Asus ROG preparing to launch DDR4 to DDR5 adapters to help deal with Scalpers and RAM shortage

[Camofelix]

Summary

 

Found floating online in a few small circles of beta/early testers are what look like prototype/samples of ASUS ROG branded DDR4 to DDR5 adapter risers with integrated power and logic circuitry.

These custom adapters with integrated components are needed because of the difference in architecture on the dimm's themselves. Thankfully Alder Lake sports a memory controller capable of both DDR4 and DDR5 capabilities, and if validated on the ROG boards, this could lead to a transitional adapter for early adopters waiting for DDR5 to mature who also already own top of the line DDR4

Quotes

 

My thoughts

it's an interesting case we find ourselves in. This sort of device would only be possible if Asus had either foreseen this issue, overbuilt their trace signalling beyond even normal spec or both.

What will be interesting is how with this adapter the highest end Asus boards, in combination with the highest end alder lake processors, will be able to OC the current top of the Line DDR4 dimms for potential OC world records.

EDIT: For the sake of clarification, I'd like to highlight that the board in the video is a prototype that is intentionally oversized for easier debugging with tools such as an oscilloscope. If this product were to come to market, I would be very surprised to see it be even 1/3 as tall as the prototype shown in the video.
 

Sources

 

Edited December 31, 2021 by Camofelix
Clarification+words are hard

[AbydosOne]

"In exchange for using DDR4, all we ask for is 10℃ of your CPU temp."

 

Not that I know a whole lot about PCB layouts, but it seems to me like there's a lot of dead space that could be condensed to fix the above issue (if this is even the way they end up going).

 

[Bombastinator]

42 minutes ago, Camofelix said:

Summary

 

Found floating online in a few small circles of beta/early testers are what look like prototype/samples of ASUS ROG branded DDR4 to DDR5 adapter risers with integrated power and logic circuitry.

These custom adapters with integrated components are needed because of the difference in architecture on the dimm's themselves. Thankfully Alder Lake sports a memory controller capable of both DDR4 and DDR5 capabilities, and if validated on the ROG boards, this could lead to a transitional adapter for early adopters waiting for DDR5 to mature who also already own top of the line DDR5

Quotes

 

My thoughts

it's an interesting case we find ourselves in. This sort of device would only be possible if Asus had either foreseen this issue, overbuilt their trace signalling beyond even normal spec or both.

What will be interesting is how with this adapter the highest end Asus boards, in combination with the highest end alder lake processors, will be able to OC the current top of the Line DDR4 dimms for potential OC world records.

 

Sources

 

The question I think is whether it works in anything besides these few asus boards. Why do you say that a board needs to be overbuilt to function with such an adaptor?  Also curious is how much slower they make things.

[williamcll]

I wonder if there's any latency penalties.

[Bombastinator]

1 minute ago, williamcll said:

I wonder if there's any latency penalties.

I think the ship has likely sailed about “any” simply because it takes up physical space.  I very much doubt it will be faster. “Any significant” is possible though.

[Kisai]

3 hours ago, Camofelix said:

Summary

 

Found floating online in a few small circles of beta/early testers are what look like prototype/samples of ASUS ROG branded DDR4 to DDR5 adapter risers with integrated power and logic circuitry.
 

Oh dear. If anyone remembers the i820 MTH chip fiasco, will know that this is probably not a good idea.

[TetraSky]

surely they could've made that smaller... right?

 

But well, it is one solution I guess

[Salv8 (sam)]

1 hour ago, TetraSky said:

surely they could've made that smaller... right?

 

But well, it is one solution I guess

it's the first of it's kind, it's gonna get a smaller revision sometime later.

[Camofelix]

6 hours ago, AbydosOne said:

 

Not that I know a whole lot about PCB layouts, but it seems to me like there's a lot of dead space that could be condensed to fix the above issue (if this is even the way they end up going).

 

6 hours ago, Bombastinator said:

The question I think is whether it works in anything besides these few asus boards. Why do you say that a board needs to be overbuilt to function with such an adaptor?  Also curious is how much slower they make things.

2 hours ago, TetraSky said:

surely they could've made that smaller... right?

 

But well, it is one solution I guess

Addressing the size, there's no reason to minimize space on this sort of prototype product. From the PCB, it seems to be Revision R1.00T.

More relevant is that the larger size makes it easier to attach oscilloscope probes to the pads exposed on the PCB near the ROG logo, making it much easier to debug any issues.

As for overbuilding mother boards, as you extend traces, and then jump from on discrete material to another (from the main board to the Dimm's pins for example) you get signal bounce back creating noise on the lines amongst other issues.

LTT's cable testing video illustrates a simplified version of this problem.

If the initial signal from an overbuilt board is cleaner than that from a lower end board, the odds of success with the higher end board, while not guaranteed, are higher.

It's the same idea as when an OC MB will only have one memory slot per channel, to avoid bounce back*.



*Technically reflection issues with 2 dimms per channel depends on T topology vs daisy chain topology, but that's beyond the scope of this post.

 

[Poinkachu]

Well, prototype is usually uglier and bigger.
Take a look at PS4 or PS5 test unit.

Easier to do some checks with bigger stuffs.
Looking at ROG series, they know very well the current model for this adapter won't sit well with gamers.

Beefy air cooler lover will cry still though.

At the very least (if it's not just a rumor), someone trying to change the situation for reals, even if it's just a temporary band-aid.
Sooner or later someone @ China gonna make one and put it up in Aliexpress.
And I'd rather have a reputable branded one than who knows who made it brand.

[Helpful Tech Witch]

yea thats going to have issues with speed

thats just going to double trace lenghths, in a world where the shorter they are for ram the better.

[adarw]

guess what? this will also be scalped!

[Stahlmann]

I bet you this thing is being scalped as soon as it's on the market...

[Stahlmann]

Just now, adarw said:

guess what? this will also be scalped!

Haha same thought at the same time

[StephanTW]

I see this and all i can think of is either case clearance or cpu cooler clearance must me non existant

[Arika]

RIP CPU cooler compatibility charts

[Bombastinator]

9 hours ago, TetraSky said:

surely they could've made that smaller... right?

 

But well, it is one solution I guess

They’re not production units I suspect it’s just feasibility tests.  Probably just giving themselves room to work.

[Bombastinator]

3 hours ago, Arika S said:

RIP CPU cooler compatibility charts

I suspect that anything with any overhang will be basically hosed.  AIO for anything with one of these.  If they even work.  @Kisai brings up a very possible situation.

[Cool Dude 101]

That is cool, but does it need to be that big?!?!

[paddy-stone]

22 hours ago, Camofelix said:

waiting for DDR5 to mature who also already own top of the line DDR5

Think that last bit should read DDR4, cos if they already had DDR5 they wouldn't need the adapters.

[Bombastinator]

10 hours ago, Bombastinator said:

I suspect that anything with any overhang will be basically hosed.  AIO for anything with one of these.  If they even work.  @Kisai brings up a very possible situation.

Got to even make it work first.  Can’t make it work no point in making it small enough to use

[BuckGup]

Why is everyone so horny to say scalper or scalping. The original meaning has to do with day trading stocks quickly to slowly bump the price up. This new meaning that people equate with PC components is a free-market transaction and demonstrates the true value of the item specifically what a willing buyer and seller agree to for the price absent coercive forces.

 

Scalping benefits everyone. The original manufacturer made a sale at the price they set and clears their inventory

Scalpers make a profit quickly with little capital needed

The consumer now has the option to buy the item opposed to not at all

 

With all of this said it's not always that cut and dry. A government could be scalping food and water from it's citizens to make money and in this case one party benefits more than the other and scalping is not beneficial. Also the entitlement people feel for items like DDR5 and flagship GPUs is ridiculous. Wait until they find out everyone on Earth is breathing THEIR air!!

[Bombastinator]

2 minutes ago, BuckGup said:

Why is everyone so horny to say scalper or scalping. The original meaning has to do with day trading stocks quickly to slowly bump the price up. This new meaning that people equate with PC components is a free-market transaction and demonstrates the true value of the item specifically what a willing buyer and seller agree to for the price absent coercive forces.

 

Scalping benefits everyone. The original manufacturer made a sale at the price they set and clears their inventory

Scalpers make a profit quickly with little capital needed

The consumer now has the option to buy the item opposed to not at all

 

With all of this said it's not always that cut and dry. A government could be scalping food and water from it's citizens to make money and in this case one party benefits more than the other and scalping is not beneficial. Also the entitlement people feel for items like DDR5 and flagship GPUs is ridiculous. Wait until they find out everyone on Earth is breathing THEIR air!!

I don’t think this can possibly be correct. Scalping is a whole lot older than day trading.  It’s not a new term.  Day trading is.  The concept of scalping is older than the USA.

[jagdtigger]

Scalpers just going to buy em all then bye-bye ddr4......

[BuckGup]

43 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

I don’t think this can possibly be correct. Scalping is a whole lot older than day trading.  It’s not a new term.  Day trading is.  The concept of scalping is older than the USA.

Do you have a sauce on that? I haven't found anything besides scalping being called market-making in the past but I haven't found the origin or a date