Corsair Launches 24GB, 48GB DDR5 RAM: 96GB Kits Start At $380 (Updated)

Update 02/21/2022 11:25 am PT

Corsair has formally announced the 48GB and 96GB memory kits, available today at various retailers. However, the 192GB (4x48GB) memory kits won't hit the retail market until March 7; therefore, the pricing is currently unknown.

Original Article

If you need insane amounts of memory, Corsair has just what you need. The memory specialist has expanded its Vengeance DDR5 portfolio with fresh 48GB (2x24GB) and 96GB (2x48GB) memory kits to rival the best RAM on the market.

Gone are the days when only the workstation and server platforms could access large quantities of memory. Intel's latest 13th Generation Raptor Lake consumer chips, among the best CPUs, come with native support for up to 192GB of memory on a four-slot Intel 600-series or 700-series motherboard. This has been made possible thanks to the introduction of 24Gb dies, delivering a 50% increase in capacity compared to the first 16Gb dies. The new 24Gb dies will allow memory vendors to produce 24GB and 48GB memory modules.

It's an exciting development since even budget motherboards with just two memory slots can achieve entry to 96GB of memory - something that wasn't possible before DDR5. Logically, the maximum capacity grows to 192GB on mainstream motherboards with four memory slots and up to 768GB on workstation offerings with 16 memory slots, such as some of those the W790-powered motherboards that debuted with Intel's recently announced Xeon W Sapphire Rapids processors.

The new 48GB and 96GB memory kits hail from the Vengeance and Vengeance RGB memory lineups. Logically, the latter will carry a slight premium because of the additional eye candy. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot to pick from concerning data rates. Corsair will only offer 48GB and 96GB memory kits in DDR5-5200 and DDR5-5600 flavors. Running DIMMs that large already takes a toll on the processor's integrated memory controller (IMC), so Corsair kept the data rates more conventionally to ensure maximum compatibility. Furthermore, it takes a longer time to bin higher data rates. DDR5 pricing is already expensive as it is, and at those capacities, the resulting memory kits will cost an arm and a leg.

The DDR5-5200 memory kits come with 38-38-38-84 timings, whereas the DDR5-5600 variants have their timings configured to 40-40-40-77. Regardless of the data rate, the memory kits only pull 1.25V and come with XMP 3.0 support.

Corsair hasn't officially revealed the Vengeance 48GB and 96GB memory kits yet; however, retailer PC Canada has already listed them. It is common knowledge that computer hardware is more expensive in Canada, so bear that in mind when looking at the pricing. The official announcement probably isn't far off, so we should be getting the official U.S. MSRP soon.

The cheapest DDR5-5200 48GB memory kit starts at $192.48. On the other hand, the faster DDR5-5600 variant will set you back $204.51. Regarding the 96GB capacity, we're looking at $392.64 for the DDR5-5200 and up to $404.53 for DDR5-5600. It's easy to see that these memory kits aren't for everyone. However, there are consumers who can put 96GB of memory to good use and others who just want to flex.