Basic Definition of GDDR & Types of GDDR Memory

GDDR stands for Graphics Double Data Rate, and it’s the type of memory used in graphics cards. Nvidia was the first to introduce GDDR memory back in the year 1999. Every coming generation of GDDR memory shows better performance and power consumption over the previous generation.

The latest generation of GDDR, the GDDR6X was introduced in the year 2020. This is the fastest of all generations with a data transfer rate of 16Gbps. Modern graphics cards like the RTX 3080 & RTX 3090 make use of GDDR6X for high-end performance.

Types/Generations of GDDR Memory

• GDDR1

• GDDR2

• GDDR3

• GDDR4

• GDDR5

• GDDR5X

• GDDR6

• GDDR6X

Quick Comparison of GDDR Generations

Memory Type	Memory Clock Speed	Transfer Rate
GDDR2	500 MHz	Unknown
GDDR3	625 MHz	2.5 Gbps
GDDR4	275 MHz	2.2 Gbps
GDDR5	625-1000 MHz	5-8 Gbps
GDDR5X	624-875 MHz	10-12 Gbps
GDDR6	875-1000 MHz	14-16 Gbps
GDDR6X	1000 MHz & up	19-21 Gbps

The Difference between GDDR and GDDRX

Well, you can say that GDDRX is a slight improvement within the current generation. The GDDRX generation chips have a little more bandwidth and clock speed as compared to GDDR chips. However, the GDDRX generation cards use less voltage as compared to their GDDR variants. At the same time, the GDDRX chips are expensive when compared to a normal GDDR card in the same generation.

For example, the GDDR6X graphics cards show a 43% increase in performance over the GDDR6 cards due to an increase in system bandwidth. And this was made possible by Micron that introduced an advanced signaling technology called PAM4.

Which GDDR generation you should choose?

By looking at the table above, you can see that there’s a clear difference in the performance of every advanced GDDR generation over its predecessor. The most popular and in-demand generation right now is the GDDR5 and GDDR6. The graphics cards with GDDR5 memory have a higher base and boost clock speed whereas GDDR6 chips come with a higher memory clock and bandwidth.

So, a higher boost clock speed can really help you in improving your gameplay. For gaming, GDDR5 graphics cards still hold a lot of value. And if it’s about editing videos, streaming, and other complex content creation workloads, then you can get huge benefits from the higher bandwidth of GDDR6 cards.

But GDDR6 and GDDR6X both are not only great at handling the intense graphical workload, but they also deliver optimal game performance in AAA titles as well. Also, the GDDR6 chips are more power-efficient as compared to the GDDR5 chips.