Intel shares DDR5-4800 RAM details of Alder Lake CPU

admin October 4, 2021

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So far, as we all know, Intel’s 12th generation Alder Lake Will be the first mainstream processor platform accepted DDR5 memory.Chip manufacturer (via momomo_us) Posted a New file It lists different DDR5-4800 memory modules that have been validated for its next-generation platform.Maybe one of these models will land on our first DDR5 position Best memory List.

Instead of verifying different DDR5 products on its own, Intel entrusted this arduous task to Advanced Validation Labs, Inc (AVL), a well-known expert who tests and validates memory in the pre- or post-production stage. The company is particularly focused on DDR5-4800 memory, which is Alder Lake’s benchmark standard. These are non-ECC memory modules that comply with JEDEC guidelines and include 1.1V DRAM voltage and medium 40-39-39 timing.

AVL tested memory modules from well-known manufacturers, such as SK hynix, Sasmsung, Micron, Crucial and Kingston. Although all candidate data rates remain the same, the capacity of each memory module varies from 8GB to 32GB. According to Intel’s documents, DRAM manufacturers will start with 16 Gigabit DDR5 RAM chips. So there is enough space to handle the capacity they want to provide for each individual memory module.

One of the novelties of DDR5 is the on-board voltage regulation, which is achieved by equipping the memory module with a power management integrated circuit (PMIC). As far as the initial DDR5 memory modules are concerned, they will utilize Renesas Electronics’ PMIC. The document did not specify the exact model of the PMIC. However, we think it may be P8911, which is an optimized version of P8900 designed by Renesas Electronics for server memory.

DDR5-4800 specifications

DIMM supplier	DIMM part number	DIMM type	memory size	Rated speed	remote control	DRAM supplier	DRAM part number	DRAM density	DRAM date code	Dead priest	Grade width	PMIC supplier	PMIC revision
SK Hynix	HMCG66MEBUA081N	UDIMM n-EXC	8 GB	4800	C0	SK Hynix	H5CG46MEBDX015	16 GB	2127	Meter	1Rx16	Renesas	B0
SK Hynix	HMCG78MEBUA081N	UDIMM n-EXC	16 GB	4800	A0	SK Hynix	H5CG48MEBDX014	16 GB	2127	Meter	1Rx8	Renesas	B0
SK Hynix	HMCG88MEBUA081N	UDIMM n-EXC	32GB	4800	B0	SK Hynix	H5CG48MEBDX014	16 GB	2127	Meter	2Rx8	Renesas	B0
Samsung	M323R1GB4BB0-CQKOD	UDIMM n-EXC	8 GB	4800	C0	Samsung	K4RAH165VB-BCQK	16 GB	2137	Second	1Rx16	Renesas	B0
Samsung	M323R1GB4BB0-CQKOD	UDIMM n-EXC	16 GB	4800	A0	Samsung	K4RAH086VB-BCQK	16 GB	2137	Second	1Rx8	Renesas	B0
Samsung	M323R4GA3BB0-CQKOD	UDIMM n-EXC	32GB	4800	B0	Samsung	K4RAH086VB-BCQK	16 GB	2137	Second	2Rx8	Renesas	B0
Micron	MTC8C1084S1UC48BA1	UDIMM n-EXC	16 GB	4800	A0	Micron	MT60B2G8HB-48B:A	16 GB	2137	A sort of	1Rx8	Renesas	B0
Micron	MTC16C2085S1UC48BA1	UDIMM n-EXC	32GB	4800	B0	Micron	MT60B2G8HB-48B:A	16 GB	2137	A sort of	2Rx8	Renesas	B0
Critical	CT16G48C40U5	UDIMM n-EXC	16 GB	4800	A0	Micron	MT60B2G8HB-48B:A	16 GB	2137	A sort of	1Rx8	Renesas	B0
Critical	CT32G48C40U5	UDIMM n-EXC	32GB	4800	B0	Micron	MT60B2G8HB-48B:A	16 GB	2137	A sort of	2Rx8	Renesas	B0
Kingston	KVR48U40BS8-16	UDIMM n-EXC	16 GB	4800	A0	SK Hynix	H5CG48MEBDX014	16 GB	2127	Meter	1Rx8	Renesas	B0
Kingston	KVR48U40BD8-32	UDIMM n-EXC	32GB	4800	B0	SK Hynix	H5CG48MEBDX014	16 GB	2127	Meter	2Rx8	Renesas	B0

SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron are all IC manufacturers, and naturally use their own ICs in DDR5 products. On the other hand, Kingston will use SK hynix as its IC. At the same time, Micron’s consumer brand Crucial will use the latter’s IC.

If we look at the IC, it seems that SK hynix and Micron will bring their respective M-die and A-die to DDR5. These can scale well at higher voltages, but they are not fully recognized as operating under strict timing. This is where Samsung’s B-die IC performed well in the DDR4 era. The document confirms that Samsung’s DDR5 ICs are revision B, so these should be B-die. If the DDR5 B-die is similar to the previous DDR4 B-die, they may once again become the de facto IC for overclockers.

Obviously, regardless of the brand, the formula will not differ between 8GB and 16GB memory modules. These companies will stick to a single-column design, with 8GB being 1Rx16 and 16GB being 1Rx8. In contrast, 16GB DDR4 is a dual-rank guarantee in the initial stage. Finally, due to the introduction of higher-density chips, many memory brands have transitioned to single-row designs. However, for DDR5, 32GB memory modules are the only guarantee for a dual-rank (2Rx8) layout.

Why is the above important? Dual-rank memory is generally faster than single-rank memory, but it is not suitable for all workloads.Intel’s core and AMD’s Ryzen processor Benefiting from dual-rank memory, tests have shown that quad-rank memory is the ideal configuration to achieve the highest performance. However, it remains to be seen whether Alder Lake supports the same settings.