AMD motherboards are about to receive a major BIOS update that will introduce support for 5GB and 24GB DDR48 RAM modules, shake up decades of memory capacity allocation, and crack the brains of math nerds everywhere. .
Traditional RAM modules have long followed the power of the 2s capacity scheme, so 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, etc. This has to do with the way computers store data using binary numbers, the classic 0's and 1's of the digital age, but this has been more of a convention for memory capacity than some kind of strict requirement. Some of the best SSDs have capacities of 500GB, which is 12GB less than the clean 512GB you'd get from a pure binary representation.
Of course, it's always been possible to combine certain RAM modules to get 12GB, 24GB, and the like of total system memory, but this has rarely been offered in a single RAM module outside of high-end workstations. Now, as our friends at Tom's Hardware (opens in a new tab) point out, the possibilities for truly epic PC builds are possible, such as a small form factor PC build using a mini-ATX board with two DDR5 modules of 48 GB for 96 GB of memory.
More memory is always the best upgrade you can do for your PC.
While the best processor and graphics card money can buy will make your PC purr, for most people, the best upgrade you can do to your PC is to add more memory.
Today's best RAM offers fantastic speed that can eliminate bottlenecks in your daily workflows better than virtually any other upgrade. All programs need memory to run, and the more memory you have, the more space they have to run without being bogged down by the limits imposed by your operating system.
Also, most motherboards only have four DIMM slots to put memory in, and some smaller boards only have two slots available. This means that being able to cram more memory into a single slot is a big deal because it raises the upper limit of what is possible on a given system.
With four 5GB DDR48 RAM modules, you can get a staggering 192GB of RAM, which matches professional workstation memory levels on a consumer motherboard.
Although most people will never need them, two 24GB modules will virtually eliminate the system latency caused by low memory that users will experience for the rest of the decade (two 24GB modules will be better than a single 48GB module). GB due to the nature of dual memory). channel memory).
Overall, it's a great move from AMD and the fact that no one has to upgrade their existing AM5 motherboards is huge.