Decade-old RAM is making a comeback
The RAM shortage is bringing back DDR4, with new Intel and AMD CPUs for older RAM, sockets, and chipsets.
The RAM shortage is bringing back DDR4, with new Intel and AMD CPUs for older RAM, sockets, and chipsets.
by Stevie Bonifield Oct 9, 2026, 5:50 PM EDT
CPU makers have noticed that the seemingly unending RAM price hikes are making it tough for a lot of us to upgrade our PCs. Their solution? A return to last-gen DDR4 RAM. Intel and AMD are making new CPUs that’ll support the older, more affordable type of memory.
On Friday, Gigabyte announced that two of its motherboard lines will support “upcoming” processors built on Intel’s LGA 1700 socket. That socket debuted in 2021 with the 12th gen Alder Lake CPUs and supported both DDR4 RAM and the then-new DDR5 RAM. Intel dropped it for a DDR5-only approach in 2024. But according to Gigabyte, the dual format support is now being revived, with new LGA 1700 chips “expected to launch in early 2027.”
Add Verge on Google
Add Verge as a preferred source to see more of our reporting on Google.
Intel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This backtrack stems from LGA 1700’s cross-compatibility with both kinds of RAM — an advantage over its successor that’s recently become much more important. Intel’s strategy may be to offer users the choice of a new CPU that doesn’t require them to switch to new, and very expensive, DDR5 memory, too. AMD is doing something similar: in August, Gigabyte also announced a new series of motherboards for AMD’s last-gen, DDR4-compatible AM4 platform to go along with the 10th-anniversary relaunch of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU.
Related
- RAMageddon: The RAM shortage is coming for everything you care about
- The AI RAM shortage is also driving up SSD prices
DDR4 started hitting the market in 2014 and has since been succeeded by the much faster DDR5.
Subscribe to The Vergeto continue reading.
