DDR5 Memory Support
The MSI Z790 supports JEDEC DDR5–5600 memory out of the box. In comparison, Alder Lake featured support for 4800 MT/s memory (DDR5-4800). The MSI MEG Z790 comes with 4 DDR5 memory slots featuring a maximum supported memory capacity of 128GB. The 1DPC (1 DIMM Per Channel) maximum datarate is 6800+MT/s. The 2DPC (2 DIMM Per Channel) configuration drops this transfer rate to 6400+MT/s. (MT = Mega Transfers) Related : Intel i9-13900 (Non-K) 65W CPU Tested, On Par With its 13900-K Counterpart
Support For DDR4
Additionally, Videocardz further gives us a few pictures showing that we may see some motherboards from the -700 lineup supporting DDR4 memory. AMD’s AM5 platform has abandoned this memory type and has opted for the faster and fancier DDR5 memory. A Z790 motherboard reportedly includes support for DDR4 memory. 4 DDR4 slots pair up to provide the same maximum 128GB memory size. The fastest transfer rate is around 5333+ MT/s.
Who wins the Memory Speed War?
No AM5 motherboard (As of writing) has specifications for the memory speed listed, therefore, it is hard to tell which platform is faster. Fear not, for AMD is planning for a full fledged announcement on the 29th of August.
Release Date
Intel’s Raptor Lake is expected to be announced at Intel’s Innovation Event which is set to take place in the last week of September. A release should occur sometime in the middle of October. The initial launch may only feature the -K/-KF SKUs from Intel’s 13th Gen. The lower-mid end variants along with the B760/H610 motherboards could be announced during the 2023 CES event which is planned for the 5th of January, 2023. Read More : Intel 13th Gen ‘Raptor Lake’ CPUs Provide Massive Cache Improvements Over Last Gen