'Modern games are pushing GPU architectures harder than ever': Micron reveals faster new video RAM that could power Nvidia RTX 6000 GPUs | Tech Radar
Overview
'Modern games are pushing GPU architectures harder than ever': Micron reveals faster new video RAM that could power Nvidia RTX 6000 GPUs
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Details
It runs at 36 Gbps compared to 32 Gbps for the initial incarnation of GDDR7
This memory also comes in 3GB modules rather than 2GB, which is an important step forward for graphics card VRAM capacity
Micron has released a new type of GDDR7 memory for graphics cards, which is the firm's fastest such RAM yet.
Tom's Hardware reports that Micron issued a press release detailing the new GGDR7 memory, which offers a speed of 36 Gbps. For perspective, the first GDDR7 modules that hit the market — and arrived on consumer GPUs with the RTX 5000 series from Nvidia — were 32 Gbps modules. (Although they were run slower than that, at 28 Gbps in most cases, for better thermals and stability).
Another key step forward with Micron's new GDDR7 is that it uses 3GB modules rather than 2GB (and a 24 Gb density). You can only fit so many memory chips on any given graphics card — based on the bus width of the board, the lanes that link the memory to the GPU chip itself — so going from 2GB to 3GB modules allows for loading up more video RAM and a higher overall capacity.
Nvidia could pivot away from RTX 5070 Ti and 5060 Ti 16GB to favor 8GB GPUs
Nvidia could drop GPU production by up to 20%, rumor claims
Nvidia RTX 5000 GPUs are reportedly hit by shortages due to RAM crisis
As Micron notes: "Modern games are pushing GPU architectures harder than ever."
The firm expands on that: "As game environments expand and visual assets grow, memory capacity becomes critical to maintaining seamless, artifact-free experiences. Micron's new 24 Gb density enables up to 96GB of graphics memory, giving GPUs significantly more space for high-resolution textures, expansive worlds, and advanced visual effects."
Essentially, the maximum video RAM loadout with these chips on a consumer graphics card with a 512-bit bus (as seen on the RTX 5090) is now 96GB, rather than 64GB with 2GB modules. (Note that this maximum involves using chips front and back of the board in a 'clamshell' configuration, a more complex and costlier endeavor, which is why Nvidia ran with a spec of 32GB with just modules on the front.)
Right here and right now, this doesn't mean a whole lot to gamers, of course. Currently we're all more worried about the scarcity of existing forms of video RAM pushing up the prices of graphics cards slowly but surely.
And while it may seem odd to see 96GB of VRAM mentioned in relation to gaming – and to be fair, it is odd — Micron is really just promoting the benefits of 3GB modules more broadly. It's a boast of 'up to' 96GB, and the effects will be felt across whole GPU product stacks, including the likes of 128-bit affordable GPUs that have 8GB now, but could be configured with 12GB using 3GB modules. That's an important upgrade which avoids the aforementioned complications of a 'clamshell' design to increase video RAM capacity.
Micron should have angled its press release better in this respect, but instead wanted to go with an eye-catching 96GB figure, I guess — marketing is often a 'numbers game' in that respect.
At any rate, for the mentioned reasons, it's good news to see a bolstered form of GDDR7 from another memory chip maker. And I say another, because there are two other big forces in this arena, Samsung and SK Hynix, and both already have faster takes on GDDR7 that run at up to 42.5 Gbps and 40 Gbps respectively.
Nvidia could pivot away from RTX 5070 Ti and 5060 Ti 16GB to favor 8GB GPUs
Nvidia RTX 5000 GPUs are reportedly hit by shortages due to RAM crisis
Rumor: Nvidia has 'essentially killed off' RTX 5070 Ti and 5060 Ti 16GB GPU
However, 36 Gbps is still a more than respectable speed boost, and as I already mentioned, Nvidia hasn't even pushed to get the top speed out of the initial GDDR7 incarnation, which offered 32 Gbps. As noted, all the initial Blackwell GPUs that used GDDR7 ran at 28 Gbps, and just the RTX 5080 differs – and even that graphics card only pushed to 30 Gbps. (A move that was implemented to make up for its much leaner memory bus compared to the RTX 5090.)
It is also noteworthy that Micron spends some time considering gaming angles in its press release, and this new GDDR7 could well be what we see in Nvidia's next-gen graphics cards. That could be true not just for RTX 6000 GPUs, but also for AMD's next-gen graphics cards. (Team Red stuck with GDDR6 in RDNA 4 this time around).
There is another possibility, though, and that's the rumored RTX 5000 Super refreshes employing this Micron VRAM. I wouldn't rule that out, as these GPUs are supposedly really beefing up memory loadouts. On the subject of these cards, the latest speculation insists that Nvidia's Blackwell Super revamps won't arrive this year (as previously hoped). So, whatever the case, it's likely we're quite a long way out from seeing this faster GDDR7 memory in consumer graphics cards.
Mind you, in the current climate, with the RAM crisis making matters difficult for graphics card makers, talk of scope for expanding VRAM loadouts feels rather pointless at best. Hopefully this isn't a situation that'll persist for too long, but the general indicators right now aren't good – certainly not for this year.
➡️ Read our full guide to the best graphics card
- Best overall: AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT
- Best budget: Intel Arc B580
- Best Nvidia: Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti
- Best AMD: AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX
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Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for Tech Radar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).
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Key Takeaways
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'Modern games are pushing GPU architectures harder than ever': Micron reveals faster new video RAM that could power Nvidia RTX 6000 GPUs
-
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission
-
It runs at 36 Gbps compared to 32 Gbps for the initial incarnation of GDDR7
-
This memory also comes in 3GB modules rather than 2GB, which is an important step forward for graphics card VRAM capacity
-
Micron has released a new type of GDDR7 memory for graphics cards, which is the firm's fastest such RAM yet
