AMD X670 memory support details reveal speeds above 5200MHz depend on how good your CPU is

As the launch of AMD's Ryzen 7000 series processors and AM5 platform draws near, it's only natural that users will ask questions about what kind of RAM kit they should buy to use with the platform. Some fresh details on the memory support for AMD X670 platform have emerged. Though the speeds detailed are surely a worst-case scenario, it indicates that users planning to run four modules may face some difficulties running at higher speeds.

According to a new Gigabyte memory support table, provided by @momomo_us, when EXPO or XMP is disabled, four modules will drop to a sluggish 3600MHz speed. I believe this number to be for four dual rank modules. The same configuration runs at 3600MHz on a 12th Gen CPU too. 

Four single rank modules are likely to perform better. While 3600MHz looks like a poor number, if you do enable EXPO or XMP, then I'd be surprised—and disappointed—if at least DDR5-4800 wasn’t possible with 4x16GB, and possibly a lot higher.

The table also suggests that speeds of 5200MHz or higher will "depend on the CPU's capabilities." AMD surely suggests this speed simply to stay on the safe side. Intel's 12th Gen CPUs support an official maximum of 4800MHz, yet we know that they are capable of much higher speeds than this, with a 2x16GB kit at least. 

At this stage there's little reason to doubt the previous rumours of a 2x16GB DDR5-6000 sweet spot with a 1:1 Infinity Fabric clock will hold true.

It's important to note that AMD and Intel play it safe when it comes to official memory support. To use an example, if 99.9% of systems will run at DDR5-4800 but only 99% at 5600, they will set official support to 4800. That's why higher speeds are considered to be 'overclocking' even if they are well within the capabilities of practically every memory controller.

As has historically been the case, users will need to choose between speed and capacity for their AM5 system. Gamers should choose speed. A good quality 2x16GB DDR5-6000 set-and-forget EXPO kit should always perform well with a Ryzen 7000 CPU.

If you need huge amounts of RAM, moving to 64GB or particularly 128GB will require a speed sacrifice, though if you're one of the few who really do need 128GB of memory, the positives will outweigh the negatives. 32GB is just fine for a gamer, and will be for some time to come.

All of the remaining memory support and overclocking questions will be answered soon enough. Ryzen 7000 and AM5 motherboards are set to launch later this month. At that time, we'll find out just how good (or not) the Zen 4 memory controller really is, and how it performs with different densities, speeds and rank designs.