SK Hynix Launches Worlds First DDR5 Memory

I think many would agree that DDR4 memory has been the market standard for a lot longer than most would’ve anticipated given that it originally launched back in 2014. With DDR5 having been in development since 2018 however, after finally getting everyone to agree as to what specifications it should have, it seems that we can very likely expect to land on desktop platform if not next year, then by 2022 at the latest.

Following a press release by SK Hynix, however, we have some very exciting news. The memory manufacturer has confirmed the official launch of the worlds first DDR5 RAM!

SK Hynix Launches DDR5 RAM

In truth, the information released by SK Hynix is more than a little dry and, as such, while it might’ve been tempting just to copy-paste it for you, I’ll instead run down some of the key points they make about this new memory:

• It’s initial applications are for servers, extreme workstations, and AI systems
• Data transfer speed of 4,800 ~ 5,600MBps (just under twice as fast as DDR4)
• Standard operating voltage has been lowered to 1.1V (1.2V for DDR4)
• Significantly improved Error Correcting Code (ECC)
• Estimated maximum system capacity of 256GB

What Do We Think?

As noted above, despite the launch of this RAM, we’re still a long way away (technologically speaking) from seeing this become a viable and mainstream ‘standard’ in terms of desktop gaming PCs. In fact, even SK Hynix themselves believe that by 2024, the DDR5 adoption rate will still be less than 45%. This is, of course, largely due to the fact that it will require new motherboards and some people can only afford significant upgrades every 5 years, and sometimes longer. Put simply, similar to when DDR4 replaced DDR3, there will be a fairly lengthy transitional period.

On the plus side though, DDR5 is here, but don’t get too excited. We’re still a decent way off seeing how good this could potentially be in terms of gaming performance!

What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!