MSI BIOS Update Brings 256 GB DDR5 Memory Support to Intel 700 & 600 Boards

[T0@st]

MSI released an intriguing AMI BIOS update on January 31 for their Intel 700 and 600 chipset mainboards—hardware tipster chi11eddog noticed this quiet announcement and proceeded to get his Z790 Carbon MAX WIFI motherboard running on beta version 7D89v1B1. This preliminary release enables "capacity support up to 256 GB" for DDR5 Memory—chi11eddog noted that you previously had to jump through several hoops to get this configuration in working order: "As per a friend in the industry, before this, it needs to disable Above 4G/Resizable BAR/remapping to support 256 GB on Intel systems. MSI has fixed this. No need to disable Above 4G/Resizable Bar."

His MSI Z790 test platform featured an Intel Core i9-14900K CPU and 256 GB (4 x 64 GB) DDR5-4800 of memory—Wccftech's reportage proposes some extra tests: "it would be interesting to see what the maximum speeds are supported when using high-capacity memory kits but for those who prefer capacity over speed, well the solutions are now out there." The Compression Attached Memory Module (CAMM) standard has been adopted by the laptop memory segment, and manufacturers are believed to be transferring technological innovations to desktop form factors. Upcoming 64 GB DDR5 modules offer twice the capacity over the best previous-gen solutions. The proliferation of non-binary DIMM kits—from 24 to 48 GB—in 2023 brought (total) desktop memory capacities to a maximum of 192 GB.



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[HBSound]

Does anyone make a 64GB - D5 RAM stick?

 

[DutchTraveller]

Apparently because the article says they tested it.. But I haven't seen them anywhere yet.
Sep 1st 2023 Samsung showed the first 32Gbit chips which are used to build 64GB DDR5 DIMM'S.
Most of these chips will be used for large capacity server-memory which costs an arm and both legs...
So it will be a while till non-ECC 64GB DIMMs will be for sale at reasonable prices. Probably end of this year or 2025.
Not many people need these. You can already go to 192GB.
But I have multiple systems with 128GB of DDR4 and I won't upgrade to DDR5 till these are available.
AMD is aiming for DDR5-8000 in upcoming generations. Hopefully the latency will be around 10ns.

 

[Wirko]

Most of these chips will be used for large capacity server-memory which costs an arm and both legs...

For some reason, larger server memory modules with TSV-stacked DDR5 dies cost several times more per gigabyte than smaller ones with a single die in each packages. Larger currently means 128 GB and above, but thanks to these new 32 Gbit chips, the lower limit should move to 256 GB.

Here's a European reseller which has both 96 GB and 128 GB modules so you can compare prices.

Consumers of course won't get these chips in their PCs early, I agree.

 

[T0@st]

Does anyone make a 64GB - D5 RAM stick?

Kingston: KSM48R40BD4TMM-64HMR.
64GB DDR5-4800 ECC Registered DIMM x80 CL40 2Rx4 1.1V Hynix M-die w/Rambus.
Released late last month it seems.

 

[Wirko]

That's nothing exceptional. Registered DIMMs can have up to 40 chip packages per module, twice as many as unregistered DIMMs.

 

[ypsylon]

I don't get it who is the target audience. You have to be clinically insane to run anything above 64GB, OK 128 GB, but you really pushing luck, without ECC. Especially if you do real work with your machine. DDR5 ended long tradition from previous generations of non-ECC and ECC DIMMs having the same pinouts and memory slots. I guess these sticks are ordinary non-ECC UDIMMs. Nuts. Technically impressive, but totally nuts. These will still be expensive, because of very low volume required - supply & demand.

If you really need that much memory you should really go workstation ECC.

 

[HBSound]

I don't get it who is the target audience. You have to be clinically insane to run anything above 64GB, OK 128 GB, but you really pushing luck, without ECC. Especially if you do real work with your machine. DDR5 ended long tradition from previous generations of non-ECC and ECC DIMMs having the same pinouts and memory slots. I guess these sticks are ordinary non-ECC UDIMMs. Nuts. Technically impressive, but totally nuts. These will still be expensive, because of very low volume required - supply & demand.

If you really need that much memory you should really go workstation ECC.

I want the motherboard and processor makers to allow ECC to function on the Intel I9 and AMD small chips fully. From what I know, have seen, and read—full ECC support Starts at the Intel Xeon and AMD Threadripper.

According to Intel i9 14k and I9-13k,. Each of these chipes allow for ECC support. And according to Intel, ECC is functional as long as the chipset allows the support on the Motherboard. So we need motherboards for the I9 family to support ECC. Personally, I do not know if this option is for the Motherboard to have an updated bios to make this happen or what.

The support is there, and I can not have it. That is unfair.

Then for Intel to turn around and offer the Z792 chipset, which now contricts, the preccors your selling me.

Will intel every allow this kind of support on this chipset?

 

[Dristun]

I don't get it who is the target audience. You have to be clinically insane to run anything above 64GB, OK 128 GB, but you really pushing luck, without ECC. Especially if you do real work with your machine. DDR5 ended long tradition from previous generations of non-ECC and ECC DIMMs having the same pinouts and memory slots. I guess these sticks are ordinary non-ECC UDIMMs. Nuts. Technically impressive, but totally nuts. These will still be expensive, because of very low volume required - supply & demand.

If you really need that much memory you should really go workstation ECC.

Doesn't DDR5 have some sort of on-die error correction to compensate for the increase? Though I agree that if someone needs 256GB of RAM they probably shouldn't be buying a desktop chipset.

 

[unwind-protect]

I don't get it who is the target audience. You have to be clinically insane to run anything above 64GB, OK 128 GB, but you really pushing luck, without ECC. Especially if you do real work with your machine. DDR5 ended long tradition from previous generations of non-ECC and ECC DIMMs having the same pinouts and memory slots. I guess these sticks are ordinary non-ECC UDIMMs. Nuts. Technically impressive, but totally nuts. These will still be expensive, because of very low volume required - supply & demand.

If you really need that much memory you should really go workstation ECC.

You mix up two separate concepts: 1) ECC vs non-ECC and 2) registered versus unbuffered.

Registered and unbuffered have different pinout now. Unbuffered ECC and unbuffered non-ECC are compatible.

 

[mahirzukic2]

I don't get it who is the target audience. You have to be clinically insane to run anything above 64GB, OK 128 GB, but you really pushing luck, without ECC. Especially if you do real work with your machine. DDR5 ended long tradition from previous generations of non-ECC and ECC DIMMs having the same pinouts and memory slots. I guess these sticks are ordinary non-ECC UDIMMs. Nuts. Technically impressive, but totally nuts. These will still be expensive, because of very low volume required - supply & demand.

If you really need that much memory you should really go workstation ECC.

I am running some financial simulations for days on end for the last 10 months.
Just today I had to disable some cores and not run 32 threads but rather only 22, due to memory. And I have 64 GB of RAM.

So if I had 96 GB I would be able to run using all threads on my 13900k processor.