DDR6 JEDEC spec lands — what changes for the consumer 2028 build

JEDEC ratified the DDR6 base spec at 8800MT/s with a 12000MT/s OC ceiling. The bandwidth jump is real, the latency is the question.

JEDEC ratified the DDR6 base spec this week at 8800MT/s with a 12000MT/s overclocking ceiling. The bandwidth jump is meaningful — DDR6 doubles peak bandwidth versus DDR5-6400 mainstream, and the new internal bank structure should reduce contention on heavily-threaded workloads.

The latency is the open question. DDR6 base CAS latency is targeting CL40-CL44 at 8800MT/s, which is roughly comparable to DDR5-6000 CL30 in absolute terms. For gaming workloads that benefit from low CAS, DDR6 may not be a clean upgrade until the spec matures further.