If you’re been considering one of the newly released Nvidia RTX 50 series graphics cards then you’ve no doubt some across GDDR7 memory. In short, it’s the latest standard of VRAM (or graphics memory) that’s built for AI, gaming, and GPU-accelerated computing tasks.
First announced by Samsung in 2022 as the successor to GDDR6X VRAM, the previous standard, production began in mid-2023 as Micron showed off its 1β node (1-beta) DRAM process node, and it was qualified in July of the same year that the first-generation of GDDR7 memory can reach 32Gbps (doubling the performance from GDDR6X’s 16Gbps) by comparison.
You’ll currently only find GDDR7 VRAM inside of the Nvidia RTX 50 series, as the company’s best graphics cards are using the tech to push gaming and AI workloads beyond that was possible with the GDDR6X memory of Ada (RTX 40 series) and Ampere (RTX 30 series) from 2022 and 2022 respectively. But how does it work? More importantly, do you need a graphics card with GDDR7 VRAM in your setup right now? That’s what we’re here to answer.
What is GDDR7?
Graphics Double Data Rate 7 (GDDR7) is the current VRAM standard for graphics cards, which is currently only exclusively used by Nvidia’s RTX 50 series. It’s a type of synchronous graphics RAM with a high bandwidth, allowing for the lightning-fast data transfers demanded by today’s intensive gaming and high-end computing needs.
While it’s possible that AMD may utilize the technology for its RDNA 5 GPU generation, that’s not necessarily guaranteed, especially as Team Red is still using the older (and far slower) GDDR6 VRAM for its latest Radeon RX 9000 series graphics cards (RX 9070 XT and RX 9070) instead. It’s a similar story with Intel’s GPU division, as its latest Battlemage graphics cards, such as the wallet-conscious Arc B570 and Arc B580, also utilize GDDR6 instead of GDDR6X and GDDR7.
Nvidia has (traditionally) been an early adopter of the latest and greatest technologies about its graphics card technology, and it’s not surprising to see it as the flag bearer for GDDR7. The latest VRAM standard may also be utilized in AI-powered workstations and non-gaming GPUs soon.
On the technical side of things, first-generation GDDR7 supports a bandwidth of 32 Gbps per pin with a 2GB chip density and 1.2V DRAM. It features double the maximum density of GDDR6X with 64 Gb (up from 32 Gb) and 266 FGBA packaging. To summarize, it’s far denser and more power-efficient than what was previously possible from the last generation, which (theoretically) means reduced thermals and latency as well.
How fast is GDDR7?
While Micron introduced a starting rate of 32 Gbps with a bandwidth of up to 1.5TB/sec, being 60% higher than with GDDR6 as well as 50% power efficient, it was Samsung that pushed things further. The South Korean company announced late last year that its GDDR7 VRAM was capable of achieving speeds of over 40 Gbps, which is 32% faster than the initial introductory rates.
The RTX 5090 utilizes 32GB GDDR7 VRAM, whereas the RTX 5080 employs 16GB GDDR7. The former is made possible by using a total of 16 2GB modules in unison on its 512-bit memory bus, whereas the RTX 5080 uses eight 2GB modules together. It’s a similar convention for the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070 (and expected for the 60-class cards likely to come).
We can gauge the usable GDDR7 speeds by looking at the total bandwidth and speeds observed in Nvidia’s Blackwell GPUs. The RTX 5090 is built on the GB202 die with 28 Gbps effective memory (clocked at 1,750 MHz). Its 512-bit memory bus allows for a total bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. Considering GDDR7 can be as fast as 40 Gbps (42.8% faster), we could see potential Super variants excelling beyond this rate. However, it’s more likely that the cap of what’s possible will (likely) be reserved for subsequent generations, like the potential RTX 60 series and beyond.
This is to say nothing of what could come from a new variant of the current memory standard. There was the half step of GDDR6 to GDDR6X with Nvidia, just as there was with GDDR5 and GDDR5X, something that AMD did not utilize. Whether Samsung or Micron makes faster memory modules for the next generation will depend on the wider adoption of the VRAM standard as the technology develops.
Is GDDR7 worth it?
We’ve outlined the tech specs of GDDR7 and discussed its history and manufacturer, but this doesn’t account for much if the performance does not deliver. Comparing the RTX 5090 vs RTX 4090 gives a rough account of the generational leap of the two VRAM generations, as 32GB GDDR7 at 28 Gbps goes up against 24GB GDDR6X at 21 Gbps.
Unsurprisingly, the RTX 5090 is noticeably faster in terms of gaming, with an average lead of around 22% in gaming and productivity. That’s not the biggest jump, but it does track with generational leaps between flagships. However, at the entry level, GDDR7 does not appear to have much of an impact on performance in quite the same way, such as can be seen with the performance of the RTX 5070.
While the RTX 5070 is a touch faster than the older and slower RTX 4070 Super, the difference can be minimal at best. Despite the former using 12GB GDDR7 and the latter having 12GB GDDR6X, the differences in gaming only really amounted to around a 1-6% lead over the Ada refresh model. This is with the same 28 Gbps memory speed and 672GB/sec bandwidth compared to 21 Gbps memory speed and 504GB/sec bandwidth; it didn’t make a tangible difference.
As such, GDDR7 can present a strong lead in performance against similarly powered GDDR6X and GDDR6 graphics cards, but you may not see the staggering gap you might expect from the tech specs and bold manufacturer claims. However, it’s important to remember that this is very much a starting point of a new standard, and the gap will get wider as the tech is more widely understood, implemented, and innovated upon in the future.
How long will GDDR7 be around for?
Considering the GDDR7 memory standard was only introduced around a year ago and then was only implemented in the RTX 50 series from January 2025, it’s safe to say that it will be around for many years to come. We can look back to GDDR6, which was first utilized in 2018 with the RTX 20 series and the GTX 1660 Ti in early 2019. That means the previous VRAM standard goes back as far as seven years and is still being used in graphics cards from Intel (Battlemage) and AMD (RDNA 4) in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
Based on this timeline, we estimate that GDDR7 could be around and utilized in graphics cards throughout the rest of the 2020s and even into the early 2030s unless that’s superseded by the theoretical GDDR8. Nvidia is likely to use GDDR7 for its next two or three graphics cards, but it’s unknown when (or if) AMD and Intel will make the jump from GDDR6 to GDDR7 with its lower cost GPUs, as the implementation of Samsung’s memory could see prices rise.
What is the GDDR7 release date?
GDDR7 became a standard in March 2024 and was first utilized inside of Nvidia’s RTX 50 series graphics cards, with the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 launching first on January 30, 2025 and subsequent cards releasing throughout the year. They are the only technology to utilize the current VRAM memory standard, but this is expected to change in the coming months and years.
Do AMD graphics cards use GDDR7?
No, AMD’s graphics cards do not utilize GDDR7 VRAM. Likely a cost-saving measure, Team Red has stuck to the older and slower GDDR6 VRAM standard for its current lineup of RDNA 4 graphics cards, which arrived in Februrary 2025. The same is true of Intel, which also used GDDR6 for its budget-minded Battlemage GPUs from late 2024.
How fast is GDDR7 memory?
Initially introduced by Micron to be as fast as 32 Gbps, Samsung later announced that its memory modules were as fast as 40 Gbps, and that’s the current standard according to JEDEC. However, no technology has currently come anywhere close to these rates in terms of sequential performance. This is expected to change in the coming years.
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alekshamcloughlin@outlook.com (Aleksha McLoughlin)
