DDR5 and AM4
DDR5 and AM4
It might be worth considering if B550 could share the same socket as DDR4 once it launches. Given that Zen 3 will use an AM4 design compatible with DDR5, the existing slot should handle the required speed. I’m not predicting they’ll switch, but it’s interesting to think about after AMD released beta updates for older boards.
DDR5 differs from DDR4 in design, and Zen 3 uses a different AM4 socket that doesn’t support DDR5. This change applies to Zen 4 as well, introducing a newer socket type.
Over the years, DDR has increasingly incorporated more pins with each update. It's very probable—about 99%—that it's tailored for a fresh slot design, which helps others too...
Several experts have started working directly with DDR5 DRAM. This approach will be distinct, deliberately avoiding mixing DDR5 RAM with DDR4 slots. The design specifications have changed. See the links for more details: https://www.anandtech.com/show/15375/ces...4800-rdimm, https://www.micron.com/products/dram/ddr5-sdram, and https://www.networkworld.com/article/353...boost.html. The Ryzen 4000 series (Zen3) will stick with DDR4 RAM through 2021, while the Ryzen 5000 series (Zen3+) is expected to adopt DDR5 and USB 4.0 on the AM5 platform starting in 2022.
You can also access the technical white sheet data for DDR5. This document is Micron's DDR5 new features white paper.