New clever way to make cheap DDR5 RAM may be Intel-exclusive only with no AMD support

Intel has been working with ASRock and TeamGroup on this new RAM innovation which promises to make DDR5 memory more affordable.

It seems like Intel's good times are coming back. First its upcoming Nova Lake-S desktop CPUs are expected to pack a massive cache and the performance that should come with it. Second the company is also working on a new technology along with ASRock and TeamGroup which can potentially significantly reduce DDR5 memory prices.

This week ASRock announced BIOS-level support for its new “One sub-channel” DDR5 DRAM module across its Intel 600, 700, and 800 motherboard series, a move designed to reduce costs and accelerate DDR5 adoption. This is a patent-pending memory design from ASRock that halves the number of memory chips per stick, and thus promises to make DDR5 more accessible to mainstream PC builders and system integrators.

A standard single DDR5 module uses a dual sub-channel (2×32-bit or total 64-bit) architecture which makes even a single DDR5 RAM stick technically "dual channel". While it provides high bandwidth and performance, it also raises manufacturing costs. The new innovation is simple yet potentially genius as it allows for single sub-channel (1×32-bit) modules, thus lowering production requirements while also maintaining compatibility. This new type of memory module is called HUDIMM or Half-Unbuffered Dual In-line Memory Module.

"Innovations like ASRock's One sub-channel DRAM technology are crucial to ensuring desktop computing remains accessible despite the rising demand and costs for DDR5 memory. Intel's grateful for ASRock's support in bringing this to market for our 600/700/800-series chipsets, ensuring Intel users have more access to the benefits of DDR5 memory in the years ahead," said Robert Hallock, Vice President and General Manager for Intel's Enthusiast Channel Segment business unit.

ASRock claims that mixed-module setups can outperform single high-capacity DIMMs. On the H610M COMBO II motherboard, combining an 8GB single sub-channel module with a 16GB dual sub-channel module apparently yielded higher throughput and lower latency than a single 24GB dual-channel DIMM. Hence Intel and ASRock are essentially suggesting that the affordability of the new HUDIMM memory will not come at the expense of performance. DeskMini systems will also support the new HUDIMM DDR5 form factor.

Interestingly, ASRock makes AMD motherboards too but there was no mention of AMD mainboard support for HUDIMM, yet.