As competition in the PC market intensifies, memory makers are pushing partners to go for the high-performance PC user ­ the gamer. Last week saw two significant developments in the memory market.
AMD announced plans for next-generation graphics card memory, with data rates four times faster than the current generation.

With major memory manufacturers such as Samsung and Hynix working with AMD, the launch of faster graphics products should be imminent, promised Sasa Marinkovic, AMD’s senior product marketing manager for Europe.
Though Marinkovic could not disclose launch dates, he promised VARs that AMD would soon have offerings for the performance enthusiasts.

Meanwhile, memory maker Kingston Technology unveiled its marketing strategy for the games market. As it announced a deal with distributor Realtime Distribution to supply its performance memory range, it emerged that the company is considering a range of gimmicks to help its partners win business.

Under the agreement, Realtime will add Kingston’s HyperX memory to its range of high-performance products. HyperX is designed especially for PC enthusiasts and gamers ­ the memory modules are engineered to run at high speeds.
“These are our best products for the overclocker,” explained Ann Keefe, Kingston Technology’s sales director. “We have chosen one of the best distributors in the business to cater for them.”

Kingston has high expectations of the memory line, explained Keefe, so it is putting its faith in Realtime to help it exploit the games market.

“The HyperX memory line is a main focus for us this year and as Realtime is successful and experienced in the gaming arena, it was a clear choice for us,” she said.
Realtime Distribution already has a range of memory products, but purchasing director, Julie Darrington, explained why the new signing was necessary.

“Kingston Technology is a global leader in the memory industry and is widely recognised for the high quality of its products. So HyperX will be a valuable addition.”
Keefe explained that distributors and vendors need to be more creative to attract gamers. One idea being mooted is to give away a game with every memory upgrade.

“This is a very good idea that we will be considering. We have to get creative to fully exploit this market and we will be offering these promotions via the channel,” she said.