Back in February of this year, I had shared that non-binary 24GB and 48GB SODIMM memory was finally available, but I quickly realized that the news from Samsung was only for traditional memory modules and not the laptop SODIMM memory, which is also commonly used in small form factor systems like an Intel NUC.
Three months later, we still have no word from either Samsung or Crucial, but recently Mushkin came out of no where and released their 48GB DDR5 SODIMM modules which I had also shared the news on my blog HERE. While DDR5 adoption is slowly increasing, there are not many systems out there right now that currently supports DDR5 and you will need a DDR5 capable system to use DDR5 memory.
I recently got my hands on a new DDR5 system, which I will share more details in a future blog post, but the maximum supported memory listed for the system is still 64GB. I was curious on whether these new 48GB SODIMM would actually work with this system? If we go back to 2019, when 32GB SODIMM was first released, it was not clear whether these would work with systems that listed 32GB as their maximum supported memory?
I was the first to confirm 32GB modules worked with the popular Intel NUCs back in 2019 and that I could even use these new SODIMM modules going all the way back to an Intel 6th Gen NUC, which was released back in 2016! So while the officially tested memory limit was only 32GB, the CPU actually supported more than that!
🙏🤞I decided to take another chance and I purchased the Mushkin 96GB DDR5 SODIMM 4800mhz kit which has just arrived and I have put my theory to the test again ...
After the system powered up, I first went into the system BIOS to confirm that it saw the full 96GB of memory ✅ and then I waited anxiously for ESXi to boot to see what it would and it successfully showed the full 96GB of memory ✅ 🥳
So there you have it! We have officially confirmed that systems that support DDR5 SODIMM memory can indeed take advantage of the new DDR5 non-binary 24GB/48GB SODIMM memory modules! The kit that I am currently using only supports DDR5 SODIMM 4800Mhz, so I ended up purchasing that but if you system that supports a higher frequency, you can purchase up to that maximum.
UPDATE (05/24/23) - Check out the blog post HERE which has more information about the system that I had used to test the 96GB of memory
As of this blog post, the only reseller of the Mushkin 96GB (2 x 48GB SODIMM) is from xpc_technologies on Ebay:
- Mushkin 96GB 5600Mhz (2 x 48GB) MRA5S560LKKD48GX2 listed on Ebay for $349
- Mushkin 96GB 5200Mhz (2 x 48GB) MRA5S520HHHD48GX2 listed on Ebay for $339
- Mushkin 96GB 4800Mhz (2 x 48GB) MRA5S480FGGD48GX2 list on Ebay for $324
💡 Interesting tidbit, when the 32GB SODIMM modules was first launched in 2019, I had paid $213 USD (retail was $298 USD) for just a single 32GB module and fast forward to today (4 years later), you can now get 96GB in total (pair of 48GB SODIMM) for a little over $300 USD! Definitely a great and easy investment to add more capabilities to existing and future small form factor systems.
IMHO, this is going to be a huge game changer for folks running a VMware Homelab, 64GB of memory was certainly a welcome enhancement a few years back but being able to squeeze a little bit more memory out of these small form factor kits will definitely help with running even more workloads and open up further possibilities for our VMware customers! 😁
Great job William!
You have a typo, you put "Mushkin 94GB"
That's already been fixed
Hi William
As usual you’re always first.
Hope you’ve you got a chance to try
Mushkin Redline 96GB (2x48GB) DDR5 SODIMM Laptop Memory 4800 5200 5600 MHz
On Intel nuc10 🙈
You need DDR5 system to use DDR5 memory 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing your find! I remember doing something similar 8 years ago for a Dell 2-in-1 laptop, which only had one DDR3 SODIMM memory slot and its specs called for a maximum of 8 GB. I purchased a then-newly released Crucial 16 GB stick, which worked perfectly.
Do you think these 48GB non-binary sticks would be also compatible with a MiniPC based on AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX or Ryzen 7 7735HS, both Zen3+ architecture, or another upcoming MiniPC based on AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS / Zen 4?
Nice! I'd expect them to work fine for any DDR5 capable system whether they're Intel or AMD. There's only handful of pre-ready kits that are DDR5 capable and then you might be able to build your own. Do you share any updates on the system you've tested/etc.
I've found Minisforum UM773/UM690, both support DDR5 SODIMM, and upcoming UM780/UM790 Pro. As for the CPU, I'd prefer them to Intel ones because of higher nominal clock of Ryzens 7735/7740HS, compared to Intel 13th gen mobile CPUs. The project is a host for a virtual pipe organ, which needs a lot of RAM and also a good balance of high clock and number of cores. But it's mantadory to support more than 64 GB of RAM. So, as you have a garanteed Intel 13th gen compatibility with those Mushkin 48 GB sticks, I'm searching a seller for the Minisforum NBP7, which is based on Intel i7-13700H and supports DDR5 SODIMM.
Minisforum NBP7 it says ddr4.. so i'm not certain that one will work?
It looks to me (correct me if i'm wrong) only Intel nuc extreme currently has ddr5 so-dimm (or you need to build your own pc..)
nvm me nbp6 = ddr4, nbp7 = ddr5.. Your good :p
NBP7 supports DDR5. Could you please share BIOS info at CPU-Z Mainboard tab?
I can confirm the Ryzen 7 7735HS supports the 2x48GB (96GB total) Mushkin RAM kit in a Minisforum UM773 Lite.
Thanks for the update! I was planning on buying the PN-53 with the Ryzen 7 7735H CPU, and couldnt tell if this would work.
I assume you bought the 4800MHz model? 🙂
Has anyone tested if it works with Intel 12th gen system?
If there's a 12th Gen kit that supports DDR5 SODIMM, it'll work.
I have a doubt here, Intel® Core™ i7-13700H Processor has a Max Memory Size limit of 64GB:
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/232128/intel-core-i713700h-processor-24m-cache-up-to-5-00-ghz.html
Can you elaborate how the additional memory is usable? Thanks
Intel specs for 13th S/H/HX/P/U processors say they support SODIMM DDR5 24/48 GB modules:
https://freeimage.host/i/HPfd4v1
Yes, but my doubt is related to the Total/Overall memory capacity the CPU can address, I think that this limit is overall(All aggregated addressable memory limit, not per module) if this is the case the additional memory is not usable by the OS
Please see https://williamlam.com/2019/03/64gb-memory-on-the-intel-nucs.html as this is literally repeat of that scenario 🙂 Just because it says total does NOT mean its actually the total ... especially as these non-binary memory modules have only been released recently, so most vendors will list 64GB as the max probably for another year or so
Don't know for sure but I think datasheet, which can be accessed through the same product specification page, is an updated documented. The 96 GB kit and the Minisforum NPB7 MiniPC I have purchased will be finally delivered today. Tomorrow I report if they are also mutually compatible, as the Asus PN64-E1 and Lenovo Intel 13th-gen based laptop are.
Yes please, share your tests using the NBP7, I was planning to buy this platform too using the 96 GB kit.
It really does work. The purchased Mushkin 5600 MHz kit is operating at maximum NPB7 RAM frequency of 5200 MHz:
https://i.postimg.cc/SxTKD4KG/image.png
https://i.postimg.cc/vTtY9Fjf/image.png
Post takes one minute before recognizing memory for the first time. Be advised BIOS v0.009 update is mandatory for stability, specially with more than 32 GB.
Second to other testimonials, there is also other Ryzen-based Minisforum products that is compatible with those non-binary capacity RAMs. It's the case of Minisforum UM773 Lite. If so, the UM690 and UM790 Pro should also be.
Great news, thanks for sharing the results!! I have some Minisforum NBP7 units shipped, will take a look on the models you mention too.
Can anyone else confirm, that this is still working - especially on ASUS PN64-E1?
Also is anyone aware of any suppliers within Europe, that sell these modules?
William Lam tested them with an ASUS PN64-E1, although it was the i5-13500H based version. Don't think the 13700H version would make any difference. As for Europe availability, I could only find it on US Ebay, where I bought my 5600 MHz kit.
Hello William ,I just bought a Mini PC NPB7, Intel Core i7-13700H processor 14 cores CPU 32GB DDR5 / 1TB SSD Mini Computer from the brand Minis Forum. Could you tell me if I can upgrade the RAM from 32 GB to 96 GB, and if so which model do you recommend, thank you in advance for your answer?