The new generation of AM5 socket for AMD Ryzen 7000 processors may not be compatible with DDR4 RAM. A risky bet for AMD, which must face Intel Alder Lake supporting both DDR4 and DDR5.
DDR5 memory is gradually arriving on the market alongside Intel’s Alder Lake, the first generation of processors to grant compatibility with this type of RAM. Adorned with much higher frequencies, and supposed to offer better performance than the DDR4 that has equipped our PCs for a few years now, the DDR5 is however struggling to convince for the moment. In question, very low performance gains compared to DDR4 and a still very high price at resellers.
This problem is however common with the arrival of a new RAM technology, and it is generally necessary to wait a few months before observing an increase in terms of performance of the models offered on the one hand, and of the production capacities of the manufacturers (causing a drop in price) on the other hand.
AMD Ryzen 7000 only compatible with DDR5?
If Intel has played the versatility card with its Alder Lake processors compatible with DDR4 and DDR5, it seems that AMD is looking to the future with its AM5 platform which will be inaugurated by its Ryzen 7000 Raphael. If nothing is official at the moment, it would only support DDR5. It was the X670 and B650 motherboards responsible for hosting these AMD processors that sold the wick, since these will indeed not be compatible with DDR4 memory.
If the Ryzen 7000s intrinsically support DDR4, it is not completely excluded that AMD will eventually offer compatible entry-level motherboards… but nothing is less certain. With such an exclusivity policy towards DDR5, AMD risks closing a few doors with consumers who would not necessarily have an interest in acquiring this type of RAM, either because of the prohibitive prices displayed (count more or less 400 to 550 € for 2 x 16 GB of RAM today), or by wanting to reuse their functional DDR4 in their machine.
Additional cost requires, it will therefore be necessary that the new generation of Ryzen 7000 processors and its Zen 4 architecture in 5 nm are particularly interesting for buyers to deign to renew their equipment, unless the price of DDR5 falls by their release. Response in a few months, these processors being expected in the fall.