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DDR4 memory has been the main type of RAM
used in several generations of PCs and laptops for years
, but its successor is waiting in the wings.
DDR5 memory
will debut with Intel's upcoming
Alder Lake processors
but even with a new generation of CPUs that support DDR5 as well as DDR4, one question remains: is DDR5 worth the upgrade?
A new generation of memory typically has some crossover in performance from the previous generation, with manufacturers spending years pushing it to its limits before making the leap to a new standard. But that doesn't mean DDR5 won't stand out in its own way.
Here's how DDR5 and DDR4 match up, so you can make the best decision about which type of memory is right for your next upgrade.
Teamgroup's DDR5 kits are the first ones ever to ship.
Only a few DDR5 kits have been widely released at major retailers, and they're selling out at an alarming rate. When they are available, a 32GB kit at DDR55-4800 is selling for $311. While DDR4 comes in a wide range of speeds, capacities, and prices, you'll generally pay more for a DDR4 kit of this size and speed.
DDR5 memory will be available later in 2021, when Intel's Alder Lake CPUs debut and offer official support for mainstream hardware for the first time. AMD's support for DDR5 in future processors in 2022 will further encourage wider availability and more competitive pricing.
Memory performance depends on a variety of factors, but the biggest difference between different kits is speed.
(Note: Technically this is measured in Megatransfers per second, or MT/s, although colloquially it is often given in MHz ratings. In either case the effective performance figures are the same, so they can be used interchangeably.)
DDR4 comes in a range of standards, starting at 1,600MHz and going up to 3,200MHz. However, manufacturers have been releasing DDR4 memory kits that do far more than that, and they've also been achieving higher speeds through automatic overclocking using Extreme Memory Profile (XMP). Kits rated at 4,000MHz are not uncommon, although there are records of kits exceeding 5,000MHz. The actual performance gains from this kind of memory aren't very noticeable, so such kits aren't common (and expensive), but they do exist.
The Crucial Ballistix Max series offers some of the highest DDR4 memory speeds.
DDR5, on the other hand, has its own standard range, starting at 4,800MHz and running all the way up to 6,400MHz. As with DDR4, though, faster memory will be available in the future, and manufacturers have already begun releasing kits that far exceed the DDR5 standard.
Adata has launched a memory line that
can reach speeds of up to 8,400MHz, and another that may reach 12,600MHz.
We'll need to wait for these kits to become more widely available once supported motherboards and CPUs launch later in 2021, but it seems like it won't be long before the raw speeds of DDR5 far exceed those of even the fastest DDR4.
Timings will be the other side of the performance coin. They control the latency of certain memory functions, and can have a pretty big impact on the actual performance of the memory. While they are almost always looser on higher frequency memory, and will be on DDR5, they are unlikely to cause DDR5 to perform worse than DDR4.
DDR5 also improves the memory's channel architecture, using two smaller channels instead of one larger channel to handle memory accesses. The width of the channel remains the same, but two smaller channels will likely improve efficiency, which could help give DDR5 a performance edge over previous-generation competitors.
One of the main changes in DDR5 at an architectural level is that the chip density is twice that of DDR4. Combined with the new chip design, this means that while DDR4 memory chips can be manufactured in capacities of up to 16GB, DDR5 chips will likely be manufactured in capacities of up to 64GB. This should lead to larger capacity memory sticks. While a single 128GB stick seems like a likely option, Samsung recently
launched a 512GB memory module
- although this will not be aimed at mainstream buyers.
There are few mainstream applications for this amount of memory capacity, but if there were options for larger stick capacities, it would make long-term upgrades easier to plan, and open up the possibility of larger memory capacities on small systems like Mini-ITX builds.
Like every generation of DDR memory before it, DDR5 will require less power to deliver improved performance. DDR4's standard voltage requirement is 1.2v, while DDR5 only meets 1.1v. While a reduction of less than 10% in power requirements may not seem significant, it will play a role in reducing power consumption in mobile devices such as laptops and tablets.
Typically, lower voltages indicate that electronics will run cooler, but that may not be the case with DDR5 because DDR5 kits mount the voltage regulators for the memory on the modules themselves, rather than on the motherboard. Combined with the improved performance and higher density of the memory chips, this means DDR5 may run hotter than DDR4. This could mean wider heat sinks and even some kits that recommend active cooling for optimal performance.
DDR5 will be better, but at what cost?
With indications that DDR5 could potentially deliver more than twice the performance of even the fastest DDR4 modules, it seems certain that it won’t be long before the world’s fastest PCs use DDR5. PCs will also be able to have more of it and run it at a lower voltage, if that’s important to that build.
However, questions remain about the cost of this memory - higher capacity kits will undoubtedly be more expensive, and new generations of RAM have outstripped their predecessors in price in the past. The recent rise in global memory prices hasn't helped.
There’s also the matter of heat output. Just how hot does DDR5 get? If it’s particularly hot, some innovative new cooling solutions might be needed, especially in mobile devices, to mitigate the new demands on heat dissipation.
All of this means that, depending on certain factors, there will definitely be a case for running Intel's new Alder Lake chips with DDR4 memory. However, for those who want cutting-edge performance, DDR5 looks set to deliver that.
*Disclaimer: This article is originally written by the author. The content of the article is the author's personal opinion. Semiconductor Industry Observer reprints it only to convey a different point of view. It does not mean that Semiconductor Industry Observer agrees or supports this point of view. If you have any objections, please contact Semiconductor Industry Observer.
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