DDR5 6000: The Speed Tier Built Around a Ratio
This rating is popular for a reason that has nothing to do with the number being round. On current AMD desktop processors the memory controller and the Infinity Fabric can run in step at this transfer rate, with the fabric sitting at 2000MHz and the controller matching the memory one for one. Step above it and the controller usually halves its ratio, adding a synchronisation penalty that eats the extra bandwidth.
One label note worth clearing up: the figure is a transfer rate in megatransfers per second, not a clock in megahertz. The DRAM itself is clocked at 3000MHz and moves data on both edges. Retailers and manufacturers both print MHz on the box, so the two terms are used interchangeably in listings even though only one of them is strictly accurate.
That ratio argument is specific to the AMD platform. Intel's current desktop controllers behave differently and keep scaling well past this tier, which is why an Intel build and a Ryzen build shopping the same shelf should not necessarily buy the same kit. Evetech carries 6000-rated kits with AMD EXPO and Intel XMP profiles and ships from Centurion, with the main metros normally seeing delivery in one to three business days.
