Rumored AMD Ryzen “Medusa” CPUs with Zen 6 Architecture to Feature Dual IMCs and Altered DDR5 Memory Orientation

AMD is set to revolutionize its CPU offerings with the upcoming Zen 6-based Ryzen “Medusa”processors, which are expected to incorporate significant modifications in memory controller architecture, notably involving DDR5 memory orientation.

Innovative Memory Controller Design in AMD’s Ryzen “Medusa”CPUs

Fresh insights from Uniko’s Hardware reveal emerging rumors surrounding AMD’s next-generation Ryzen CPUs, codenamed Medusa. These rumors suggest that the Integrated Memory Controller (IMC) will undergo pivotal changes that could alter the DIMM slot orientation required for DDR5 memory.

Details indicate that the upcoming Ryzen CPUs will be equipped with dual IMCs; however, the specifics regarding their configuration—whether they will consist of dual controllers integrated within a single chip or two distinctly separate controllers—remain unclear. Notably, one of the IMCs is designed to support only a single DIMM per channel (1DPC), allowing for a maximum of two DIMMs in such setups.

Currently, on AMD’s AM5 motherboards, the initial DIMM configuration is established using slots A0 and B0, which is considered the standard orientation for booting. However, this new two-IMC architecture will reportedly switch to utilizing the A1 and B1 DIMM slots, indicating that these specific Ryzen 6 models will not support the previous 1DPC orientation. Some AM5 motherboards are labeled with A2 and B2 as primary slots, but these typically adopt four-DIMM designs. It appears that this configuration shift may primarily impact users of 2-DIMM boards, such as Mini-ITX and mATX setups, with limited availability on high-performance ATX motherboards that support just two DIMMs.

Moreover, AMD is reportedly pursuing a solution to restore support for the A0/B0 memory configurations once the new Ryzen chips become available. Nonetheless, preliminary data suggests that performance may lag compared to the A1/B1 setups. It has been noted that MSI’s MPOWER AM5 motherboard is designed to accommodate these new configurations, but we will need to await the formal launch of Ryzen “Medusa”to ascertain compatibility specifics with existing AM5 motherboards.

The Zen 6-based desktop lineup is poised for a 2024 launch, promising enhancements in core counts and cache sizes, in addition to the anticipated architectural advances. With these developments, AMD appears to be focusing on both innovation and performance improvements in their next-generation processors.

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