Second-Gen SK Hynix A-Die DDR5 memory spotted with DDR5-7200 rated speeds
New “A-Die” SK Hynix DDR5 memory spotted with 7200 MT/s rated speeds
DDR5 memory is getting faster, with new SK Hynix chips being spotted with new “A-Die” memory and rated speeds of 7200 MT/s. With its “X021” and “AKBD marking, ” this memory appears to be a successor to SK Hynix’s 3GB M-die chips and ships with a speed rating of DDR5-7200.
With Intel’s planned Arrow Lake Refresh and new Panther Lake CPUs supporting DDR5-7200 speeds, it makes sense for these new DDR5 memory chips to arrive now. The PC market is moving to faster DDR5 speed tiers and moving away from lower-speed DDR5 modules (like DDR5-4800 and DDR5-5200).
SK Hynix’s new A-die DDR5 memory chips will act as the foundation for many future memory modules. This will make it easier for SK Hynix’s partners to create DDR5 memory modules for new Intel platforms. Note that these modules are also likely to be ready for AMD’s next-generation Zen 6 CPUs. Zen 6 should support faster DDR5 memory than Zen 4/5.
(Image via UNIKO’s Hardware)
DDR5 chip speeds alone are not what define DDR5 memory performance. Signal integrity matters. This is why high-end DDR5 memory kits are increasingly using thicker 10-layer or 12-layer PCBs instead of standard 8-layer PCBs. Additionally, ASUS has also created its own “NitroPath” DDR5 DIMM slots to reduce noise and increase signal integrity further.
As the industry moves to faster DRAM speeds, motherboards, CPUs, and DRAM modules need to be capable of handling that strain. Expect supported DDR5 speeds to increase for all next-generation CPU platforms. The era of faster DDR5 is coming.
You can join the discussion on SK Hynix’s new 3GB A-Die DDR5 memory modules on the OC3D Forums.
