More than 7 years after the launch of DDR4, the world of computers was finally blessed with the release of DDR5 RAM. These next-generation memory sticks surpass DDR4’s in almost every aspect and are built to meet high processing demands. As of now, DDR5’s are not easily available so here are a couple of things you should know before they’re available for purchase.
DDR5’s advantages over DDR4
Less operating voltage and lower power draw
DDR5 RAM will come with a new power architecture. DDR5 memory sticks require 1.1v of operating voltage, which is lower than that of DDR4 which required an operating voltage of 1.2v. This 1.1v is delivered by the on-board 12v Power Management IC (PMIC) that converts the incoming voltage to a much lower 1.1v which allows better granularity of system power, meaning less power will be drawn from the DDR5 RAM. This also means it will generate less heat.
Speed
DDR5 offers much higher bandwidth and operating speed than DDR4. While DDR4 is maxed out at a 3.2 Gbps data rate with a max clock speed of 1.6 GHz, DDR5 kicks things up a notch by bringing a maximum data rate of 8.4 Gbps with max clock speeds of 4.8 GHz.
Motherboard
Note that your current DDR4 motherboard will not support DDR5 RAM modules. You’ll need to upgrade the motherboard as well when going for DDR5 RAM. You can go for Z690 motherboards that support DDR5 memory and along with Intel’s 12th gen processors.
Price
This next-gen RAM will be expensive than the DDR4, and the current chip shortage will only contribute to the spike in its price. When it releases, the price of DDR5 RAM can be expected to be upward of $329.
Is it worth buying?
Will it be worth buying DDR5 RAM? Maybe, depends on the bucks you’re ready to spend. We’ve already seen its features and how it’s better than DDR4 but for the optimum gaming experience, you’ll need to factor in things like which processor and graphics card to use. Upgrading will be beneficial, but you’ll see a more significant change while playing RAM-heavy games compared to CPU-heavy games like R6S or Far Cry.
