Where to Find the Cheapest Computer Memory

Best Buy has a reputation for being the go-to store for technology needs. Aside from the assortment of DVDs, CDs, and other media, they sport a large selection of computers in store and an ok selection of computer components on their website.

You might think, then, that this is the place to go if you need something like a memory upgrade for your computer. Best Buy should have the RAM you need, shouldn't they?

Well, it turns out they do, and they're willing to charge two to three times what their competitors will charge for it. We'll take a look at a specific example, and I'll show you four highly reputable alternatives to Best Buy.

Example: Kingston Memory, 2gb of RAM

As an example, let's look at a 2gb stick of Kingston Memory. For those technophiles out there, we'll specifically be looking at a DDR2 PC-5300 667 mhz RAM.

For today, we'll leave aside arguments about whether Kingston is a good brand and just compare the price point at Best Buy with its online competitors.

At the time of writing, Best Buy's listed price is $59.99 (link to Best Buy).

Yowza, that seems expensive!

Kingston Memory, Cheaper

Here are four alternatives to Best Buy, with the current price and a link to the current product page:

Tiger Direct. $29.99. (link to product)

Buy.com. $28.24. (link to product)

Amazon.com. $21.99. (link to product)

NewEgg. $17.99. (link to product)

The prices at these sites can vary with sales and stock liquidations, but I think the trend is pretty clear. Best Buy charges at least twice what it's competitors are selling the same memory for.

Are These Places Trustworthy?

Absolutely and unequivocally yes.

Amazon.com and Buy.com have a national reputation as giant e-tailers. You can buy directly from them and be assured of the same great service that you would get if you were buying a book or a DVD.

TigerDirect and NewEgg may not be as well known to the broader public, but they are highly regarded in the tech community. TigerDirect has been operating (through mail order catalogs) for twenty years, and NewEgg has been shipping out computer products since 2001.

I have personally purchased items from all four e-tailers, and I have no complaints about service.

So Which One is the Best?

Well, that depends. If you shop for a dozen different memory modules, you may find that a different store comes out on top each time.

TigerDirect doesn't always have the cheapest day-to-day prices, but they often have liquidations with heavy short-term discounts. Buy.com has pretty low day-to-day prices, but they will also have the occasional great short-term sale.

Items direct from Amazon are usually pretty cheap, but the Amazon marketplace can also lead you to smaller e-tailers that are selling items at deep discounts. NewEgg doesn't have as many blow-out sales, but they quite often have the lowest regular price.

If I were to choose one store to go with it would be NewEgg. However, I rarely buy anything online without checking the price at most of these locations.

The Bottom Line

Don't waste your money buying computer components at Best Buy. Larger items may be competitively priced - or at least much closer - but smaller items like memory modules are often very overpriced.

Your best bet is to check out a large online retailer like Buy.com or Amazon.com, or an e-tailer that specializes in tech products like TigerDirect or NewEgg.