Despite CES being over now, the big reveals are still coming - one of them is that Patriot is working on DDR5 RAM sticks that can reach speeds targeting 6400MT/S, and potentially even higher with overclocking.
As spotted by Tom's Hardware, the currently in-development RAM uses client clock drivers, or CKDs, to help reach these speeds despite whether the Integrated Memory Controller (IMC) inside the CPU can handle it or not.
If that's a lot of acronyms for you, don't worry. The CKD is a chip that buffers the signal between the IMC and the Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), the latter of which is part of the DDR5 RAM. However, what is even more interesting is the fact that Patriot's already-fast 6400MT/S could be even faster, reaching upwards of 7200MT/S.
Considering that the Intel i9-14900 release date is coming up, these RAM sticks would certainly give you a computer that is extremely high-end. Faster RAM means that you'll have more memory bandwidth for your CPU to play with, equalling better performance in your favourite games. However, like most things in life, the next big thing won't be cheap, and you'll pay a premium when it releases.
That being said, prices will undoubtedly fall as DDR5-6400 or higher RAM sticks become more common. When DDR5 RAM became available to consumers, it was a lot more expensive than the DDR4 we've been used to for years. As time has passed, it's become cheaper and more accessible as more brands started releasing their DDR5 RAM. I paid £170 for my 32GB of Corsair's Dominator DDR5 RAM, and they can now be found at below £100.
It's worth noting as well that this report from Hot Hardware suggests that DDR5-6000 is the sweet spot for AMD's 7000 series CPUs. Any higher may result in a loss of performance, and plenty of Intel's latest CPUs also get performance issues over a certain speed. However, as DDR5-RAM gets higher speeds, we expect it to become more mainstream.
It might be best to wait and purchase a new CPU though before dropping a lot of money on the DDR5-6400 or higher RAM. Or, if you've got money to burn, we really recommend taking a look at the new Shark X shark-shaped gaming PC from Cooler Master, which was one of our favourite things from CES 2024, amongst other amazing reveals too.