All indications are that AMD’s next-gen AM5 socket platforms, which will house the 5nm Ryzen 7000 ‘Raphael’ processors when they arrive later this year, would only support DDR5 memory, although this isn’t confirmed.
However, numerous sources in the supply chain have confirmed that the X670 and B650 AM5 platforms only support DDR5, which has implications for platforms based on AMD’s future Zen 4 processors. Furthermore, we’ve established that AMD’s AM5 motherboard chipsets now use a chiplet-based design, which means that some models will have two chipset dies.
Given the long-term eye-watering pricing we’ve seen for DDR5 memory, AMD’s decision to only support DDR5 could be a disadvantage in comparison to Intel’s Raptor Lake, which we’ve confirmed will continue to support both affordable DDR4 and expensive DDR5 memory, allowing two pricing tiers for Intel platforms.
AMD has already stated that its AM5 socket platforms, which will replace the old AM4 platform, will support PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 interfaces, similar to Intel’s Alder Lake – but AMD hasn’t stated that DDR4 support will be unavailable. According to our sources, the X670 and B650 motherboards lack DDR4 compatibility, and it’s unclear whether the Ryzen 7000’s memory controllers even support DDR4. If they do support DDR4, AMD may have plans for DDR4 support on lower-tier A-Series motherboards, but that doesn’t seem plausible.
DDR5 is significantly more expensive than DDR4 in many applications, with little to no performance benefit. While DDR5 availability and pricing have increased in recent months, DDR5 is the first commercial memory to have onboard power management ICs (PMICs) and voltage regulator modules (VRMs). Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, those have been in chronic limited supply.
DDR5 pricing might improve till AMD AM5 socket based Ryzen 7000 Processors hit the market
Micron anticipates a comeback in PMIC/VRM supply in the second half of 2022, so the situation may improve once AMD’s Zen 4 Ryzen 7000 processors hit the market, but it’s better to keep your expectations in check. DDR5 pricing will reduce as PMIC and VRM supply increases, but recent China lockdowns and increased lead times suggest it may be some time before that happens.
Furthermore, because of the more complicated power circuitry and design of DDR5, these modules will continue to command a higher price than DDR4. DDR5 also features built-in ECC techniques for data at rest, which necessitates the use of more dies to match DDR4 memory capacity.
From 2017 to date, AMD’s current Socket AM4 has housed five generations of CPUs, spanning Excavator to Zen 3, and supporting both PCIe 3.0 and 4.0 interfaces. While the AM4 platform has garnered praise from enthusiasts — you can upgrade a motherboard from 2017 with the current best CPU for gaming, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which was released just ten days ago — its longevity has limited the company’s ability to move forward to the most advanced connectivity options, giving Intel’s Alder Lake the upper hand.
However, AMD’s decision to use DDR5 exclusively implies that, at least with the initial Zen 4 Raphael CPUs for Socket AM5, you may have to pay a premium over competitive Intel Raptor Lake machines. As a result, expect to pay a premium for AMD’s Ryzen 7000 platforms when they arrive later this year, much as we did for AMD’s high-priced Ryzen 5000 CPUs (AMD only delivered lower-cost Zen 3 chips a year and a half later).
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