The two computer makers individually filed lawsuits against the companies earlier this year, but have now brought the cases together in the US District Court for the Northern District of California.

The complaint names South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor, Infineon Technologies AG of Germany, Japan's Elpida Memory and Mitsubishi Electric, Taiwan's Mosel Vitelic and Nanya Technology, and US and European units of some of the companies.

The lawsuit is one of several filed against DRAM makers after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) began an investigation into price fixing in 2002. That has already seen a number of guilty pleas by companies and executives, and fines have been levied against some DRAM makers.

Last year Samsung Electronics was ordered to pay a $300m criminal fine, and Hynix agreed to pay $185m. Infineon paid $160m, and Elpida agreed to pay an $84m fine.