From PCs To Servers, DDR4 Memory Is Back In Action As DDR5 Shortages Continue

DDR4 memory was going to enter its EOL phase, but shortages have forced DRAM makers to extend production for consumer and server segments.

DDR4 Memory Is Just As Relevant Today As It Was 12 Years Ago When It First Launched Due To DRAM Shortages

The DDR4 memory standard was launched back in 2014. The memory standard replaced the older DDR3 standard as new platforms came to life on both client and server markets. In 2020, DDR4 was replaced by DDR5 as the current memory standard, offering much higher speeds that were built for the latest platforms. But who knew that DDR4 was going to stay relevant for many years to come?

It is no surprise that memory standards often live past their shelf life. There are still plenty of PCs, Servers, and devices that are still running on older DDR2 and DDR3 standards. The thing is that DDR4 was meant to enter the EOL (End-of-Life) phase very soon, but the DRAM crisis forced all vendors to extend these plans since DDR5 is in short supply, and only older memory standards can help mitigate the supply-demand gap.

Rise of DDR4-Specific Products In The Coming Years

Although the shortages impact DDR4 too, the memory is less costly to produce and is yield-proven. At the same time, DDR4 prices have jumped up significantly, not as much as DDR5, but still high. Considering how old the memory is, the prices are brutal to say the least, but DDR4 remains the budget route for most customers.

As such, we are seeing a multitude of "DDR4" specific options on the market these days. Devices such as Desktop PCs, Mini PCs, and Laptops, which should've been going the DDR5 route, have now been fitted with DDR4 support. A range of these devices is launching in Asian markets, such as Colorful's new MoDT motherboard or Minisforum's latest Mini PC.

Both products have CPUs that offer both DDR5 and DDR4 support, but the companies, knowing that DDR5 is way out of reach and will lead to higher prices of their products, have been forced to use DDR4 instead.

Enterprise Adopts DDR4 Too

Just a few days ago, Meta, one of the biggest data center operators, was reported to be using DDR4 memory as it too faced DDR5 shortages. Interestingly, the chips used by Meta are AMD's latest EPYC Turin, featuring 158 cores and 316 threads.

These chips are designed with DDR5-only support, but Meta worked out a way to get them working with DDR4 with a custom CXL 2.0 ASIC for its MemServers, called Vistara. These enable a seamless DDR4 and DDR5 link with EPYC CPUs.

AMD & Intel Bet on DDR4 As They Expand Lifecycle of Older Platforms

This goes to show the relevance of DDR4 in these dire times. We are also noticing an increase in reliance on older platforms that were built with DDR4 support. AMD is still relaunching Ryzen CPUs for its AM4 platform, which is DDR4-only, and Intel is expected to restart production of its old 10th, 12th, 13th, and 14th Gen CPUs, citing memory shortages and rising component prices as the main reasons.

Intel has already said that Raptor Lake CPUs remain a core product for the company in the coming years as these shortages intensify, since using older DDR4 memory can mitigate the price hikes.

Now that we know that prices are going to climb in the coming quarters, DDR4 becomes more relevant than ever, as mainstream markets won't be able to absorb rising costs on DDR5 products anymore. Memory shortages will last till 2028, and are expected to last beyond that timeframe, so it's better to stick with your precious DDR4 memory for a while.

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