Production of DDR4 memory and motherboards is restarting amid unprecedented memory shortages — PC industry preparing for a world without DDR5

submitted by

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/production-of-ddr4-memory-and-motherboards-is-restarting-amid-unprecedented-memory-shortages-pc-industry-preparing-for-a-world-without-ddr5

Back to the (stone) DDR4 age.

18
161
1

Log in to comment

Hot Top New Old

You know what, I’d totally upgrade my AM4 workhorse with way more RAM if prices come down to a reasonable level.

 reply
25

In still on AM4 and honestly see no reason to upgrade. I want more ram is all

 reply
4

Don’t they need to use the same factory and materials to make DDR4 though?

 reply
11

Per the article, they will compete for wafer apace, but are actually simpler to produce, so hit one bottleneck instead of the two that ddr5 hits.

Although there is already DDR4 in the market, it’s also easier to produce, which would help elevate some of the bottlenecks in the current memory supply chain. One of the key shortages right now is advanced packaging, which DDR5 requires with an integrated PMIC. DDR4, by comparison, is much simpler to package and sell, which should help keep prices from climbing into the DDR5 range.

 reply
18

Then… Why don’t you just increase production of DDR5? Why DDR4? Why not go back to DDR3 then while we’re at it?

This is so weird

 reply
12

Last line of the article:

“One of the key shortages right now is advanced packaging, which DDR5 requires with an integrated PMIC. DDR4, by comparison, is much simpler to package and sell, which should help keep prices from climbing into the DDR5 range.”

 reply
20

I would assume that building new machines/infrastructure for ddr5 is difficult so instead you can use old machines to supplement.

 reply
2

And who’s to say DDR4 won’t get snapped up the same way?

 reply
10

It already is. This may make it better with the increase in volume.

 reply
5
edited

Hello, all my machines use DDR3 exclusively and they still work fine, thank you.

 reply
7

So what do we do with all the PCs that only support DDR5? Throw them away and get DDR4 ones?

Don’t get me wrong this is great news but wouldn’t it make more sense to allocate this production to more DDR5 instead as that is the future?

 reply
3

I bet the fact that people are clinging to DDR4-era stuff is partly to blame.

Like me: I have a bunch of ddr4 stuff because I buy on the Second market. I am part of the problem.

 reply
3
edited

Last year I built a ddr4 machine. It was easier to source, a bit cheaper, and DDR5 solved zero problems for me.

People like me saw this coming a mile away and did the same damn thing which is why this is happening.

 reply
3

You shouldn’t see the majority of active users (being ddr4) as the problem, my guy. There has been zero need to upgrade. They created their own problem, they can figure it out.

 reply
1

I think there still more active computers with ddr4 than with ddr5, most people dont havr the shiny thing

 reply
2

Generational motherboards are here!

 reply
2
Insert image