Side-by-Side Comparison
Graphics Cards
GDDR5 vs. GDDR6X
Comparing 2 standards across 7 specifications. 7 key differences identified.
Comparing:
GDDR5
GDDR6X
GDDR5 was the dominant graphics memory standard from its 2008 commercial debut through the mid-to-late 2010s, running a 32-bit bus per chip at data rates that grew from around 3.6 Gbit/s at launch to 8 Gbit/s in later products, before GDDR6 began succeeding it.
GDDR6X is not a JEDEC standard -- it's a proprietary memory technology Micron developed specifically in collaboration with Nvidia, first shipping in 2020 with the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090. It uses PAM4 signaling, the same two-bit-per-symbol approach PCIe 6.0 later adopted, to reach 19-21 Gbit/s per pin.
Specification Comparison Table
7 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Commercial Introduction
|
2008 (AMD Radeon HD 4870) | — |
|
Bus Width
|
32-bit per chip | — |
|
Data Rate Range
|
~3.6–8 Gbit/s per pin | — |
|
Standard
|
— | Proprietary (Micron, developed with Nvidia) -- not JEDEC |
|
Signaling
|
— | PAM4 (2 bits per symbol, vs. GDDR5/6's 1-bit NRZ) |
|
Max Bandwidth / Data Rate
|
— | 19–21 Gbit/s per pin |
|
Introduced
|
— | 2020 (Nvidia RTX 3080 and RTX 3090) |