<< Crucial and the other RAM e-tailers are just trying to cash in on what little Xmas buying rush they can, thinking that WinXP will cause a surge in new computer buyers. RAM prices will fall again in January. >>
I doubt it. First off, many memory fabbers have shut down their fabs (some permanent, others for just a period of time) in an attempt to get the overabundance of inventory flushed out of the system. Second, a slight uptick in PC demand/sales + release of WinXP has contributed to a bit of a rise in demand for memory. This also helps cut down the inventory glut which created the previously unprecedented low prices for memory.
But IMHO the big reason behind the jump in DDR prices (SDRAM hasn't changed much) is because Intel has been shipping their DDR chipset (i845-D) for a while now, and the mobo makers are building new boards based on this chipset like crazy. In fact, most report that their December production runs will be mostly 845-D boards, and many are even dropping the SDRAM version of the 845 in the process.
Mobos are already on sale in Taiwan, they ought to hit here very soon.
Looks like all the trolls who said Intel wouldn't ship a DDR chipset in Nov./Dec. '01 have a lot of crow to start eating ...