I’m considering an upgrade for my aging PC, which is nearly 6 years old. I need a new motherboard to accommodate the i5-14600KF CPU I’m planning to buy. The main question I’m wrestling with is whether to invest in 16GB of DDR5 RAM or continue using my current 32GB of DDR4 RAM. I’ve heard that DDR5 offers significant performance benefits, but I’m uncertain since I already have quite a bit of RAM. The motherboards I’m looking at are similarly priced, but choosing DDR5 will require me to get new RAM. What do you guys think? Is 16GB of DDR5 really better than 32GB of DDR4 for the games I want to play? Any insights would be appreciated!
6 Answers
From my experience, the performance differences between DDR4 and DDR5 aren’t night and day. You might get a slight frame increase in benchmarks, but in actual gaming, it’s often negligible. If you’re getting a new motherboard, I recommend just going for DDR5 since the longevity of DDR4 is becoming questionable.
The decision really hinges on the speed of the RAM and your specific needs. If you’re moving to DDR5, aim for at least 32GB, just like you did with DDR4. But if budget allows for it, and considering you’re getting a more powerful CPU, DDR5 would be the way to go for some future-proofing. If you don’t need that much RAM right now, it might be worth it to get the DDR5 and upgrade down the line if needed.
The two motherboards I’m looking at cost about the same, although I see your point about needing more RAM for some tasks. I’m really just dipping my toes in with some gaming and light multitasking.
In 2025, it’d be odd to invest in DDR4 unless you’re in a tight spot and absolutely have to. Stick with DDR5 if you’re building new, in my opinion!
Just go with DDR5 if you’re already committing to a new motherboard. DDR4 is on the way out, and if you can avoid it, that’s probably better for your setup long-term.
If you’re currently utilizing more than 16GB, going down to 16GB would likely hurt your performance, even with faster speeds. It may look good on paper, but real-life usage could tell a different story.
I suspect I wasn’t hitting the ceiling of my 32GB, but if 16GB will feel like a downgrade, maybe I need to reconsider.
Honestly, the choice depends on your future plans. While 16GB of DDR5 is faster than the 32GB of DDR4, you’ll find the extra capacity of DDR4 handy for games and multitasking right now. If you’re not heavy on multitasking, you might be fine with 16GB.
I mainly game while on a Discord call and maybe listening to Spotify. I don’t really push my PC hard.
That’s good to know! I thought I might have to struggle with less RAM, but you’re saying it’s manageable.