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.

Published Jan 1, 2022 9:25 PM CST   |   Updated Mon, Jan 24 2022 1:03 PM CST
1 minute & 14 seconds read time

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.

ASUS teases DDR5-to-DDR4 memory adapter, works on Z690 motherboard 01

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.

ASUS teases DDR5-to-DDR4 memory adapter, works on Z690 motherboard 02
ASUS teases DDR5-to-DDR4 memory adapter, works on Z690 motherboard 03

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".

ASUS teases DDR5-to-DDR4 memory adapter, works on Z690 motherboard 04

You can read more about the ASUS DDR5 to DDR4 card here.

Buy at Amazon

G.Skill Trident Z5 Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) (F5-5600U3636C16GA2-TZ5K)

TodayYesterday7 days ago30 days ago
$998.99$998.99$998.99
* Prices last scanned on 11/28/2022 at 6:40 pm CST - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.
NEWS SOURCE:anandtech.com

Anthony joined the TweakTown team in 2010 and has since reviewed 100s of graphics cards. Anthony is a long time PC enthusiast with a passion of hate for games built around consoles. FPS gaming since the pre-Quake days, where you were insulted if you used a mouse to aim, he has been addicted to gaming and hardware ever since. Working in IT retail for 10 years gave him great experience with custom-built PCs. His addiction to GPU tech is unwavering.

Newsletter Subscription

    Related Tags

    Newsletter Subscription
    Latest News
    View More News
    Latest Reviews
    View More Reviews
    Latest Articles
    View More Articles