Let’s calculate the true memory latencies of DDR4-3200 CL22 and DDR5-4800 CL40 as an exercise. Extended memory timings are usually ignored when calculating true memory latencies and system latencies. Here is the formula we’ll use for true memory latency: As for the other tests: Nothing meaningful in Cinebench R23, while DDR5 wins at the HandBrake bench. But most interesting of these results is 7-Zip, with that huge file compressing more than 20% faster on DDR5 than even the DDR4-4000 result. And, of course, it wipes the floor with DDR4-3200. Further fun with the data includes the Corona benchmark executing its highest rays-per-second with DDR4-4000. Power Consumption Testing and Performance Summary There’s a good reason computers are designed with both temporary and permanent storage, and it’s actually pretty simple: RAM is much faster than hard drives or their speedier solid-state drive cousins. You can get up to 8,200MT/s with a 48GB kit (2x24GB), which is just about as fast as you'll find anywhere on the market right now. You'll have to sacrifice the RGB flair, but if you're looking for raw performance, this is the kit you'll want to buy.

DDR5 has more future-proofing value. However, manufacturers haven't rung DDR4's death knell. It's undeniable that the next generations of processors will eventually drop DDR4 support. Upgrading to a DDR5 memory kit today means you can reuse it for future platforms. The downside is that DDR5 is still wet behind the ears, so there will be better offerings down the line.From the introduction of DDR memory all the way to the launch of DDR5, standard JEDEC memory’s true memory latency has stayed consistent in the range of 13 to 16 ns. Standard JEDEC memory’s system latency has stayed consistent in the range of 90 to 100 ns. In contrast, the 7-Zip Beta compression/decompression benchmark shows tremendous gains in file-compression performance with the DDR5 kit. (See the 7-Zip results on their own tab.) So, in addition to the built-in 7-Zip benchmark, we added an actual 7.6GB file-compression time (a second 7-Zip result) to our timed benchmarks. While not the most eye-catching kit on the market, this DDR5 RAM kit from PNY offers incredible performance for the price, making it a great option for PC builders looking to make a more affordable PC gaming rig without having to sacrifice too much in the way of performance.

AMD's Zen 4-based AM5 motherboards only support DDR5, while Intel's platforms do still offer DDR4 versions of their motherboards. Will DDR5 work on a DDR4 motherboard?You’re probably thinking something along the lines of “16GB is plenty for most stuff, right?” And you’re right…mostly. It’s true that most basic computing tasks—navigating the desktop, managing files, etc—don’t take up much RAM, but that isn’t true for other applications you’d consider to be relatively basic. Going with 16GB is a pretty safe bet for most users. It’s cheaper than 32GB (obviously), it’s more than enough for most applications, and there are very few games that can use 16GB of RAM, let alone require that much. Predictably, not every type of workload will benefit from DDR5's higher bandwidth. Take your everyday tasks with Microsoft Office, for instance. The delta between the best (DDR5-6000 C36) and the worst (DDR4-2133 C15) was only 4%.

Klarna Bank AB (publ) is Authorised by the Swedish Financial Services Authority (Finansinspektionen) and is subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority. Still, with this kit you get the best possible performance for the price of just about any RAM we've tested, so if you're looking for value, this kit is the way to go. Naturally, with a price point like this, you won’t necessarily be getting leading gaming performance or benefitting from dazzling RGB lighting as you would with the Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB. With that said, for the asking price and consistent performance, if you’re working with a tight budget, the Corsair Vengeance DDR5 is more than enough for an entry-level or mid-range current generation gaming PC. With Intel's "Alder Lake" 12th Generation desktop processors, we have the debut of a new memory standard in consumer PCs: DDR5, which is used by many of the motherboards that support the new chips. One thing we know about DDR5 is that it’s "faster" than DDR4 by the most commonly marketed numbers, but those numbers are just a measure of theoretical peak data rate. (For a primer on the essentials of DDR5, see What Is DDR5? Everything You Need to Know About the Latest PC Memory Standard.)DDR5 is fast, but only in some workloads. On the one hand, our tests revealed that specific tasks benefitted substantially from DDR5, and you can expect double-figure performance gains. However, some workloads were indifferent to DDR5 or showed a minimal performance improvement. Therefore, you should identify the type of workloads that you use on your system and decide whether DDR5 is worth the investment. Bench, Firefox & Workstation Benchmarks tested by Linus Tech Tips: “DDR5 Scalping is solved” Dec 29, 2021.

The answer depends on what speeds and latencies we're talking about. Games tend to be sensitive to latency, where lower is better. A good low-latency DDR4 kit is still a viable gaming option. However, the real-world performance differences are small and non-existent in GPU-limited scenarios, which is usually the case unless you're chasing very high frames per second. The Corsair Vengeance DDR5-4800 kit isn't the fastest you'll come across but it's one of the best options for a budget DDR5 system right now.

Key takeaways and call to action

Second, DDR5 may be a better financial choice if adopted from the start. Intel’s 12th Gen Core CPUs support either DDR4 or DDR5 memory technology. You can adopt only one memory technology or other for the new Intel CPU and each requires its own motherboard design, which means DDR4 memory cannot be installed in a DDR5 motherboard and DDR5 memory cannot be installed in a DDR4 motherboard. So, if you adopt DDR4 memory technology for the new Intel CPU and later decide to transition to DDR5 memory technology, you must replace the motherboard or laptop anyway. It may be a better option to consider adopting DDR5 memory technology from the start, so you don’t have to spend extra money on a new DDR5 motherboard or laptop later. The higher bandwidth of DDR5 is beneficial in other areas though, particularly in creative-type applications. DDR5 uses less power, 32GB is generally the baseline, and a DDR5 system is better for future-proofing. As time goes on, we can expect faster and lower latency kits. What platforms support DDR5 RAM?