News

Micron’s Crucial DDR5 DRAM Promises Better Bandwidth for Next-gen Computers

November 01, 2021 by Abdulwaliy Oyekunle

Reliability, speed, and large bandwidth per core are demanded by high-powered applications in personal computers. These are exactly what Micron's latest Crucial DDR5 memory promises to deliver.

As memory grows and becomes more vital in today's devices, the industry has shifted from the first generation of double data rate (DDR) memory to the fifth generation, also known as DDR5. With this movement between generations, the transfer speed has increased, and power consumption has been reduced. 

The DDR5 memory specification has taken center stage in the next-gen CPUs to achieve high performance and allow computers to have seamless flexibility and efficiency while running high-powered applications.

Understanding the benefits of DDR5, Micron has recently released its latest memory solution.

 

Micron's latest memory solution, the Crucial DDR5 DRAM.

Micron's latest memory solution, the Crucial DDR5 DRAM. Image used courtesy of Micron

 

One way to gauge what this solution could mean for memory is to first look at some of the differences between DDR4 and DDR5 before diving into Micron's solution. 

 

Differences Between DDR4 and DDR5

Overall, there are some enhancements in the DDR5 memory that distinguish it from the previous generations. 

The fourth generation of DDR memory, DDR4, was introduced in 2014. It has a minimum transfer rate of 2133 mega transfers per second and a maximum of 3200 mega transfers per second. As for DDR5, there is a 163% increase in the maximum transfer rate in DDR5, which brings the value of the transfer rate from 3200 mega transfers per second to 8400 mega transfers per second.

The operating voltage in the DDR5 memory is 1.1 V, which is reduced from 1.2 V in the DDR4 memory. Lower operating voltage translates to lower power consumption and increased efficiency. However, this comes at a cost as lower operating voltage decreases noise immunity. 

In addition, the DDR5 has the edge over DDR4 in terms of RAM (random access memory) capacity. A single-die package of the DDR5 supports up to 64 gigabytes of DRAMs (dynamic random-access memorys), which is four times higher than the memory density of the DDR4 memory. 

The design architecture of DDR5 in a dual inline memory module (DIMM) features two channels which are 40 bits wide, eight error correction code (ECC) bits inclusive to correct data corruption.

 

The DDR5 memory features two independent 32-bit channels per DIMM.

The DDR5 memory features two independent 32-bit channels per DIMM. Image used courtesy of Micron

 

When moving from DDR4 to DDR5, the burst chop (BC) length and burst length (BL) are doubled. While DDR4 has a burst chop of 4 (BC4), DDR5 has 16 (BL16) burst lengths.

Though DDR5 is designed to meet the high processing demands in the next-gen computers, the design of the DDR5 DIMM comes with its challenges that designers would have to pay attention to with the view of meeting good signal integrity.

 

Introducing the New Crucial DDR5 DRAM

Micron's latest DRR5 has a 32GB UDIMM (unregistered DIMM) memory. UDIMMs are quite cheaper than RDIMMs (registered DIMMs), which have a register or buffer inside the DIMM. Built with a UDIMM memory, the Crucial DDR5 has better bandwidth and lesser latency.

 

It is envisaged that the new Crucial DDR5 will have an increase in its transfer speed in the future.

It is envisaged that the new Crucial DDR5 will have an increase in its transfer speed in the future. Image used courtesy of Micron 

 

The Crucial DDR5 DRAM has a transfer speed starting at 4800 MT/s based on 16 Gb chip density and is available in 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB module densities. Additionally, predefined XMP profiles are supported to enable users to recover memory performance to meet JEDEC specifications speeds easily.

As one of the leading providers of the industry's DDR5 specifications, Micron is pushing forward in DDR5 technology by producing state-of-the-art memory and storage solutions. Through the DDR5 technology enablement program (TEP), the company is said to accelerate production and testing to maximize DDR5 performance for customers. 

Though this is just one recent advancement in DDR5 technology, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for DDR5 and the next generation.

 


 

Interested in other news about memory? Read more in the articles down below.

Emerging DDR5 Technology Shows Promise in Securing Automotive Memory

What’s Trending in Memory Technology in 2021?

Can 3D NAND Flash Memory Side Step the Challenges of NAND?