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The battle between DDR4 and DDR5 is at its peak as the older memory standard sees its final days. AMD has completely nullified the support for the last-gen RAM sticks with its latest Ryzen 7000 series. Thus, those opting for the latest CPUs from Team Red already have their answer to the titular question.
However, Intel still supports the older standard with its 12th, 13th, and 14th gen lineups of processors. Those opting for a chip from this brand can choose between a DDR4 or a DDR5 RAM while purchasing their next gaming system.
While there is a pricing difference between the two generations and their related hardware, a few more factors need to be considered before deciding which type of memory to get in 2024. Let's go over them.
DDR5 is taking over, but DDR4 is not far behind
DDR5 offers multiple improvements compared to DDR4, including much higher bandwidth and data transfer rates. While the former memory type topped out at 4,400 MT/s, the newer one starts at 4,800 MT/s. Moreover, the current-gen RAM modules consume less power and have better power efficiency and scalability features built-in. The list includes onboard PMIC (power management integrated circuits) and memory chips with more capacities.
Samsung DDR5 memory can go up to 256 GB per stick, up from 64 GB in the last-gen. Higher capacities is a major upgrade with the newer standard.
Pricing
Like every new technology, DDR5 was costly when it was launched back in 2021. However, the cost of items boasting this memory type fell throughout the last couple of years. According to estimates, the price of a 16 GB memory stick has fallen by around 40% in the last year alone.
On the low end, one can pick up a Crucial or Corsair 16 GB stick for around $50 or $60 these days. DDR4 is still slightly cheaper, but if the current trends continue, the newer standard will soon be the more affordable option.
That said, it is worth noting that the other items required to run the latest memory, including motherboards and the latest CPUs, are still quite costly. DDR4 motherboards are around $30 to $50 cheaper than their DDR5 equivalents. While this difference might not seem like a lot, it can be a lot when you're building a budget system on the Intel platform.
Moreover, falling prices are only benefitting the Ryzen 7000 series platform, which only supports DDR5.
Can video games utilize the full potential of DDR5 memory?
If video games cannot use the full potential of the latest memory type, spending a bunch of money on getting it can be useless. It is worth noting that the newest titles in the market show remarkable performance differences when running on DDR5 RAM compared to its predecessor.
Moreover, fresh titles will be added to the list as the era of cross-gen games comes to an end. However, a lot of games that were released until mid-2022 show little to no improvements when paired with faster memory.
For systems dedicated to competitive gaming, using the latest memory type does not make sense. The extra cash can be better spent on a better graphics card which will help push out better framerates. However, if one wants to play the latest AAA titles, DDR5 is the way to go.
The pricing of the latest memory sticks in the market is on a downward trend. Additionally, developers are fine-tuning the latest games to utilize 100% of the new memory modules. Hence, now might be a good time to upgrade to the next big thing.
