Intel's Alder Lake is the first mainstream platform to support DDR5 memory, and many consumers may still be struggling with whether to use DDR4 or DDR5 memory if they buy the 12th generation Core series processors. Unfortunately, coinciding with a severe shortage in the semiconductor industry, there are supply problems with both the power management ICs (PMICs) and voltage regulator modules (VRMs) currently required by DRAM vendors to produce DDR5 memory, resulting in a limited amount of DDR5 memory and a high price that is expected to continue until the second half of 2022.
Recently, an ASUS engineer demonstrated a ROG DDR5 to DDR4 riser card on a tubing and explained how it works. The test bench uses the ROG MAXIMUS Z690 APEX motherboard, which transmits the signal of DDR4 memory to the motherboard through the DDR5 memory slot and the riser card. However, the volume of this adapter is quite large, and the trace connecting the DDR4 memory and the DIMM slot is very long, which will bring some problems to the high-frequency DDR4 memory operation.
On the one hand, such a large volume is due to the prototype product, on the other hand, the riser card must provide FUNCTIONS such as PMIC/voltage conversion, and the power supply system needs to be modified to meet the needs of DDR4 memory operation. The prototype conversion card is also equipped with a 4Pin power supply interface in case the power supply is insufficient. The ROG DDR5 to DDR4 riser card works properly, first of all because the Alder Lake platform natively supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. After using the conversion card, the CPU will directly identify as DDR4 memory, rather than inducing the motherboard to recognize DDR4 memory as DDR5 memory.
It is understood that this ROG DDR5 to DDR4 riser card is only an experimental product for the time being, and it will not necessarily appear in the retail market in the future.