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What is GDDR7? What Will Change With Next Generation VRAM?

In addition to games, the importance of video cards in workstations is increasing day by day. For professional users, video card memory (VRAM) is very important. It’s not the same as before, the memory capacity and bandwidth required by games are increasing day by day. GDDR7 will power the graphics cards of tomorrow.

This technology is not used yet, but if all goes well it will be available in 2024. The latest generation cards available rely on GDDR6 or GDDR6X solutions as you know. The speeds of the GDDR6X are fine, but the GDDR7 memories will be much faster and more energy efficient.

What is GDDR7?...GDDR7 will be used in graphics cards coming in the coming years. Along with the bandwidth, the memory capacity will also be increased. Gamers need more VRAM as modern games are loaded into GPU memory. In fact, NVIDIA has released two separate versions of the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti graphics card, 8 GB and 16 GB.

Lately, we’ve seen that even less heavyweight AAA games require 12GB or more of GPU memory. That’s why GDDR7 is of great importance. Increasing capacity along with performance is also an important plus.

Speaking of performance, we expect to see massive speed gains with GDDR7. Samsung has previously said that with the advances of GDDR7, memory speeds of up to 36 Gbps can be produced. This means 50% more bandwidth compared to the GDDR6X.

The GDDR7 standard will deliver speeds of up to 36 Gbps, doubling the 18 Gbps speed offered by GDDR6. Along with high data rates, the video card with a 384-bit bus will have a bandwidth of approximately 1,728 TB/s. In the meantime, let’s remind you that the upcoming RTX 4090 theoretically provides 1TB/s of bandwidth.

On the other hand, Micron announced in July 2023 that the first GDDR7 memory chips will be introduced in the first half of 2024. As a side note, implementing GDDR7 will require new memory controllers and hence GPUs.

Detailing the manufacturing process, Micron said that the GDDR7 will be produced using the deep ultraviolet lithography (DUV-deep ultraviolet lithography) printing process and will be built on the latest 1-beta or 1ß process technology.

Energy efficiency will also be improved with new read clock modes that allow memory to be read in different ways to maximize efficiency and reduce overall power consumption. This will be especially useful on gaming laptops, providing longer battery life.

GDDR7, GDDR6X ve GDDR6...Currently, latest generation graphics cards such as GeForce RTX 4080 and GeForce RTX 4090 use GDDR6X memory. The fastest graphics memory can go up to 22.4 Gbps. AMD’s RX 7000 graphics cards take advantage of GDDR6 memory, while maximum performance goes up to 20 Gbps.

In contrast, GDDR7 is scheduled to reach up to 36 Gbps. Thus, a significant improvement will be recorded compared to existing technologies. Thanks to the high bandwidth, we will get higher performance in both business use and games.

How to Solve VRAM Problem in Games?...If you remember, the last generation cards such as the RTX 3060 and RX 7600 were released with 8 GB of VRAM. The memory issue in such mid-range models is expected to be resolved with GDDR7. However, there is one thing we must not forget. Memory solutions such as GDDR6X and GDDR7 are first used in high-end models due to their high cost.

When GDDR7 arrives, it will definitely provide a huge increase in bandwidth. This technology can be a life saver for lower-mid segment cards with small memory bus. It should also be noted that high-end GPUs will also see great benefits.

A GPU with a 256-bit GDDR7 interface can reach 1.15 TB/s bandwidth with the mentioned speeds. A 384-bit GPU, on the other hand, can exceed 1.7 TB/s. Another example, an affordable card with a 128-bit bus will now offer 576 Gbps of bandwidth, which is a huge step forward.

When Is GDDR7 Coming?...As we mentioned, Micron said that GDDR7 chips will be released in the first months of 2024. In other words, it will not take long for the next generation VRAM to reach the next video card series.

GPU acceleration plays a critical role in the AI ​​industry. In this context, we see a high probability of GDDR7 coming to professional graphics cards first.

Let’s not go without mentioning the leaks. MyDriversclaimed that the GeForce RTX 5000 series and Radeon RX 8000 series graphics cards, expected to be released in late 2024, will use GDDR7 memory with initial speeds of 36 Gbps. On the other hand, some sources suggest that NVIDIA will introduce the first RTX 5000 graphics cards in 2025.

Pricing...GDDR7 has one drawback, which is that it will cause an increase in GPU prices. Considering that some current generation cards are already overpriced, that doesn’t bode well for our wallets.

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