Either you're wrong about the cost or we have a different definition of "cheap". The sweet spot for RAM pricing right now seems to be 16GB DIMMs, which cost $150 to $250. I can go to dell.com and configure a R320 with a Xeon CPU and 96GB of RAM for $2,500. That's less than a high-end Macbook Pro! A R420 with two Xeon CPUs and 192GB of RAM costs $4,300.
I recently upgraded two Dell Poweredge 2950s from 16 to 32GB of RAM. The cost per server was $300. If I'd needed to, I could have upgraded them to 64GB. That's on a five year old server that sells refurbished for $800.
I recently upgraded two Dell Poweredge 2950s from 16 to 32GB of RAM. The cost per server was $300. If I'd needed to, I could have upgraded them to 64GB. That's on a five year old server that sells refurbished for $800.