Intel 9th Gen Core CPUs to support up to 128GB of DDR4

A press release from HP reveals Intel's upcoming 9th Gen Core processors will support DDR4 memory configurations of up to 128GB. That's twice as much as the 64GB support of the previous generations. Most desktop platforms feature four memory slots, which limit you to a maximum of 64GB because standard consumer memory sticks have a maximum capacity of 16GB.

This is changing with the introduction of Double Capacity (DC) DDR4 memory, those sticks offer up to 32GB and would allow the installation of 128GB in a consumer desktop PC. In a statement to AnandTech, Intel confirmed the memory controller of its 9th Gen Core processors will have support for up to 128GB. This feature will be enabled via an update "in a few months time":

The new 9th Gen Intel Core processors memory controller is capable of supporting DDR4 16Gb die density DIMMs which will allow the processors to support a total system memory capacity of up to 128GB when populating both motherboard memory channels with 2 DIMMs per Channel (2DPC) using these DIMMs. As DDR4 16Gb die density DIMMs have only recently become available, we are now validating them, targeting an update in a few months’ time.

At the moment, only the Core i9-9900K, the Core i7-9700K, and the Core i5-9600K are confirmed to support 128GB. Adoption will likely be extremely low due to the high price of the DC DDR4 memory sticks. A memory kit of 4x 32GB will likely cost $1,200 to $1,600, so far outside of the budget of a typical desktop user.