ASRock's new motherboard supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory

Here's an interesting motherboard release from ASRock that flew under the radar. The ASRock H610M COMBO (via @unikoshardware), which supports 14th, 13th, and 12th Gen Intel Core processors (LGA1700 socket), supports both DDR4 and DDR5 dual-channel memory. Unfortunately, you can't install both at the same time, but this unique board includes 2 x DDR4 and 4 x DDR5 DIMMs.

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"Designed for versatile memory configurations, this motherboard features 4 x DDR5 and 2 x DDR4 memory slots, allowing users to choose the memory type based on their needs (not compatible for mixed installation), greatly enhancing hardware configuration flexibility," the description reads. "The maximum system memory capacity depends on the memory type: up to 96GB with DDR5, or up to 64GB with DDR4."

This compact, versatile micro-ATX board also includes multiple display outputs, including HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI-D, D-Sub, and eDP, which is impressive. On the flip side, it only includes a single PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 slot for SSD storage, but it supports up to 12 USB devices, including two USB 3.2 Gen2 ports on the rear, one of which is Type-C.

With DDR5 memory prices going through the roof at the moment, this motherboard does present a compelling alternative for users with previous-gen Intel CPUs - as you can keep using older DDR4 memory while you wait for DDR5 memory kit prices to come back down to earth. Speed-wise, the ASRock H610M COMBO supports DDR5-4800 and DDR4-3800. Although it wasn't explicitly designed for the current memory crisis, this hybrid approach is something we'd like to see more of in future motherboard designs from the company.