DDR5 marks yet another major change to the PC’s RAM subsystem, mere years after DDR4’s delayed release.
Intel’s new 12th-gen “Alder Lake” CPUs, such as the Core i5-12600K and Core i9-12900K, along with AMD’s Zen 4 chips, all support DDR5.
So we’re now at the point where you have to choose your memory, especially so for a custom-built gaming PC enthusiast.
You can decide between DDR4 and DDR5.
What is the speed of DDR5? In order to run, what will I need?
How does DDR5 work?
By the end of this guide, you’ll have all the information you need to make the right decision.
>>>Related Post: A Complete Guide to Random Access Memory (RAM)<<<
DDR5: what is it?
Memory for PCs is evolving with DDR5.
RAM’s density and bandwidth have been increased, while its power consumption has been reduced in this version.
How much DDR5 RAM can I put in my PC?
A 32 GB module is the largest consumer module based on today’s DDR4 technology.
The capacity of DDR5 can be quadrupled. The maximum amount of memory that can be installed in a typical mainstream PC with four DDR4 DIMM slots is 128 GB.
It is possible to reach 512 GB with a cutting-edge system built around four DDR5 DIMM slots. The ludicrous amount of RAM a high-end PC system with eight DDR5 DIMM slots could reach would be a staggering 1 TB.
How much RAM does my PC really need?
There is no real need for more memory than 16 GB to 32 GB for consumers and gamers today.
There’s probably one person who needs 512 GB of RAM for some esoteric scientific, research, or extreme imaging reasons for every 29 people who don’t need more than 16 GB of RAM.
Is DDR5 going to give me more memory bandwidth?
A DDR5 module from Micron is 36 percent faster than a DDR4 module at the same, 3200 MT/s data transfer rate.
Micron tested a DDR5/4800 module and found that it had an 87 percent performance increase over a similar DDR4/4800 module
What is the latency reduction of DDR5?
Corsair officials report that, despite all these improvements, DDR5 memory latency is similar to DDR4. Single-access latency appears to be similar, but column-access strobe latency appears to be worse.
So far, Corsair has indicated that top-tier DDR5 modules will have an overall latency of 14ns to 15ns, about the same as DDR4 modules.
What’s the big deal if I can already buy DDR4/5333 modules?
It’s true, you can buy DDR4/5333 memory modules today, but those are all technically beyond the official limits for the memory, which is DDR4/3200.
The higher data rates are typically achieved by overclocking RAM, which also technically voids AMD and Intel CPU warranties along with a few motherboards, on most computers no doubt.
It is technically outside the limits of DDR4, but neither company cares if you do so.
Compared to DDR4, DDR5/4800 modules have been available since day one, while DDR4/6400 modules are just around the corner.
Overclocked modules may reach DDR5/12800, too. All this speed talk ignores Micron’s testing, which shows that DDR5 offers 37 percent more bandwidth than DDR4 at the same data rate.
Is DDR5 more expensive?
DDR5 is expected to cost more than today’s comparable DDR4 modules, as with any new technology. Samsung expects DDR5 to cost at least 30 percent more at launch.
Amazon’s pre-order price for Team Group’s 32 GB DDR5/4800 pair in late June was £311. The price for a similar set of 32 GB DDR4 modules from Team Group ranged from £150 to £180.
In conjunction with Intel’s Alder Lake chips, New egg were offering DDR5/4800 and DDR5/5200 memory at steep markups.
Most early DDR5 memory kits cost closer to £300, with 16 GB kits costing roughly £150 and 32 GB kits costing about £300.
Yes, early adopters of DDR5 will have to cough up some pretty pennies.
Nevertheless, new memory transitions have always been like this. It is almost always more expensive to buy shiny new things at first.
What is the expected temperature increase with DDR5?
Due to its increased bandwidth and capacity, DDR5 also adds heat to the mix-but not necessarily from heat generated by the chips themselves.
The RAM module itself will be responsible for regulating the voltage of DDR5. The motherboard is responsible for regulating the voltage of the RAM with DDR4.
Therefore, the motherboard should be less complex, and each module maker should be able to optimize power delivery for their modules.
The cost is additional heat created on the module itself, and that needs to be dissipated. Module maker Corsair, for example, is already touting its existing cooling design as an advantage for DDR5.
Is ECC present in all DDR5 modules?
The ECC (error correction control) in DDR5 can detect multi-bit errors and correct single-bit errors. Nevertheless, if your workload already requires this technology, it’s not what you’re expecting.
The traditional ECC detects and controls errors at every level, including the CPU data.
A DDR5 chip includes ECC, but once it leaves the chip and starts the long journey towards the CPU, it no longer performs ECC, which means errors induced along the way aren’t its problem.
Why do we do this at all with our computers? Due to the fact that you can’t quadruple the density of a chip without adding additional safety layers, it’s mostly being done for this reason.
Due to its mission-critical nature, ECC is mostly found on servers and workstations today. As a result of the high speed and high density of DDR5, on-die ECC was necessary.
Despite the differences in consumer RAM and CPUs, commercial RAM and CPUs will still support full ECC (though its necessity is debated).
Is my current system capable of running DDR5?
Sadly, no. It’s necessary to replace your CPU, motherboard, and RAM in order to run DDR5.
DDR5 will be supported by what CPUs?
Intel’s 12th-generation “Alder Lake S” CPUs were the first to support DDR5, while AMD’s Zen 4 CPUs will support DDR5 in 2022.
Does DDR4 RAM work with 12th-gen Alder Lake S CPUs?
Both DDR4 and DDR5 are supported by Intel’s 12th-gen Alder Lake S chips (as well as low-power versions).
Although Intel launched Alder Lake with DDR5 motherboards, motherboards supporting 12th-gen Alder Lake and current DDR4 memory will be common for at least a year or two.
Given the high costs and low availability of new technology so clearly pointless in an old or renewed office PC for example.
How future-proof is DDR5 compared to DDR4?
The answer to this question is very tricky, but in general, it rarely pays dividends to pay high prices for “future-proof” technology.
Compared to DDR4, DDR5 is likely to be extremely expensive, so it’s usually best to wait for prices to equalize before investing, but this depends on what you value.
Investing in RAM also depends on how you view it. If you pay more for DDR5, you can use the RAM when building a new system in 2026 (where you would have to toss DDR4).
The best thing to do is to upgrade to a new memory standard a few years after it drops, when the RAM will be faster, larger and cheaper. Just like the prices of SSD before V-NAND and after HDD before SSD etc
Is DDR4 or DDR5 going to be faster for next-generation CPUs?
As of right now, we don’t have an answer to this question. For those seeking practical benefits, the price premium during previous memory transitions was rarely worth it.
Most of the time, the older RAM benefited from years of being pushed as fast as it could go, while the newer RAM typically started very conservatively with speed and timings until we all wanted it in our gaming computers.
Even compared to the fastest DDR4 modules, DDR5 offers superior bandwidth out of the gate. In spite of this, greater memory bandwidth doesn’t always deliver the performance people expect outside integrated graphics.
>>>Related Post: A Complete Guide to Random Access Memory (RAM)<<<
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