DDR4 on the way

To first answer a question that I predict to be on top of some popularity list within a few months: No, it will not be backward compatible with older motherboards and you will not be able to use older memory standards in motherboards supporting DDR4.

The reason behind this is simple, and also happens to be one of the most significant improvements in DDR4 over its predecessors. The new memory modules will work at lower voltages, reducing heat and leaving a smaller footprint on battery life (in mobile applications). Finally we will start to see mobile devices with some serious computing power without the compromise of staying "mobile". This also means that DDR4 will not work in older motherboards, and new motherboards (those supporting DDR4) will not support older memory modules. DDR4 will require between 1.05V and 1.2V, where DDR3 requires between 1.2V and 1.5V.

DDR4's performance also doubles that of DDR3, having clock frequencies and data transfer rates between 2133 and 4266 MT/s compared to the current 800 to 2133 MT/s.

According to Samsung, thanks to the new architecture used in the new chips, DDR4 will see operation speeds of up to 3.2Gbps compared to DDR3's 1.6Gbps and DDR2's 800Mbps!

Talk about improvement!

The biggest beneficiaries here will be data centers, better performance and a smaller electricity bill, can't beat that. Expect to see the new memory chips widely used in servers by 2014!


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