ASRock releases new Intel motherboard with support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory — The "H610 Combo" features both types of DIMM slots, but you can't mix generations

ASRock H610M Combo featuring 4x DDR5 slots and 2x DDR4 slots
(Image credit: ASRock)

Is the cure to RAM pricing a motherboard that supports multiple generations? That's what ASRock seems to be betting on with its latest release on the last-gen LGA1700 socket — a new Intel motherboard based on the H610 chipset that fulfils the company's original announcement from three years ago, at last. The "H160M Combo" features support for both DDR4 and DDR5, while being the first consumer offering to do so in dual-channel mode.

The rest of the motherboard is pretty ordinary, sporting basic functionality that should get your Alder Lake or Raptor Lake processor off the ground, but don't expect flagship commodities. Unlike the aforementioned ONDA board that had PCIe Gen5 support, ASRock's H610M Combo is limited to PCIe 4.0, like every other H610 out there. You do get speedy USB-C at the rear, though, and decent VRMs.

Even though this board can accept both DDR4 and DDR5, it can't do so at the same time; you have to run either DDR4 sticks or DDR5 on their own. Still, this sort of convenience can help alleviate some of the pressure from the ongoing memory crisis, where DDR5 prices have skyrocketed. If you were stuck with DDR5 and wanted a motherboard that can roll back to last-gen memory, you're in luck now.

On the contrary, if you have DDR4 lying around or can source it more easily, the hybrid support means you could opt for a DDR4 build now and pivot to DDR5 later without replacing your motherboard. That being said, the H610M Combo isn't readily available at the moment since it was just announced. It's not even listed on the global website right now, so you might have to wait to get your hands on it.

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Hassam Nasir
Contributing Writer

Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he’s not working, you’ll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun.