DDR5 memory frequency world record broken, but not by who you might expect

Overclocking
(Image credit: Future)

The memory frequency record has just been smashed using an Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Apex motherboard, an Intel Core i9-12900K processor, and an unspecified brand and type of DDR5 RAM.

The person behind the achievement is a little-known Hong Kong-based overclocker called "Lupin_No_Musume", who managed to acheive speeds of 10,552 MT/s (5,275.9 MHz) according to results posted on HWbot

You can check out the moment in all its glory by clicking on the video below; he even attached an oscilloscope to verify the speeds he claims are accurate.

How did he do it?

The victorious overclocker used four of Intel’s 12th generation i9 performance cores, each running at 3,692 MHz, alongside liquid nitrogen cooling to stop the whole setup from overheating.

This isn't the first time "Lupin_No_Musume" has made a run at the memory frequency gold, he made a very close attempt in April 2022 but was pipped to the post by MSI gaming-backed overclocker Kovan Yang.

But it's not just Asus offering overclockers the highest possible memory frequencies, the 2nd and 3rd positions in the HWbot leaderboard used MSI MEG Z690 Unify-X (MS-7D28) and Gigabyte Aorus Z690 Tachyon motherboards respectively.

If you are interested in trying your hand at the overclocking game yourself you will be pleased to know that the price of DDR5 RAM is rapidly dropping.

But overclocking isn't all fun and high performance games, however, there are plenty of risks involved too. 

Intel warned users of Alder Lake CPUs that they shouldn’t try to overclock them lest they damage the chip, if they are using a non-K (locked) variant. 

  • Interested in getting the highest possible short-term memory for your machine? Check out our guide to the best RAM

Will McCurdy has been writing about technology for over five years. He has a wide range of specialities including cybersecurity, fintech, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, cloud computing, payments, artificial intelligence, retail technology, and venture capital investment. He has previously written for AltFi, FStech, Retail Systems, and National Technology News and is an experienced podcast and webinar host, as well as an avid long-form feature writer.