Editor’s note: The majority of this article was written by Joe. We waited for AYN’s response before publishing, at which point I (Andrew) provided the necessary information to complete the article.
With eyes on AYN’s latest flagship gaming console as orders are being received, there are already reports and concerns regarding the Odin 3’s RAM. Reddit user L0ngL0stFriend reported that Odin 3 users are receiving units with significantly slower RAM than what was advertised.
With the recent pricing update on the Thor and the growing cost of RAM worldwide, it is expected that more and more devices will be impacted by either raising the price, or by using cheaper components. If true as reported, that means the Odin 3 will be using RAM that is as much as 1000Mhz slower than initially advertised.
Odin 3 RAM: Fact Finding Mission Commences
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- RAM Speeds on Odin 3 – Standard
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- Odin 3 RAM Speeds – High Performance Mode
The advertised RAM speed for the Odin 3, on all models, was set to be 5300Mhz whereas Discord user gio (reported through Reddit) counted 4224Mhz after testing (unclear through what software). As with every controversy like this, community reporting is as reliable as dipping our hand into an open flame to grab a burnt marshmallow.
So broader community reports weren’t entirely conclusive at the time, but I am seeing reports near 4200Mhz with batch 2 and 3 orders. The included pictures show the raw data that was output by the tests. Every test shown was using the Max Performance setting. Note that since this is DDR, you need to divide the reported number by 2 to get it’s speed in MHz.
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- gio’ Initial Reading – 4224MHz – Batch 2
Additional inquiries into review units and batch 1 & 2 orders show a speed that is slightly higher, and consistently reading 4761Mhz. YouTuber Retro Tech Dad (through the application Scene with SysFloat turned on) gave a reading of 4761Mhz, along with the exact same result from Retro Game Corps. RH staff Nick and Zu also reported 4761Mhz in similar circumstances.
It’s also worth noting that Nicole with AYN reported that the RAM speed should be 5333Mhz for all devices. However, as you’ll see below, AYN issued a statement with a correction to this.
The Pattern?
With the information we have gathered, the pattern here seems to be:
- Batch 1 orders and review units have RAM speeds of 4761Mhz
- Batch 2 orders seem to have a mix of 4761Mhz and 4220Mhz
- Batch 3 orders have generally been about 4220Mhz (although some are showing 4761Mhz)
RH founder Stubbs has found that the Odin’s sister console Thor’s RAM speeds also read at ~4220Mhz. Perhaps the two consoles use the same RAM? Read on, as now we’re getting a plot twist.
AYN Responds
It took AYN a bit longer than we expected to respond to the claims lobbied against the Odin 3. However, the response is pretty succinct, while surprisingly even being a bit transparent.
Nicole from AYN explains that all four Odin 3 models ship with the same type of RAM, clocked at 4266MHz / 8333 Mbps. It’s good to know that information for future reference, even if it might not have been the answer you were looking for. Of course, it would’ve been awesome if the Odin 3 was equipped with faster RAM, but there are a lot of variables at play.
Which leads me to the “transparent” part in the opening of this section. Nicole goes on to say that “The possibility of using 9600 memory in the future cannot be ruled out.” Basically, this tells me that there’s a chance AYN could pivot to faster RAM in the Odin 3 down the line. Ultimately, it will all be determined by the overall market, which is currently extremely volatile, and it doesn’t seem like it’ll be getting better anytime soon.
The Actual Impact?
A variation between 500-1000Mhz is not a small amount and it would have a noticeable (but minor) impact on RAM heavy titles through Windows and Switch Emulation, but not so much regular use and basic emulation. Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about examining each Odin 3 that we can get our hands on, as this turned out to be a pretty tame saga.
Nevertheless, AYN might want to take note of the situation for future releases, as something as objectively trivial as RAM clock speeds has the power to send the community into a spiral.
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