Corsair Enters Workstation Memory Market with WS Series XMP/EXPO DDR5 RDIMMs
by Anton Shilov on April 12, 2024 8:30 AM EST
Corsair has introduced a family of registered memory modules with ECC that are designed for AMD's Ryzen Threadripper 7000 and Intel's Xeon W-2400/3400-series processors. The new Corsair WS DDR5 RDIMMs with AMD EXPO and Intel XMP 3.0 profiles will be available in kits of up to 256 GB capacity and at speeds of up to 6400 MT/s.
Corsair's family of WS DDR5 RDIMMs includes 16 GB modules operating at up to 6400 MT/s with CL32 latency as well as 32 GB modules functioning at 5600 MT/s with CL40 latency. At present, Corsair offers a quad-channel 64 GB kit (4×16GB, up to 6400 MT/s), a quad-channel 128GB kit (4×32GB, 5600 MT/s), an eight-channel 128 GB kit (8×16GB, 5600 MT/s), and an eight-channel 256 GB kit (8×32GB, 5600 MT/s) and it remains to be seen whether the company will expand the lineup.
Corsair's WS DDR5 RDIMMs are designed for AMD's TRX50 and WRX90 platforms as well as Intel's W790 platform and are therefore compatible with AMD's Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7000 and 7000WX-series as well as Intel's Xeon W-2400/3400-series CPUs. The modules feature both AMD EXPO and Intel XMP 3.0 profiles to easily set their beyond-JEDEC-spec settings and come with thin heat spreaders made of pyrolytic graphite sheet (PGS), which thermal conductivity than that of copper and aluminum of the same thickness. For now, Corsair does not disclose which RCD and memory chips its registered memory modules use.
Unlike many of its rivals among leading DIMM manufacturers, Corsair did not introduce its enthusiast-grade RDIMMs when AMD and Intel released their Ryzen Threadripper and Xeon W-series platforms for extreme workstations last year. It is hard to tell what the reason for that is, but perhaps the company wanted to gain experience working with modules featuring registered clock drivers (RCDs) as well as AMD's and Intel's platforms for extreme workstations.
The result of the delay looks to be quite rewarding: unlike modules from its competitors that either feature AMD EXPO or Intel XMP 3.0 profiles, Corsair's WS DDR5 RDIMMs come with both. While this may not be important on the DIY market where people know exactly what they are buying for their platform, this is a great feature for system integrators, which can use Corsair WS DDR5 RDIMMs both for their AMD Ryzen Threadripper and Intel Xeon W-series builds, something that greatly simplifies their inventory management.
Since Corsair's WS DDR5 RDIMMs are aimed at workstations and are tested to offer reliable performance beyond JEDEC specifications, they are quite expensive. The cheapest 64 GB DDR5-5600 CL40 kit costs $450, the fastest 64 GB DDR5-6400 CL32 kit is priced at $460, whereas the highest end 256 GB DDR5-5600 CL40 kit is priced at $1,290.
Source: Corsair
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Monstieur - Friday, April 12, 2024 - link
Unlike UDIMMs, the CPU memory controller voltage has no effect on overclocking RDIMMs. With UDIMMs, the memory controller directly drives each of the memory chips across all the DIMMs, requiring overvolting to go faster. With RDIMMs, the registered clock driver on each DIMMs drives the memory chips on that DIMM and buffers data between the CPU and the DIMM. My W790 board can do 6000 C28 without changing the CPU voltage. ReplyThreska - Friday, April 12, 2024 - link
Less chance of damaging expensive things. ReplyPeachNCream - Saturday, April 13, 2024 - link
I would imagine if someone has the need for a workstation and budget to acquire one, they are probably going to source them from a major computer equipment supplier for their business rather than DIY them so they have a warranty, support contract, predictable lifecycle, etc. They're also highly unlikely to consider overclocking and instead just expend the small additional cost to buy more compute power so employees remain productive. Overclocked workstation memory like this is likely going to not land in an environment where it will be leveraged to do much that a professional workforce would do to sustain company operations. Think home users trying to scratch the itch for many cores without much of a reason except to brag about it to other equally lost home users who all just ultimately do nothing more than increase their utility bill while playing Fortnite or Genshin Impact. ReplySamus - Saturday, April 13, 2024 - link
True, but some people do build their own barebones workstations and servers (ie Supermicro) who certify memory vendors. Presumably, Corsair will make their compatibility list. Replybobsmith1492 - Monday, April 15, 2024 - link
I've built a couple Threadripper Pro workstations for our small business. The only decent memory is "overclocked" but always have a normal-frequency SPD. ReplyPeachNCream - Tuesday, April 16, 2024 - link
Your thoughts are something the PC parts industry has been striving to build and maintain for decades, especially when commodity components like RAM are concerned - direct to buyer sales are driven in part by product differentiation so they almost MUST collectively create a set of capabilities and hard sell them as bullet points on the marketing materials to draw in buyers. People that never intend to do anything outside of factory JDEC specifications with their RAM often spend more and purchase a specific brand label then feel they get a better experience. That's entirely what marketing departments want their buyers to feel regardless of the lack of measurable difference at the keyboard.One could argue that's exploitative - and they wouldn't be wrong - but purchases aren't compulsory and the lack of marketing methodology awareness is by no fault of the companies and as long as they aren't making untrue claims, we generally accept those methods as drivers of economic activity. Money must change hands after all. Reply
erotomania - Monday, April 15, 2024 - link
Speak for your imagining self, but I would never, and I mean NEVER, allow someone to build (assemble is the correct word anyway) a workstation for me. With the occasional exception of NUC and mini, I won't allow someone else to assemble even a PC for me. ReplyPeachNCream - Tuesday, April 16, 2024 - link
Cool story bro. Replyshing3232 - Sunday, April 14, 2024 - link
Add voltage to clock driver ? Reply