Lucky enthusiast found $12,000 worth of RAM sitting in his garage

An Australian tech enthusiast, identified as Redditor VastOption875, discovered an unexpectedly large cache of DDR4 memory modules in their garage. The modules, which were part of an old work server, were believed to be worth over $12,000 at current market rates. The server, which had been decommissioned in favor of newer hardware, contained 30 64GB DDR4-2666 memory modules, amounting to nearly 2TB of storage.

Given that individual 64GB DDR4 modules sell for around $400 on online retail sites like Newegg and Amazon, this collection could be worth approximately $12,000 if the claims are accurate.

While the exact specifications of the DDR4 modules were not disclosed, the fact that they were dual-rank ECC (Error-Correcting Code) server memory would typically command a higher value than non-ECC consumer-grade memory. ECC modules are primarily compatible with servers and high-end workstations powered by Intel Xeon and AMD Epyc processors, which could limit their market appeal compared to non-ECC options.

Despite this, DDR4 remains a cost-effective choice given that DDR5 prices have skyrocketed. Major tech companies, including Meta, have been utilizing DDR4 modules in their new DDR5-only machines to manage costs, as seen with the company's July announcement of reusing DDR4 RAM from decommissioned servers.

The surge in DDR4's popularity among both consumers and enterprises has spurred hardware manufacturers to increase production of DDR4 memory and compatible motherboards. Market growth in DDR4 has been substantial, with one unnamed semiconductor maker reporting a double-digit percentage increase in Q2 2026.