMT pivoting. “Not even China gives 2 hoots about the retail market.”