- Micron has unveiled a faster new GDDR7 video memory
- It runs at 36 Gbps compared to 32 Gbps for the initial incarnation of GDDR7
- This memory also comes in 3GB modules instead of 2GB, which is a significant step forward for graphics card VRAM capacity
Micron has released a new type of GDDR7 memory for graphics cards, which is the company’s fastest RAM to date.
Tom’s Hardware reports that Micron issued a press release detailing the new GGDR7 memory, which offers a speed of 36 Gbps. For perspective, the first GDDR7 modules to hit the market – and came on consumer GPUs with the RTX 5000 series from Nvidia – were 32 Gbps modules. (Although they were run slower than that, at 28 Gbps in most cases, for better thermals and stability).
Another important step forward with Micron’s new GDDR7 is that it uses 3GB modules rather than 2GB (and a 24Gb density). You can only fit so many memory chips on a given graphics card – based on the card’s bus width, the lanes that connect the memory to the GPU chip itself – so going from 2GB to 3GB modules allows you to load more video RAM and a higher overall capacity.
As Micron notes, “Modern games are pushing GPU architectures harder than ever.”
The firm expands on this: “As gaming environments expand and visual assets grow, memory capacity becomes critical to maintaining smooth, artifact-free experiences. Micron’s new 24Gb density enables up to 96GB of graphics memory, giving GPUs significantly more room for high-resolution textures, expansive worlds, and advanced visual effects.”
Basically, the maximum video RAM load with these chips on a consumer graphics card with a 512-bit bus (as seen on the RTX 5090) is now 96GB instead of 64GB with 2GB modules. (Note that this maximum involves using chips on the front and back of the board in a ‘clamshell’ configuration, a more complex and expensive effort, which is why Nvidia ran with a 32GB spec with only front-facing modules.)
Analysis: Looking to the future
Right here and right now, of course, this doesn’t mean much to players. At the moment, we’re all more concerned about the scarcity of existing forms of video RAM, which is slowly but surely driving up graphics card prices.
And while it may seem odd to see 96GB of VRAM mentioned in relation to gaming – and to be fair, is strange — Micron is really just promoting the benefits of 3GB modules more widely. It boasts ‘up to’ 96GB, and the effects will be felt across entire GPU product stacks, including 128-bit budget GPUs that have 8GB now but could be configured with 12GB using 3GB modules. It’s an important upgrade that avoids the aforementioned complications of a ‘clamshell’ design to increase video RAM capacity.
Micron should have angled its press release better in this regard, but instead wanted to go with an eye-catching 96GB figure, I guess – marketing is often a ‘numbers game’ in this regard.
Anyway, for the reasons mentioned, it is good news to see a strengthened form of GDDR7 from another memory chip manufacturer. And I say another because there are two other major forces in this arena, Samsung and SK Hynix, and both already have faster versions of GDDR7 running at up to 42.5 Gbps and 40 Gbps respectively.
However, 36Gbps is still a more than respectable speed boost, and as I’ve already mentioned, Nvidia hasn’t even pushed for the top speed out of the initial GDDR7 incarnation, which offered 32Gbps. As mentioned, all the original Blackwell GPUs that used GDDR7 ran at 28 Gbps, and only the RTX 5080 differs – and even that graphics card was only pushed to 30 Gbps. (A feature implemented to compensate for its much slimmer memory bus compared to the RTX 5090.)
It’s also notable that Micron spends some time considering gaming angles in its press release, and this new GDDR7 could very well be what we see in Nvidia’s next-gen graphics cards. That may be true not only for RTX 6000 GPUs, but also for AMD’s next-generation graphics cards. (Team Red stuck with GDDR6 in RDNA 4 this time).
However, there is another possibility and that is the rumored RTX 5000 Super updates that use this Micron VRAM. I wouldn’t rule it out, since these GPUs supposedly really increase the memory load. As for these cards, the latest speculation insists that Nvidia’s Blackwell Super refreshes are not coming this year (as previously hoped). So whatever the case, it’s likely that we’re quite a ways away from seeing this faster GDDR7 memory in consumer graphics cards.
Keep in mind that in the current climate where the RAM crisis is making things difficult for graphics card manufacturers, talking about options to expand the VRAM load feels rather pointless at best. Hopefully this is not a situation that will last too long, but the general indicators right now are not good – certainly not for this year.
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