ASUS teases DDR5-to-DDR4 memory adapter, works on Z690 motherboard
ASUS tests outs DDR5 to DDR4 converter card, tested and works on ASUS Z690 motherboards and makes your DDR4 run on the DDR5 board.
ASUS has just demonstrated a very interesting new device: a DDR5 to DDR4 converter, that allows people to buy a new Intel 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" CPU and Z690 motherboard that requires DDR5 RAM, and use their existing DDR4 RAM.
Why? Well, DDR5 memory is next to impossible to find and even if you do find it, it's hella expensive. Now there's at least a solution on the way, which has been teased by what is thought to be an ASUS ROG staffer using an ASUS Z690-based motherboard with the new DDR5 to DDR4 memory converter card.
ASUS has reportedly been prototyping the DDR5 to DDR4 card, which would plug into the Z690 motherboard and then you'd plug your DDR4 RAM into it. Kind of like the Sega Genesis when you'd stack your Action Replay in with your game, and then into the console. There are some more technical things going on inside, as DDR5 handles power management per modules -- DDR4 relies on the motherboard for power management -- now it's done inside of the carrier card.
AnandTech reports that "What ASUS does here is use a special BIOS revision to allow the ROG Apex DDR5 to run in DDR4 mode. This means that the traces to the memory slots, although laid out for DDR5 operation, are switched into DDR4 mode. Then, on the carrier card, this takes the 5V power signal and runs it through the equivalent of motherboard power management, and controls the data lines to maintain integrity for signal, latency, power, etc".
You can read more about the ASUS DDR5 to DDR4 card here.