Intel and AMD Postpone 100% DDR3 Transition

[btarunr]

Leading CPU makers Intel and AMD have adopted memory standards in fairly quick succession in the past. This however, doesn't seem to be the case with DDR3. AMD is yet to release a CPU that supports DDR3 memory, and is two years behind Intel with its DDR3 implementation plans. Intel on the other hand has managed 100% DDR3 dependency with only its premium Core i7 platform, with DDR3 not completely replacing DDR2 in any of its mainstream or value lineups.

Market factors, namely the DRAM manufacturing industry, are increasingly posing difficulties to CPU makers to bring DDR3 memory at a consumer-friendly price point. With manufacturing costs refusing to come down and the Core i7 not able generate the expected demand that justifies selling triple channel kits at sub-$100 price-points, CPU makers are rethinking their large-scale DDR3 standard transition plans for their entire lineups. Intel on its part is contemplating on postponing its 5-series mainstream platform for the Intel Core i5 series processors. AMD on the other hand, is still struggling with technical difficulties in achieving stability and compatibility with DDR3 memory on its DDR3-supportive memory controllers the upcoming AM3-socket CPUs come with. So the company is also unlikely to transition to DDR3 until it is able to come out with a workable BIOS, sources add. It could be as long as 2010 by when a 100% industry-wide implementation of DDR3 can take place.

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[p_o_s_pc]

interesting so it looks like DDR3 isn't taking off like planed

 

[Mr.President]

they should stuck with this platform for 2-4 years

 

[hat]

DDR2 has the market by the balls at the moment due to unbelieveable deals. I got 8GB Geil Black Dragon DDR2 800 for around $90. It's not suprising that DDR3, with it's higer prices for lower capacity modules, and often times slower speed, isn't too popular right now.

 

[AsRock]

Don't think it be much longer i have a feeling that DDR2 prices are going start to go up.. Just a hunch.

 

[suraswami]

Good thing for everyone.

 

[1Kurgan1]

Don't think it be much longer i have a feeling that DDR2 prices are going start to go up.. Just a hunch.

Why? DDR2 prices have been dirt cheap since it released practically. I can look back 2 years and remember buying 2gb of G.Skill DDR2 800 for $44. Would make no sense for something to hike in price on the mainstream that sells so well, unless it started phasing out.

 

[NeSeNVi]

It could be as long as 2010 by when a 100% industry-wide implementation of DDR3 can take place.

Source: DigiTimes

So it could be only two years for them according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDR4_SDRAM#DDR4_SDRAM.

 

[btarunr]

So it could be only two years for them according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDR4_SDRAM#DDR4_SDRAM.

....and even more time before DDR4 becomes 100% implemented.

 

[MKmods]

no prob, take ur time Intel/AMD.. DDR2 for <$20 is fine by me

 

[Wile E]

Why? DDR2 prices have been dirt cheap since it released practically. I can look back 2 years and remember buying 2gb of G.Skill DDR2 800 for $44. Would make no sense for something to hike in price on the mainstream that sells so well, unless it started phasing out.

Not really. At the end of '06, when I made the transition to DDR2, I paid $130 for a 2x512MB kit of OCZ Platinums, OPEN BOX on Newegg. It was the cheapest CAS4 800Mhz kit I could find anywhere. 2x1GB kits started at $200 for 533MHz kits.

 

[Hayder_Master]

it must be ddr3 , cuz not anyone want lose performance using ddr2 with the new cpu's like i7 and phenom 2

 

[PCpraiser100]

I think they are doing the right thing, as we don't really need DDR3 yet. This means that both companies are kind of speaking out for the consumer. Get the timings lower and maybe we'll talk...

Lets hop they do it soonthough cause I am going to need DDR3 soon.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I wouldn't put money on Nehalem not needing it. Considering a 4000+ San Diego had to make due with 3200 MB/s memory and the 8 cores of Nehalem are having to make due with 14,000 MB/s (1750 MB/s each--number will drop to 875 MB/s when the 16 core models come out)...it can't be good.

 

[Rebo&Zooty]

i dont see ddr2 prices jumping up, and my first ddr2 kit was suq, ocz goldz that maxed at 830!!!!

that said, this is IMHO a GOOD MOVE ddr3 dosnt really offer anything major, specly not over some of the latist ddr2 kits, just think, this gives dram makers more time to put out even larger faster ddr2 kits that will be cheap enought anybody can afford them!!!!

hell that gskill PI ddr2 800 4-4-4-12@1.8v kit is an insain deal, 45-50bucks shiped per 4gb.........so for 100bucks you can have some extreamly fast extreamly overclockable ddr2 that will run at good/great latancys.

get the latancy down and clock up and ddr2 can rivel ddr3 for perf.

this is what i was saying a while back to somebody, DDR3 cheapo kits are 2x the price of equivlant performing ddr2 kits normaly for 1/2 the capacity, and the "good stuff" is WAY overpriced, just NOT WORTH IT.

phenom2 dosnt need ddr3, It needs low latancy decent clocked ddr2 as all other amd chips do, oh and more mature bios, in some boards phenom1 gained 10% or more from a simple bios update, optimize the bios code=better performance=happier customers and better benchie scores.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

DDR2 is 90nm, it takes a long time for them to shift production over to DDR3 (65nm). The prices on DDR2 remained relatively high until JEDEC got AMD to switch over. Once AMD gets DDR3 parts out and Core i5 is released (assuming it is also DDR3 only), DDR2 will fade into history relatively quick.

 

[Rebo&Zooty]

Ford, also the fact that amd waited till ddr2 was mature enought to compete in latancys/perf with ddr2 helped.

afik ddr2 can be made on smaller prosesses, would be these hynix sticks i have are infact.

 

[kid41212003]

I'm abit confused there, I thought DDR3 being called DDR3 because it's 65nm?

And DDR2 being called DDR2 because it's 90nm?

But, seriously, this happened the same with DDR vs DDR2, it just the price of DDR2 was cheaper.

DDR, DDR2, DDR3, latency, they keep going up, and I'm sure it will stay this way.

People will adopt DDR3 the way it is, it's just not soon.

 

[p_o_s_pc]

it would be nice to see DDR3 run 6-6-6-18@2000 then it would be worth it if almost every stick could do that.

 

[Wile E]

i dont see ddr2 prices jumping up, and my first ddr2 kit was suq, ocz goldz that maxed at 830!!!!

that said, this is IMHO a GOOD MOVE ddr3 dosnt really offer anything major, specly not over some of the latist ddr2 kits, just think, this gives dram makers more time to put out even larger faster ddr2 kits that will be cheap enought anybody can afford them!!!!

hell that gskill PI ddr2 800 4-4-4-12@1.8v kit is an insain deal, 45-50bucks shiped per 4gb.........so for 100bucks you can have some extreamly fast extreamly overclockable ddr2 that will run at good/great latancys.

get the latancy down and clock up and ddr2 can rivel ddr3 for perf.

this is what i was saying a while back to somebody, DDR3 cheapo kits are 2x the price of equivlant performing ddr2 kits normaly for 1/2 the capacity, and the "good stuff" is WAY overpriced, just NOT WORTH IT.

phenom2 dosnt need ddr3, It needs low latancy decent clocked ddr2 as all other amd chips do, oh and more mature bios, in some boards phenom1 gained 10% or more from a simple bios update, optimize the bios code=better performance=happier customers and better benchie scores.

That statement is a common misconception. AMDs do not always prefer lower speeds with tighter timings. My amd rig performs better at 1066MHz CAS5 than 800MHz CAS4 with the cpu set to 12*267. When you crank the ram speeds up, the latencies naturally go down when all else is equal. We then normally have to raise the latencies in the bios to make them stable again. Sometimes the speed increase offers more of a boost to latency than raising the timings takes away from it.

As a general rule of thumb, divide the frequency by the CAS to get a rough idea how different speeds and latencies stack up per clock.

For instance, 800/CAS4 = 200 while 1066/CAS5 = 213.2. That means 1066 CAS is slightly faster per clock.

It isn't always that way, on a pre-i7 Intel, the chipset plays a major role, and sub-timings can play a role as well, on both AMD and Intel, but for the most part, the above equation is an excellent indicator.

 

[Swansen]

The only reason any jump in DDR is needed is for lower voltages, there been marginal performance gains from DDR to DDR3. I'm confused though??? aren't there already platforms out that use DDR3???? namely i7?? so how is it not being implemented??? confused

 

[PaulieG]

The only reason any jump in DDR is needed is for lower voltages, there been marginal performance gains from DDR to DDR3. I'm confused though??? aren't there already platforms out that use DDR3???? namely i7?? so how is it not being implemented??? confused

Yes, but i7 is the only platform that is currently using DDR3 (ok and maybe a handful of x48 boards). Basically, Intel and AMD are just going to slow the push to move all platforms to DDR3. I'm happy to see this. My only experience w/DDR3 was an expensive and not all that thrilling one. I'll happily keep my 8GB of Gskill Pi 1100's for another year or so, thank you.

 

[Swansen]

Yes, but i7 is the only platform that is currently using DDR3 (ok and maybe a handful of x48 boards). Basically, Intel and AMD are just going to slow the push to move all platforms to DDR3. I'm happy to see this. My only experience w/DDR3 was an expensive and not all that thrilling one. I'll happily keep my 8GB of Gskill Pi 1100's for another year or so, thank you.

??? yeah, so they are just going to start making DDR2 chipsets now or what??? i'm confused about how this is going to work?? Even then, and just like yourself, there are a crap ton of people out there that have DDR3 boards? i dunno, this is confusing to me. That said, from the beginning, i would have said to just stick to DDR2 until the jump to DDR5 or 6 could have been made.

 

[kid41212003]

The Core i7 platform is for enthusiast, with premium pricing, what they're talking about here is for mainstream.

 

[Castiel]

That is so gay... I am really wanting to have DDR3 with my 940.