Nowadays, and despite the fact that technology increases performance and decreases consumption, we continue to see RAM memories with a heat sink, while in servers they normally go “bare”, which revives the debate because the DDR5 are already on the market. Are they necessary or recommended? RAM memory coolers for you in the middle of 2022?
Well, it’s an almost cyclical question that takes on nuances depending on the technology implemented by the NAND-flash and the JEDEC, but again it jumps to the fore because the changes with DDR5 are truly more than remarkable. Logically, referring to a radiator implies that we have to talk about heat, so let’s go.
Memory consumption and heat generated
With DDR4 everything was more or less in line with its predecessors, so that today we can find modules for 2.133MHz with low voltages and without a heatsink without this being a problem as such, but… With DDR5 it will not be like that and DDR6
DDR4 has retained its controller and voltage regulator on the motherboard, which is electronically troublesome due to voltage and amperage leakage, loss and handling, as well as its stability.
The advantage is that the modules only had to dissipate the heat generated by their NAND-flash and these depending on the speed and the voltage would take more or less temperature, so the high performance modules are forced to use passive or even active dissipation in some cases, while others had none no need.
So why didn’t DDR5 have a heatsinkless version with a lower voltage? Because electrical changes prevent it.
DDR5 and heatsink requirement for RAM memory
We have left out the server environment because it is governed by other directives where stability, capacity, frequency and consumption take precedence more than the performance itself, which also needs it and in a greater measure, but not at the cost of drawing the heat generated. Therefore, its report and balance are different from those of the office.
On PC, DDR5 will face the dilemma of having a PMIC in the module itself which manages everything related to energy. Partly, and not only being the sole cause, the voltage has been reduced and the frequency has increased. But while this is positive and indicates that the heatsink could be left out, nothing could be further from the truth.
The PMIC is a component that includes its own voltage and regulation circuit in each module and this generates a high consumption which then translates into the 1.1V rigorously or more if necessary. It generates a lot of heat and this needs to be dissipative so that voltage and amperage stability and delivery is not reduced and so this effect is increased as we increase speeds and reduce or maintain latencies.
So radiator yes or no? It is recommended? Well yes, it’s recommended, it won’t hurt your memories if you don’t have one and if we look at the high-end modules they must have them installed so as not to exceed the threshold of 60ºCwhere NAND Flash starts to suffer.
