If there’s one component that’s currently a huge bottleneck in any PC, whether it’s a desktop or a server itself, it’s RAM. The speed of all components increases, even the NVMe M.2 SSD that soon they would arrive at 14 GB / s in just over two years. Therefore, memory speed needs to be increased to get more CPU and GPU performance, but at what cost?
DDR5 memory: faster, more capacity and much hotter than DDR4?
We went from more or less hot modules in DDR3 to the current DDR4, where there are users and brands who justify not including a heat sink in their most basic chips because they do not directly generate enough power. heat to justify the cost.
In the midst of a surge in prices like the one we are witnessing, it would be appreciated if the manufacturer saw the ideal conditions (let’s forget the high frequency or very tight latency modules). Because of this, with DDR5 dropping power, many expected these new modules and chips to be the disruptive point of passive cooling, but it won’t be like that, far from it.
There are two “enhancements” that make DDR5 a significant difference from DDR4. The first is the fact that the PMIC and VRM that were previously on the motherboard now they are inside the modules themselves. This creates an issue that manufacturers have crept into that can make newer DDR5 modules more expensive.
DDR5 RAM temperature will be much higher
The statements of George Makris, Director of DIY Marketing at CORSAIR are really enlightening:
It is conceivable that DDR5 will run much hotter than DDR4. They moved the voltage regulation from the motherboard and now it’s on [módulo], so it could generate much more heat.
This leaves a door open to active cooling of DDR5 RAM, possibly with water, but that in itself doesn’t matter. The problem is not that 1% of the market (if it happens) that will pass its DDR5 through water, but the rest of the market. In other words: these RAMs will have to be forced to use better heat sinks to keep temperatures at bay, which is surely the anticipation of higher prices compared to DDR4 and incidentally benefit from the appeal of novelty that they imply.
Is this change justified from a material point of view? It is based of course, but one has to remember similar cases in CPUs, like Intel with Haswell and its FIVR in the processor itself, where it then reversed due to the temperature rise it took. achieved despite the fact that in terms of tension and regulation was a step forward.
What will the temperature of the DDR5 RAM be? And will they back down with DDR6?
