1.   The real stuff would cost a mint.

2.   This stuff costs a fortune now!

3.   But the stuff costs several times more than traditional memory chips and requires a new type of motherboard to boot.

4.   Presumably the writer meant that the new stuff would cost one-third as much as the old stuff.

5.   The reason this stuff costs so much is that it must be accurately built and heavily constructed in order to maintain that accuracy.

6.   The stuff costs a fortune, and you have to keep updating it.

7.   This stuff costs a lot of money.

8.   This stuff probably costs the economy even more than expats.