Monday, January 10th 2022
AMD Wanting to Time Launch of AM5 Platform with DDR5 Availability
It would seem that AMD is concerned about DDR5 memory availability in the market, at least based on an interview that Tom's Hardware had with David McAfee, the Corporate VP and GM of the Client Channel business at AMD. It's not just about availability it seems, but also pricing, as McAfee is quoted saying "One of the dynamics that we do think about a great deal is how and when to introduce that AM5 ecosystem and ensure that the DDR5 supply, as well as pricing of DDR5 memory, is mature and something that's easily attainable for an end-user".
With the current issues that the DRAM module makers are experiencing, with both staff issues related to the pandemic and the PMIC shortage some are having, the question is how long it'll take until there's a steady supply of DDR5 modules in the market, at a reasonable price point. We obviously don't know what kind of DRAM speeds AMD is aiming for either, although it's unlikely that the company is looking at something faster than JEDEC spec at this point in time, even though we expect faster speeds will also be supported. Outside of the US, it seems like a cheap stick of 8 GB of DDR5 memory is going for around the US$100 mark (€89) or roughly four times that of a similar DDR4 stick. Crucial in the US is offering a single 8 GB stick for US$68, with a 16 GB stick costing the same as a pair of 8 GB sticks, US$137. This is unlikely to be the kind of price point AMD is hoping for and most DDR5 memory modules are a lot more expensive.
McAfee continues "And so there may be other forces beyond the product itself that slow down or meter the introduction of APUs into that AM5 socket. You know, we do expect that to be an enthusiast-first introduction. And I think we're going to have to watch very carefully just how the DDR5 transition takes place and how quickly both supply and prices come in line to make it more affordable for a mainstream consumer that might be more interested in making a product in that socket." Although APUs are expected to gain more from the increased memory performance of DDR5 than CPUs, due to the integrated GPU getting more bandwidth compared to when paired with DDR4 memory, it looks like they might take longer to make an appearance than in the past from AMD, if DDR5 pricing and availability isn't right.
However, unlike Intel's Alder Lake, it doesn't seem like AMD's AM5 platform has an option to use DDR4 memory, which could be the achilles heel for the platform as a whole. Likewise, the Ryzen 6000 series of mobile APUs might also end up suffering, although AMD claims that its partners are "well-positioned" when it comes to supply of DDR5 and LPDDR5 for mobile products. Time will tell how things play out, but it looks like AMD might have painted itself into a corner, if supply and pricing doesn't improve in the next six to 12 months.
Source:
Tom's Hardware
With the current issues that the DRAM module makers are experiencing, with both staff issues related to the pandemic and the PMIC shortage some are having, the question is how long it'll take until there's a steady supply of DDR5 modules in the market, at a reasonable price point. We obviously don't know what kind of DRAM speeds AMD is aiming for either, although it's unlikely that the company is looking at something faster than JEDEC spec at this point in time, even though we expect faster speeds will also be supported. Outside of the US, it seems like a cheap stick of 8 GB of DDR5 memory is going for around the US$100 mark (€89) or roughly four times that of a similar DDR4 stick. Crucial in the US is offering a single 8 GB stick for US$68, with a 16 GB stick costing the same as a pair of 8 GB sticks, US$137. This is unlikely to be the kind of price point AMD is hoping for and most DDR5 memory modules are a lot more expensive.
However, unlike Intel's Alder Lake, it doesn't seem like AMD's AM5 platform has an option to use DDR4 memory, which could be the achilles heel for the platform as a whole. Likewise, the Ryzen 6000 series of mobile APUs might also end up suffering, although AMD claims that its partners are "well-positioned" when it comes to supply of DDR5 and LPDDR5 for mobile products. Time will tell how things play out, but it looks like AMD might have painted itself into a corner, if supply and pricing doesn't improve in the next six to 12 months.
109 Comments on AMD Wanting to Time Launch of AM5 Platform with DDR5 Availability
I never cared about Alder Lake in this thread but it would seem there are people who just have to mention Intel's AL no matter what the conversation is about since, in their eyes, it always ties to the subject.
You cant even have a conversation about other aspects since AL always comes along. It's just annoying.
The "newly released DDR mem will need some time to catch up" argument is also taking stuff out of context, because, while transitions never went smoothly, this time around the transition is only aggravated by a bonus supply shortage/ridiculous pricing. Makes it look like it's business as usual - it is not.
The reason AMD cited for the 5800X3D being the only SKU last week was that it was a proof of concept prior to wider adoption across Zen4. If Zen4 is delayed then perhaps their plans regarding Zen3+ will also change.
This is all obviously speculation and guesswork, anyone claiming otherwise is full of shit.
Will DDR5 be a better value than DDR4 in 9 months? No. New DDR transitions have never been a better value until a few years after release, but... it's going to happen, and next thing you know, in ~8 years we're going to be complaining about how awful of a value DDR6 is to DDR5.
If DDR5 is so great why AMD has reservations with it? Price and supply despite its technological aspect for sure.
People put companies as an example for business and what it entails but refuse to think like one at the same time. That just bugs me. (get it? :) )
Like for instance AMD didn't wait for half a dozen PCIe 4.0 drives, or GPUs, before launching the x570 (zen2?) platform.
Maybe AMD is trying to aim for a high frequency ram modules and they don't know how far this year the DDR5 Ram will be able to go.
More likely, between 5nm supply constraints and home users not putting up with DDR5 pricing, AMD is simply prioritizing their server parts instead.
On a more constructive note, don't ever post when annoyed. Take a step back, let it pass and post afterwards.
Said my bit, at any rate.
I know it's not ideal. I also could be reading the room wrong, in which case feel free to ignore me.
They know they will not sell a lot CPU's & mainboards when nobody can get their hands on a GPU.
I think the best upgrade path is to grab a pair of DDR5 before AM5 releases, wait for next gen GPU's (or for eBay getting flooded with outsourced GPU's) & buy the AM5 CPU at last.
The links in the articles are links back to older articles on TPU usually and it's not even something that's used in most articles here.
And honestly, if you want the link in the forums, talk to the boss, he's the only one that can fix that.
It is also hard to blame AMD for doing what's best for the company and at the same time expressing worries about DDR5 supply and pricing. The company lives from customers and clients so it is valid to express worry about component supply and pricing to the public. That is what they did.
You maybe have to distinguish nonsense and a valid point. Putting controllers for memory whichever comes along is rather easy but it also costs more. If you want to save cash for the production it is better to plan it. AMD is a company like any other and they have look for savings to improve profits. I thought that is clear.
The problem IMO is Zen 4 being designed for AM5 and thus coupled to DDR5. When AM4 launched, DDR4 had already been on the market for 2 years, but DDR5 will have had a year or less of market presence at the time that AMD hopes to launch Zen 4/AM5 - and that's before you take into account the DDR5 shortages and price hikes. To my mind it would've been a lot more logical to keep Zen 4 on AM4/DDR4 (which could have been released sooner, perhaps even preempting ADL), then release Zen 5/AM5 as a simple Zen 4 refresh with DDR5 support a year later.
Say what you like about Intel, they've definitely been a lot smarter about the DDR5 transition than AMD has. I'm honestly expecting Zen 4 to slip to 2023 at this point.What are your sources for this?
They know DDR5 is currently expensive and crap which is why they're waiting until it's cheap and not crap.