The promise and price of new DDR5 memory

DDR5 is the first new universal memory architecture to reach desktop computers since the debut of DDR4 in 2014.

While DDR4 enabled higher density RAM (4X capacity per DIMM) and lower voltage RAM (less power and heat, primarily benefitting mobile), DDR5 targets higher memory bandwidth as its #1 goal. Memory bandwidth is the peak volume of data that can be accessed by the CPU per second, and increased memory bandwidth is critical to support the performance of multi-core CPUs. As CPUs increase their core count, the memory bandwidth per core is reduced unless the memory architecture is improved to keep pace through higher memory bandwidth.

How DDR5 improves effective memory bandwidth

DDR5 memory increases memory bandwidth through two strategies. First, “effective bandwidth” is improved by about 36%* by filling the memory pipeline more efficiently with data needed by the CPU, in effect filling a pipe of a given size with more water. A variety of architectural innovations collectively achieve this improvement.

Second, expanding the pipe size allows a higher peak volume of data flow to occur, measured in MegaTransfers per second (MT/s, or millions of effective cycles per second). The new baseline standard for DDR5 is 4800 MT/s, known as DDR5-4800. This is a 50% improvement over DDR4’s mainstream peak, 3200 MT/s or DDR4-3200.

According to Micron Technology, a leading memory manufacturer, the combined benefits deliver about an 87% improvement in effective memory bandwidth, moving from DDR4-3200 to DDR4-4800. In short, DDR5 nearly doubles effective memory bandwidth in its first iteration.

Effective Bandwidth: DDR5 vs DDR4

Above left: DDR5 efficiency improvements in serving required data, without increasing transfer frequency.

Above right: Combined DDR5 efficiency improvements + 50% increase in data transfer frequency = 87% higher effective bandwidth.

Additional DDR5 improvements

DDR5 also embeds error-correcting code (ECC) on the memory die, delivering ECC server memory accuracy to consumer memory DIMMs used in most desktop and laptop computers.

Additionally, DDR5 provides for another 4X improvement in future memory density per memory die and DIMM, enabling future DDR5 memory modules to store much more data in the same physical space. Also, voltage has again been reduced, improving power efficiency.

A computer built to support DDR5 memory has the foundation to benefit from future improvements in DDR5 implementations. Future DDR5 memory is expected to be faster and available in higher densities than the first generation of DDR5 memory, offering the potential for memory upgrades in the future that will not be available to systems built to support DDR4. Conversely, DDR4 has reached full maturity at current speeds and densities.

DDR5 cannot be installed in a computer designed for DDR4 memory, and DDR4 memory cannot be installed in a DDR5 system. Choosing a computer based on DDR5 memory is one way to “future proof” your investment.

*Source: Micron Technology

Optimize Windows for Business Use, Privacy, Performance, Stability and Control

Digital Tigers now offers the option of a customized Windows experience, reflecting what we believe are the priorities of most business users. This optimization is far more important for Windows 10 than for prior Microsoft operating systems.

Optimize for Business Use: Remove Microsoft bloatware (games/consumer apps)

Windows 10 comes with dozens of consumer games and apps that do nothing for business users. We remove Candy Crush Saga, Xbox, Zune Music, Windows Phone, Bing News and much more, while providing a record of what's been uninstalled and how to reinstall any apps you want back. The removals streamline your desktop and Apps / Programs menus and promote a more professional desktop experience.

Privacy: Block Microsoft telemetry, disable Cortana, install ad-blockers, block Start menu ads

By default, Microsoft monitors your configuration and your activity on your computer and sends updates to its servers multiple times an hour, a practice known as telemetry, as part of its product feedback process. This monitoring includes your web browsing history using Microsoft browsers. We block most such monitoring. You can change this preference later if you prefer.

We also disable Cortana, the digital assistant component, reverting the search box to "Search Windows." This removes the conflation of desktop and web search inherent to Cortana, and stops the comprehensive tracking that Cortana conducts and sends to Microsoft (Cortana's Notebook). For Windows 10 Pro, disabling Cortana is handled via Group Policy. For Windows 10 Home, we add a Windows Registry key to disable it. You can reenable Cortana later if you prefer.

We install Chrome and Firefox web browsers, along with Adblock Plus and uBlock Origin ad blockers. The ad blockers improve your web browsing experience while speeding up page-load times and bolstering privacy and security. We set Chrome as the default browser, based on its popularity; you can change this preference.

We install VLC media player and make it the default media player, bypassing the tracking and ads inherent in Windows 10 Movies & TV. You can install any preferred media player and make it your default.

We also turn off Start menu ads ("suggestions," Windows Store apps you never downloaded, appearing as tiles in your Start menu) and targeted ads from third-party apps ("Let my apps use my advertising ID"). You can reverse these settings later if you prefer.

Performance: More system resources, faster browsing, fewer background processes

We change Windows Registry settings to allocate more system resources for graphical, user and desktop objects, doubling the number of application windows and financial trading indicators that can be displayed. These changes reduce the frequency of out-of-memory errors when there is available physical memory, and they reduce the probability that you will be prevented from opening new windows.

We install Chrome and Firefox web browsers, which have faster performance and also enable you to isolate demanding web applications in one browser while you use another browser for general use. Adblock Plus and uBlock Origin speed up web browsing by removing ads, which are often resource-intensive.

We disable the ability of most preinstalled apps to run in the background (Privacy > Background Apps setting), and we turn off non-essential items running at startup.

Blocking Microsoft telemetry and other tracking prevents occasional spikes in CPU, drive and network utilization, avoiding interference with your actual applications.

Stability and Control: Take control of Windows Update

We believe best practice for Windows Update calls for timely security updates and deferred feature updates. Timely security updates are important to protect the system from newly discovered vulnerabilities. Deferred feature updates are important because major new revisions to Windows 10 can cause system instability and application compatibility issues when first released.

Windows 10 Pro (highly recommended) enables us to set Windows feature updates to release on the slower Semi-Annual Channel, and then we use Group Policy to add an extra 180-day delay beyond this slower distribution channel. Without these configuration settings, Windows 10 Pro users would receive updates much closer to their first release. Unfortunately we can do none of these optimizations for Windows 10 Home, and so Windows 10 Home users get new feature updates immediately, with some risk of problems.

We also make changes to Windows to put you in control of when you install updates and when you restart your computer. With Windows 10, Microsoft has become very aggressive with updates, forcing computers to download updates and even forcing system reboots, disregarding alternative customer priorities. There is usually an opportunity to defer a number of hours, but after this modest concession, the system takes control and executes an update and reboot, which normally cannot be stopped. For Windows 10 Pro customers, we make changes to keep you in control of when updates are installed and when you reboot your computer. Certainly security updates are timely and important, but so is control of your time and your workspace, so we give that control back to you.

If you prefer to disable these controls or to get faster Windows feature updates, we can undo these preferences before or after purchase.