Micron’s new GDDR7 memory is expected to considerably improve Nvidia GPU performance, by using Micron GDDR7 memory perhaps raising it by up to 30%. This increase is likely to apply to a wide range of gaming scenarios, including conventional rasterization and intensive ray tracing applications. The update to GDDR7, with its increased bandwidth and efficiency, promises smoother gaming and improved overall performance over prior generations of memory technology.
GDDR7 memory is anticipated to launch shortly across the majority of Nvidia’s RTX 50 series GPUs. How much this new video memory (VRAM) improves performance over the previous generation is currently the main question. Micron has given some encouraging numbers.
According to Harukaze5719 on X, the upcoming flagship GDDR7, which clocks at 32 GB/s, is expected to provide a significant 30% increase in frames per second compared to GDDR6 modules, which clock at 20 GB/s. This performance increase is applicable to both rasterized and demanding ray tracing games. Micron has not revealed the specifics of its testing procedures, although the comparisons cover 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions. These benchmarks often show a 30% gain at HD resolutions over lower resolutions, favoring higher resolutions.
It is anticipated that GDDR7 will result in wait times for generative AI tasks during image production to be as low as 20%.
Micron credits these improvements to the 1.5TB/s system bandwidth that its 32Gb/s modules provide. This is a major improvement, especially in light of the fact that Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4090 can hit 1.008TB/s with 21Gb/s GDDR6X.
Moreover, GDDR7 operates at a maximum of 1.2V (down from 1.35V) and uses 4.5pJ/bit of energy, compared to 6.5pJ/bit for its predecessor, promising improved power efficiency. These enhancements result in power savings of up to 70% during standby and more than 50% while active use.
Although GDDR7 use is anticipated to increase, it can take some time for it to become widely used.
