If you want to take FULL advantage of the AM5 platform, it makes sense to time the launch when DDR5 becomes widely available.
Taken from TPU … It would seem that AMD is concerned about DDR5 memory availability in the market, at least based on an interview that Tom’s Hardware had with David McAfee, the Corporate VP and GM of the Client Channel business at AMD. It’s not just about availability it seems, but also pricing, as McAfee is quoted saying “One of the dynamics that we do think about a great deal is how and when to introduce that AM5 ecosystem and ensure that the DDR5 supply, as well as pricing of DDR5 memory, is mature and something that’s easily attainable for an end-user”.
With the current issues that the DRAM module makers are experiencing, with both staff issues related to the pandemic and the PMIC shortage some are having, the question is how long it’ll take until there’s a steady supply of DDR5 modules in the market, at a reasonable price point. We obviously don’t know what kind of DRAM speeds AMD is aiming for either, although it’s unlikely that the company is looking at something faster than JEDEC spec at this point in time, even though we expect faster speeds will also be supported. Outside of the US, it seems like a cheap stick of 8 GB of DDR5 memory is going for around the US$100 mark (€89) or roughly four times that of a similar DDR4 stick. Crucial in the US is offering a single 8 GB stick for US$68, with a 16 GB stick costing the same as a pair of 8 GB sticks, US$137. This is unlikely to be the kind of price point AMD is hoping for and most DDR5 memory modules are a lot more expensive.
Source: TPU, Tom’s Hardware