Smart Buyer
  • Shop On NeweggBusiness
  • Categories
    • Buying Guides
    • Components
    • DIY and How-to
    • Industry Trends
    • NetSec
    • Networking
    • Storage
    • Systems – PC & Laptop
    • Windows
  • About
  • Why NeweggBusiness?
  • Contact Us
Top Posts
PC Cooling: How to Set up Computer Case...
5 Ways to Stream from PC to TV...
How to Choose the Correct RAM Upgrade
How to Troubleshoot a PC Power Supply
Four Apps that Make Your Tablet a Second...
2019 Solid State Drive (SSD) Buying Guide
6 Reasons Your PC is Slow and How...
How-to Guide: Small Office Network Setup
Born in the USA: Computer Hardware Made in...
Computer Monitor Buying Guide 2019

Smart Buyer

  • Shop On NeweggBusiness
  • Categories
    • Buying Guides
    • Components
    • DIY and How-to
    • Industry Trends
    • NetSec
    • Networking
    • Storage
    • Systems – PC & Laptop
    • Windows
  • About
  • Why NeweggBusiness?
  • Contact Us
Components

4 Things to Note About DDR5 RAM

by Adam Lovinus March 7, 2019
by Adam Lovinus March 7, 2019 0 comment 25881 views

The theoretical concept behind DDR5 RAM started taking shape in spring 2017. JEDEC, the trade organization that standardizes system memory and solid-state storage, is still working toward completing the DDR5 specification. Semiconductor manufacturers have already started building DDR5 RAM even though the standard is not yet complete.

SK Hynix and Samsung Modules Set to Ship in 2019

Taiwanese chip maker SK Hynix announced its first DDR5 prototype in November 2018. Built on a 10 nm process node, SK Hynix chips have 16 Gb (gigabit) density per integrated circuit (IC). A standard DIMM (dual integrated memory module, or ‘stick’) of system memory contains between eight and 16 ICs, giving it eight or 16 GB (gigabyes) of total capacity. These chips show a few encouraging early improvements.

The DDR5’s 5200 MHz clock speed places it on par with some of the fastest DDR4 RAM currently available. Digital Trends predicts enthusiast DDR5 memory kits as fast as 6,400 MHz to hit the market eventually. Early on, DDR5 memory probably will not offer much performance gain over the previous generation—similar to what we witnessed when DDR4 first came onto the market for PC systems.

Double the performance of DDR4—eventually

Eventually, as was the case for DDR4, the newer RAM will offer better performance as engineering improves. Much has been written about DDR5 RAM doubling performance over DDR4 because it’s written in the standard. JEDEC has finished its specification of low-power DDR5 memory, and it includes a base speed of 6,400 MT/s, double that of DDR4. The regular DDR5 standard is anticipated to follow suit once released.

Good News for Battery Powered Electronics

As it stands, perhaps the most important facet of DDR5 is that it requires comparatively less power to operate than previous generations of system memory. Samsung showcased a 10 nanometer low-power LPDDR5 module that operates at 7.5 Gbps using 1.05v of electricity. Compare that to DDR4 modules that typically require 1.2V or 1.4V, totaling a 9 percent decrease in operating voltage. Energy efficient RAM is important in devices that operate on battery power, like mobile handsets and tablets.

In 2014, DDR4 memory became available first as server memory and reached the PC market months later. With the first DDR5 anticipated to ship in late 2019 to OEMs for finished tablets and mobile devices in late 2019, it may take until 2020 until you can purchase DDR5 to use in a new PC build.

Mainstream adoption still more than a year away

Do not expect to add DDR5 memory in DIMM slots of any motherboards currently on the market. Prognostication based on typical timelines of past hardware generations would put mass switch-over adoption by 2021. Right now, the early adopter looks like SuperMicro, poised for entry into the consumer market, which appears to have a jump on the competition for motherboards that support DDR5.

Related on Smart Buyer

  • How to Choose the Correct RAM Upgrade
  • DRAM Quality Issues and SSDs Signal a Push Toward New Universal Memory
Adam Lovinus

Adam Lovinus

A tech writer and Raspberry Pi enthusiast from Orange County, California.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - LinkedIn - Google Plus

Summary
4 Things to Note About DDR5 RAM
Article Name
4 Things to Note About DDR5 RAM
Description
Semiconductor companies have started building DDR5 RAM ahead of the JEDEC standard. Here's what it means for your systems
Author
Adam Lovinus
HardBoiled | NeweggBusiness
NeweggBusiness
category17category20category21
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +PinterestEmail
Adam Lovinus
Adam Lovinus

A tech writer and Raspberry Pi enthusiast from Orange County, California.

previous post
6 Reasons Your PC is Slow and How to Fix It
next post
Rackmount UPS Buying Guide

Related Posts

Why the 3rd gen Ryzen processors are good...

July 11, 2019

Building a PC: How and When to Upgrade...

July 1, 2019

Born in the USA: Computer Hardware Made in...

September 27, 2018

Looking at AMD’s Incredible Turnaround

August 9, 2018

How to Troubleshoot a PC Power Supply

July 11, 2018

Earn Money When Recycling Computers: Tips for SMBs

April 24, 2018

PC Trends as Told by Sales Numbers |...

December 21, 2017

Best Selling Graphics Cards for Cryptocurrency Mining |...

December 21, 2017

Best Selling Desktop CPUs for Business PC Builds

December 20, 2017

Garage-ntrepreneurs: Greatest DIY Inventors in Modern Computing

December 13, 2017

What's your take? Cancel reply

Subscribe

Savings Spotlight
  • 1

    PC Cooling: How to Set up Computer Case Fans

    September 25, 2015
  • 2

    5 Ways to Stream from PC to TV or Digital Display

    May 23, 2016
  • 3

    How to Choose the Correct RAM Upgrade

    April 28, 2015
  • 4

    How to Troubleshoot a PC Power Supply

    July 11, 2018
  • 5

    Four Apps that Make Your Tablet a Second Monitor

    January 9, 2018
  • 6

    2019 Solid State Drive (SSD) Buying Guide

    December 6, 2018
  • 7

    6 Reasons Your PC is Slow and How to Fix It

    February 28, 2019
  • 8

    How-to Guide: Small Office Network Setup

    December 20, 2018
  • 9

    Born in the USA: Computer Hardware Made in America

    September 27, 2018
  • 10

    Computer Monitor Buying Guide 2019

    January 4, 2019

Newegg + Business

How is this different from Newegg.com?

Why NeweggBusiness?
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Email