AMD is seemingly working on two different integrated memory controllers (IMCs) for its upcoming Zen 6 Medusa architecture. As a result, some sources claim that certain motherboards may not be compatible with the new standard. AMD has a solution, but it is said to have performance impacts.
According to rumours from China, next-gen AMD Zen 6-based Ryzen CPUs will carry two distinct IMCs each supporting different RAM configurations. One of these is said to be compatible with one DIMM per channel boards (1DPC) – i.e. dual slot – whereas the other handles exclusively two DIMMs per channel (2DPC) – i.e. quad slot.
Currently, AM5 motherboards use the first RAM slots labelled A0 and B0 for initial boot training, a thing that the new IMC can’t handle. Instead, it requires DDR5 modules to be placed in A1 and B1 slots. This apparently causes some incompatibility with dual-slot boards that use the older 1DPC configuration. As of now, among new dual-slot boards, MSI B850 MPower is said to be the only one to fully comply with this new configuration.
It’s unclear, however, if both IMCs are included inside all models or if the brand plans two variants of each CPU. The former would simplify the user experience and compatibility at the cost of more silicon usage and thus price, while the latter would force users to double-check which CPU version is compatible with their motherboard – an annoyance, especially for novice PC builders.
Fortunately, AMD has seemingly found a workaround to support A0/B0 memory orientations on existing boards, but there is a catch. Performance is said to be inferior to A1/B1 configurations. While not ideal, at least it should maintain compatibility with current AM5 boards, which is extremely important.
Memory aside AMD Zen 6 is expected to boast up to 12 cores per CCD, offering a total of 24 cores per CPU. These are rumoured to be clocked up to 6GHz instead of 5.7GHz currently while packing 48MB of cache per CCD. Though not official, these sound plausible as Team Red anticipates the upcoming Intel Nova Lake chips, which are expected to pack up to 48 cores.
2026 shapes to be the year of competition for CPUs. AMD’s lineup will have the advantage of already-established AM5 motherboards reducing entry costs, whereas Intel will have the opportunity to tempt users with a fresh and long-lasting platform. Great times ahead.
