5GHz DDR4 Barrier Broken on a MSI ITX Motherboard!

The advent of DDR4 memory has allowed consumers to enjoy lower voltages and higher frequencies which can easily exceed 3000MHz. Not only that, many high-end kits feature extremely fast XMP profiles and offer superb performance numbers within a simple click. Of course, it still depends on the memory controller and how the memory speed relates to your CPU’s overclock. Nevertheless, DDR4 memory prices have plummeted in recent months and it’s quite easy to acquire a 16GB 2666MHz kit around the £60 mark.

Professional overclockers will always try to break into new territory and set world records. Prior to today’s announcement, the previous world record for DDR4 memory was 4903.6MHz, held by Toppc. Unbelievably this was achieved on an ITX motherboard and showcases how capable small form factor motherboards are when it comes to overclocking prowess. Only a day later, Toppc has improved on this incredible result and managed to reach 5000MHz for the very first time. Once again, Toppc deployed the MSI Z170I PRO GAMING AC and used G.Skill TidentZ DIMMs which are renowned for their superior ICs.

As you can see, this is a monumental achievement and exemplifies how far DDR4 memory kits can go in extreme scenarios. Please note, the 31-31-31-63-2 timings indicate the focus on raw frequency instead of balancing speed with latency. It’s unbelievable to think this occurred on such a compact, affordable motherboard. Perhaps, MSI’s DDR4 Boost Technology helped matters and contributed to the extra performance. This is such a huge step up from the previous overclocking result, and I wonder if the 5100MHz mark can be broken. Here we can see the results in full: