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Your computer’s random access memory modules (RAM) are critical to the PC’s performance. If your RAM is too slow or you don’t have enough of it, you won’t be able to run the programs you need. For the past ten years, most PCs have run DDR4 RAM, but DDR5 is quickly replacing it as the new standard.
DDR5 RAM has faster transfer speeds and greater potential capacity than its predecessor, and it’s much cheaper than when it launched in 2021. Meanwhile, DDR4 is being phased out—the next generation of Intel’s Core processors (due sometime later this year) won’t support DDR4, and AMD ditched DDR4 support when it released its Ryzen 7000-series processors in late 2022.
While Intel’s 14th and 13th-generation processors support both memory standards, compatible motherboards only support one type of memory or the other. That said, DDR4 is still a very fast memory module specification and it could be worth sticking with DDR4 if you want to save the extra money.
DDR5 vs DDR4 RAM clock speed and data rate
Newer laptops come equipped with DDR5 RAM installed.
A computer’s ability to operate is constrained by its clock speed—how many times the RAM modules can access its memory per second.
The standard default clock speed for DDR4 is 2133MHz, whereas the default rate for DDR5 memory modules is 4800MHz. To run RAM faster than these speeds, you may have to enable the XMP profile in your PC’s BIOS if it’s not already enabled. Most mainstream or non-enthusiast DDR5 RAM kits at the time of writing, like a typical Corsair Vengeance RGB set, clock in between 5200MHz and 6000MHz.
DDR5 also has faster data transfer rates compared to DDR4. When properly configured, a PC can run DDR4 memory at up to 3200 MT/s without overclocking.
DDR5 can run at 8,000 MT/s with overclocking on high-end motherboards, but by default Intel’s 14th-generation processors support up to 5,600 MT/s and AMD’s Ryzen 8000-series processors only officially support up to 5,200 MT/s.
Our pick: DDR5
DDR4 vs. DDR5 RAM memory Capacity
Your processor, storage drive, and graphics card will have a more notable impact on your PC's performance than your RAM speed.
DDR5 can top out at a whopping 512GB per module. Sadly, most processors and motherboards can’t support that. High-end motherboards like the Gigabyte Aorus Z790 Extreme X support up to 192GB of total memory and 48GB individual memory modules.
DDR4 has much smaller limits. It maxes out at 128GB of memory split across two-to-four DIMM modules.
Our pick: DDR5
DDR4 vs. DDR5 RAM latency
DDR4 still offers better value, but the price difference between DDR4 RAM and DDR5 RAM is quickly narrowing.
RAM acts like temporary storage for your computer’s CPU so it can quickly access tasks it performs on a regular basis. (It’s similar to keeping a dozen Google Chrome tabs open at once because you want the information close by.) The lower the latency, the faster the CPU can access the instructions it temporarily stored in the RAM to perform the tasks.
DDR4 used to have lower latency than DDR5, and while that’s still true in a technical sense, in a practical sense there isn’t a difference anymore (unless 2 nanoseconds matter to you).
Total latency is determined by both a DIMM module’s speed and its CAS (Column Address Signal) latency. For CAS latency ratings, lower numbers are better.
A DDR4-3200 CL20 module, for instance, has a CAS latency rating of 20. Most DDR5 modules have a latency rating between CL30 and CL36. Combined with DDR5’s massive megatransfer speed advantage, it virtually eliminates the total latency problem of early CL40 modules.
Our pick: Tie
DDR4 vs. DDR5 RAM performance
Modern gaming consoles sport a faster, soldered version of DDR5 RAM called LPDDR5.
While DDR5 is faster than DDR4 in the most intense applications, the real-life difference for more mundane tasks like web browsing or 2D gaming is minimal—DDR4 is already very fast.
For heavy scene rendering or video file encoding, DDR5 is notably faster. When we tested DDR4 and DDR5 side-by-side in our test rigs, rendering a lengthy test scene in Blender was one to two minutes faster on the DDR5-equipped system. The same video file encoded in Handbrake was also about a minute faster on the DDR5-equipped system.
However, you will see more gains across PC performance by upgrading the quantity of RAM available—64GB of DDR4 RAM will give a better experience than 16GB of DDR5 RAM. Upgrading your processor, graphics card, or storage drive from a hard drive to a solid-state drive will also give more significant gains.
Our pick: DDR5
DDR4 vs. DDR5 RAM compatibility
The Framework laptop mainboard has RAM slots so you can upgrade your memory later on, but DDR4 won't be compatible with DDR5 motherboards and vice versa.
As DDR5 takes over as the new standard, expect DDR4 support to further slim down. AMD does not support DDR4 on its AM5 chips, and Intel has supported DDR5 for three processor generations now. However, Intel’s 12th, 13th, and 14th generations only support DDR4 so long as the motherboard it’s socketed into supports DDR4 (DDR4 motherboards do not support DDR5 and vice versa).
Meanwhile, most laptops and pre-built PCs now ship with DDR5 by default. If you’re concerned with future upgradeability of your system, you should prioritize DDR5. For laptops, note the distinction between LPDDR5X and DDR5 in the specifications, as the former is soldered to the motherboard while the latter is not and can be upgraded by the user.
DDR4 is still widely available, but it’s quickly becoming a thing of the past.
Our pick: DDR5
DDR4 vs. DDR5 RAM price
Laptops and desktops—even those with current-gen processors—ship with either DDR4 or DDR5 RAM.
DDR4 RAM has been around for over a decade and costs about half as much as a DDR5 kit of similar capacity. A 16GB pair of 3200MHz DDR4 Corsair Vengeance memory modules, for instance, sells for less than $40. Compare that to $70 for 16GB of DDR5 memory.
However, the price parity evens out at higher capacities. A 32GB kit of that same DDR5 Corsair Vengeance RAM now costs $90, far cheaper than DDR4 previously went for at the same capacity.
DDR5-compatible motherboards are usually more expensive than DDR4-only models, but not by much, and the two are quickly reaching parity. The DDR5 Asus ROG Strix B760-A motherboard, for example, is $5 less than its DDR4 counterpart.
Our pick: DDR4
Is upgrading to DDR5 worth it?
While DDR5 has greater data transfer rates, the best DDR4 modules will still cost a fair bit less.
DDR5 is undeniably an improvement over DDR4 for memory bandwidth and capacity. While it used to have more latency and less support than DDR4, that’s changed. Now, DDR5 is simply faster than DDR4, and DDR4 support is being phased out from the latest motherboards and processors. If money isn’t an issue, you should spring for DDR5 memory. (Remember, you will also need to upgrade your motherboard and processor, and make sure your power supply can handle them first.)
However, DDR4 isn’t obsolete yet. There’s much more DDR4-compatible gear available on the used market than DDR5-compatible gear, and DDR4’s performance is still great for most tasks. If you’re running into memory bottlenecks on your current machine, try upgrading your DDR4 memory to 32GB or 64GB modules instead of 8GB or 16GB. Increasing your memory’s bandwidth is going to make a bigger difference than switching to DDR5, and it’s potentially hundreds of dollars cheaper.
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