Gigabyte sets new DDR5 overclocking world record with Z890 Aorus Tachyon ICE, pushing memory speeds past 13,000 MT/s

Gigabyte is celebrating another world record set with its hardware. The brand’s Z890 Aorus Tachyon ICE motherboard has been used to achieve an overclocked DDR5 memory frequency of over 13,000 MT/s.

The new world record belongs to Gigabyte’s overclocker, Hicookie. The veteran recorded a 13,034 MT/s transfer rate using an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor paired with a single 24 GB Adata XPG Lancer RGB DDR5 module.

To achieve the feat, Hicookie reduced interference and stabilized the memory controller by deactivating all the E-cores. He also fine-tuned the DDR5 module to CAS timings of 68-127-127-127-2, demonstrating just how extreme modern DRAM can be pushed.

Liquid nitrogen cooling and custom tuning

Overclocking goes hand-in-hand with heating. Hicookie took care of this with liquid nitrogen (LN2) cooling, as is standard practice. The Z890 Aorus Tachyon ICE motherboard itself was designed for extreme overclocking, and the cooling system helped the stock DDR5-6400 double its speed. The hardware also recorded nearly three times JEDEC’s DDR5-4800 baseline.

Hicookie stated, “13K achieved! Huge thanks to ADATA Technology for the stellar memory and to Intel’s Core Ultra 285K—its memory controller is phenomenal. Paired with the GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE, we’ve pushed DDR5 beyond 13,000 MT/s.”

Paving the way for DDR6 and future memory performance

Overclocking is not what everyday computer users do. However, the benefits of extreme tuning are expected to trickle down. For example, some predict DDR6 memory will become available in 2027 at 10,000 MT/s, with overclockers eventually pushing past 20,000 MT/s courtesy of future silicon breakthroughs.

Meanwhile, before that happens, Gigabyte can boast that its Z890 Aorus Tachyon ICE is the king of overclocking. In all, the motherboard has been involved in the first, second, and third-place global rankings of DDR5 frequencies.