DDR5 RAM was first revealed as the next-generation standard of DRAM back in 2017. Despite manufacturers promising DDR5 RAM products as early as 2018 or 2019, here we are in 2021, still waiting for DDR5 to go mainstream.
However, all hope is not lost. The likes of Samsung and SK Hynix have recently revealed products based on the high-speed memory format. The RAM manufacturer, Netac Technology, has been working on DDR5 with a maximum RAM speed of 10,000 MHz, which would far exceed any previous RAM speed predictions for DDR5.
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We'll only truly be satisfied until our PC setups have been upgraded to DDR5, so let's not waste any time. Here's everything you need to know about DDR5 SDRAM.
DDR5 RAM Latest News
UPDATE July 8th: Last month finally saw the release of the first consumer DDR5 RAM. TeamGroup's 32GB DDR5-4800 RAM launched for $400, only to immediately sell out. However, as DDR5 is not yet supported by any other consumer products, the 32GB RAM cannot be used until at least the launch of Intel's Alder Lake.
June 2nd: We're still waiting for that crucial moment in DDR5's release cycle. However, Corsair has ensured the DDR5 train will keep rolling, teasing its upcoming DDR5 RAM set to release "Soon™". Where have we heard that before?
DDR5 RAM Release Date
DDR5's release date was first 2018, only for this to be pushed back consecutive years, bringing us up to a DDR5-less 2021.
Officially, the JEDEC Solid State Technology Association released the final specifications for DDR5 RAM in July 2020 - two years late. This did not mean DDR5 products shipped in time for Christmas, however. Manufacturers need time to work on and build their DDR5 components, targeting releases in 2021 and beyond.
Since then, a few companies have announced upcoming products that will utilise DDR5 technology. TEAMGROUP has confirmed it will launch its ELITE series DDR5 memory in 2021, while SK Hynix is set to release its DDR5 memory modules in Q3 of this year. Samsung has also confirmed it has now developed DDR5-based memory but has yet to give a release date.
In terms of AMD and Intel's DDR5 support, the dates remain unknown. However, reports suggest Intel's upcoming Alder Lake CPU, slated for release in September 2021 - could support DDR5. A leaked roadmap for AMD suggests DDR5 support could be as late as 2022.
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DDR5 RAM Price
Unsurprisingly, none of the announcements have included a reference to the DDR5 RAM price.
We'd expect that the upgraded memory will be more expensive than DDR4, especially in the early stages of its release when DDR5 will still be pretty scarce.
The price of DDR4 RAM varies, but the high-end components can cost upwards of $150 - perhaps more given the state of the current tech market. DDR5 could easily reach double that price, with TeamGroup's 32GB RAM launching for over $300.
DDR5 vs DDR4
In terms of sheer specs, DDR5 memory could outperform its DDR4 counterpart by a significant margin.
DDR5's upper bandwidth limit is 6400MT/s (mega transfers per second) - double DDR4's 3200MT/s. It's also possible that when overclocked, the bandwidth could be much higher. Samsung has confirmed its DDR5 RAM will deliver 7.2GB/s of memory - double that of its DDR4 counterpart.
Aside from power, DDR5 will be a more efficient form of memory. DDR5 doubles the memory capacity of DDR4 by supporting higher capacity DIMMs of 32GB compared to DDR4's 16GB.
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