Intel users who can’t seem to find any DDR5 memory kits to complement their Alder Lake builds can blame their PMIC requirements. That’s according to a report from IC Chip, whose sources claim that DDR5 is currently in short supply due to the lack of power management ICs. These are integrated circuits responsible for various power management processes such as DC to DC conversion and voltage scaling.
From IC Chip:
Sources said that the PMIC chip is currently in very short supply, while the purchase price of the PMIC chip to be used in DDR5 memory is 10 times more expensive than the corresponding chip in D4, and the procurement cycle is at least 35 weeks.
DDR5 memory moves the power management from the motherboard to the memory body, and the PMIC chip optimizes the control system power load factor. In addition, the DDR5 IC comes with an On-die ECC error correction mechanism that can rely on its own function to repair DRAM cells, so systems with DDR5 memory have higher stability.
Despite their premium costs, DDR5 is completely out of stock at Newegg and other popular retailers. One of the most expensive options is Crucial’s 64 GB (2x 32 GB) DDR-4800 kit, which costs $547.
Source: IC Chip