Yes, toasty DDR5 RAM is common and often used in modern systems.
Yes, toasty DDR5 RAM is common and often used in modern systems.
My rams operate at 68°C when fully loaded. The CPU draws roughly 180 watts while the GPU uses around 450 watts (Ryzen 9 7900X paired with RTX 5090). The case is a Lian Li O11 Mini, featuring fans as illustrated—each running up to 60% capacity, with two side intake fans.
It's not unheard of. It is definitely on the high side, but those look like Ripjaws S5/Flare X5 sticks which are known to not have amazing heat spreaders, 4 DIMMs increasing memory temps a fair bit, and there isn't too much forced airflow around the sticks (I.E. A big aircooler right over them) that all add up to that temp making sense. Besides, realistically as long as you aren't overclocking your RAM more than XMP/EXPO the sticks should be safe until at least 80C (I forget the exact number that they're rated at, I just know it's above 80C and if you're getting that hot for your memory you have a serious airflow problem in your system).
The main exhaust fans are near the intake, which might provide some assistance.
They're quite selective with airflow depending on whether you're pushing or pulling. The fans near the top, even close to the DIMMs, won't provide much movement. A larger cooling solution would help more, especially one that touches the RAM closely. Big coolers like the Jiushark JF13K can direct air right at the memory and make a noticeable difference.
This is a fishtank case, looks fancy (or ugly depending on tastes) but they're known for bad airflow, basically all fans work against each other creating tons of air pockets and unwanted turbulences, then you have an AIO so no direct airflow to your RAM whatsoever... you should be happy it's not over 80c tbh... I would recommend an actual airflow optimized case instead regardless as it's probably cooking in that thing with such high powered components. See how close the intake fans are to the RAM in my case? (Fractal torrent compact) Those are two 180mm fans btw... RAM barely ever exceeds 40C
It's worth noting that your other observations hold some truth, even though I still think encouraging case swaps might be excessive in this situation. DDR4 generally stays cooler than DDR5 due to the absence of power delivery circuits inside the memory chips. For DDR5, a 45C rating is only feasible as a maximum temperature under specific conditions—like a direct fan directing air at the RAM—and with your current configuration I’d anticipate it reaching around 50°C or higher, possibly even 55°C.
Ya maybe I just really dislike them fishtanks and think overall having a proper case with front intake / mesh is just healthier for a system. Ah ok but tbh I haven't really seen a big difference with my ddr5 ram which I thought is surprising since it's in a laptop... (Idk exactly but I think around 50c max, which I attributed to being in a laptop rather than dodgy design choices)
You can find RAM fans for your setup if you're really concerned about the mounting. If your VRMs are misaligned now, a Silverstone Technology FDP01 VRM Cooling Fan Adapter would also fit and then...they increased the quantity. Updated November 15, 2025 by thrasher_565