Geil Cranks It Up With 32GB DDR5 Modules Overclocked To 7200MHz For Alder Lake And Zen 4
Do you think memory makers are antsy for next-gen platforms from AMD and Intel to arrive? There is no doubt about it, as evidenced by the suddenly steady stream of DDR5 announcements we are seeing. Geil is the latest the beat its chest over its DDR5 efforts, with the company touting fast kits that exceed JEDEC specifications, in capacities up to 128GB.
Let's talk about JEDEC for a moment. Last July, JEDEC released the final specifications for DDR5, noting at the time that initial kits are expected to 4,800MHz. And indeed, we have seen a few announcements hitting those specs already, such as TeamGroup's 16GB DDR5-4800 memory kit. However, JEDEC also left it a bit open-ended, saying DDR5 will deliver higher signaling rates "up to at least 6,400MHz."
Enter Geil, which says it has "put countless hours into developing" DDR5 memory modules. The fruit of those hours that cannot be counted? It too will have DDR5-4800 memory kits ready to go later this year, at standard CL40-40-40 timings and at 1.1V. But it will also have much faster memory kits.
Geil said numerous overclocking kits are under development, including DDR5-6000 (CL32-36-36), DDR5-6400 (CL32-36-36), DDR5-6800 (CL36-44-44), and even DDR5-7200 (CL36-44-44). All of these will be available in both RGB and non-RGB form, depending on whether you fill your PC with additional lighting or not.
Shown above is what Geil's Polaris RGB DDR5 modules will look like. Of course, what sits beneath the blinged out heatspreader is what truly matters.
"The new DDR5 memory incorporates the latest DDR5 PMIC (Power Management IC) architecture design for smart voltage and power management, allowing a more comprehensive range in voltage adjustment and tweaking. This embedded PMIC and module design are sure to boost the overall performance, stability, and overclocking potential dramatically," Geil says.
We've still not heard much in the way of pricing for upcoming DDR5 modules. It will be interesting to see how much of a premium they command over DDR4 memory when they arrive. As to when you can expect them, probably just a little before or right as Intel's Alder Lake processors hit the ground running.
Intel has promised to deliver Alder Lake before the end of the year (rumored for November), which in addition to supporting both DDR5 and DDR4 memory (not on the same motherboard), it will introduce a hybrid/heterogeneous architecture, mixing high performance cores with power efficient cores on the same die.
It's expected that AMD will counter with its Zen 4 stack shortly after, likely in early 2022. Zen 4 will be more traditional in design (no mixing of big and little cores), but the architecture will embrace the DDR5 memory standard.
