The successor to Intel's Alder Lake CPU lineup, codenamed Raptor Lake, is expected to retain support for DDR4 memory.
Intel Raptor Lake CPUs Will Also Feature Both DDR5 and DDR4 Memory Support
The latest information comes from Moore's Law is Dead who reports that Alder Lake buyers who are getting on board the DDR4 platform don't have to worry about their platforms going obsolete within a generation because Intel's Raptor Lake CPUs will retain support for DDR4 memory. So it looks like users who invest in a DDR4 platform now can upgrade to a Raptor Lake CPU when the new processors arrive a year from now.
Raptor Lake will support DDR4.
Some people might say "duh", but I have seen a conspiracy theory going around that Intel would obsolete DDR4 mobos when Raptor Lake launches. No, they won't.
Rest easy DDR4 Alder Lake buyers 😊.
— Moore's Law Is Dead (@mooreslawisdead) November 8, 2021
The Intel Raptor Lake lineup will include the 13th Gen Core processor family and we have already heard from our sources that the blue team is working on their 700-series chipsets to coincide with the launch of Raptor Lake. The Raptor Lake CPUs will be a soft-refresh of Alder Lake CPUs, rocking an updated core architecture and increased number of cores (E-Cores). Based on this info, Raptor Lake will be carrying the same memory controller as Alder Lake though with slight optimizations to support faster memory. The existing Alder Lake memory controller allows for both DDR4-3200 and DDR5-4800 standards. Raptor Lake is expected to keep the same though we can expect higher IMC speeds.
This is good news for users who are going to get 600-series motherboards with DDR4-only support as they are not only cheaper but the overall platform cost of going DDR4 is lower too. DDR5 at the moment is both expensive and hard to find. There are many mainstream users who won't see the benefits of running DDR5 memory and a 32 GB high-end kit will cost more than what a standard i5 or i3 chip in the Alder Lake lineup will cost. So to take advantage of Alder Lake's price to perf ratio, it's wiser for entry-level users to go for something like the Core i5-12600K or below (Core i5-12400, Core i3-12100) and utilize the still very capable DDR4-3600 / 4200 kits.
The Intel Raptor Lake CPU lineup will launch around the same time as AMD's Zen 4 Rapahel family that will comprise next-generation Ryzen Desktop CPUs. The new AM5 platform is confirmed to get DDR5 support though we don't know if like Intel, AMD will also have some entry-level products that feature support for DDR4 memory too. So far, every DDR generation, Intel has had an entry-level board platform that offered support for both the latest and the previous standard. This time, the support was extended to high-end Z690 motherboards too.
Intel Mainstream CPU Generations Comparison:
| Intel CPU Family | Processor Process | Processor Architecture | Graphics Architecture | Processors Cores/Threads (Max) | Platform | Memory Support | PCIe Support | Launch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alder Lake (12th Gen) | Intel 7 | Golden Cove (P-Core) Gracemont (E-Core) | HD 700 Series | 16/24 | LGA 1700/1800 | DDR5 / DDR4 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2021 |
| Raptor Lake (13th Gen) | Intel 7 | Raptor Cove (P-Core) Gracemont (E-Core) | HD 700 Series | 24/32 | LGA 1700/1800 | DDR5 / DDR4 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2022 |
| Raptor Lake Refresh (14th Gen) | Intel 7 | Raptor Cove (P-Core) Gracemont (E-Core) | HD 700 Series | 24/32 | LGA 1700/1800 | DDR5 / DDR4 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2023 |
| Meteor Lake | Intel 4 | Redwood Cove (P-Core) Crestmont (E-Core) | Xe1 (Alchemist) | 22/28 | LGA 1851 | DDR5 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2024 |
| Arrow Lake | TSMC N3B | Lion Cove (P-Core) Skymont (E-Core) | Xe1 (Alchemist) | 24/24 | LGA 1851 | DDR5 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2024 |
| Arrow Lake Refresh | TSMC N3B | Lion Cove (P-Core) Skymont (E-Core) | Xe1 (Alchemist) | 24/24 | LGA 1851 | DDR5 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2026 |
| Lunar Lake | TSMC N3B | Lion Cove (P-Core) Skymont (E-Core) | Xe2 (Battlemage) | 8/8 | Mobile Only | LPDDR5X | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2024 |
| Panther Lake | Intel 18A | Cougar Cove (P-Core) Darkmont (E-Core) | Xe3 (Battlemage) | 16/16 | Mobile Only | LPDDR5/LPDDR5X | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2025 |
| Nova Lake | Intel 18A | Coyote Cove (P-Core) Arctic Wolf (E-Core) | Xe3 (Battlemage) Xe3P (Celestial) | 52/52 | LGA 1954 | DDR5 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2026 |
| Razor Lake | Intel 18A? | Griffin Cove (P-Core) Golden Eagle (E-Core) | TBA | TBA | LGA 1954 | DDR5 | PCIe Gen 5.0? | 2027 |
| Titan Lake | TBA | Copper Shark (Unified) Golden Eagle (E-Core) | TBA | TBA | Mobile Only | LPDDR6? | PCIe Gen 5.0? | 2028 |
News Source: Videocardz
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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