DDR4 vs. DDR5 RAM: What’s the Difference?

Overclocking has also improved with the update to XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) 3.0 for Intel DDR5. Whereas XMP 2.0 only supported two profiles, the new version boasts five. Three memories are set by the manufacturer, with two more to change and edit your own settings. Intel Hosts spreadsheets with common builder settings If you are curious what the profiles look like.

You may have noticed that, despite the overall higher clock speed, the latency of DDR5 memory is a bit slower than DDR4. That doesn’t tell the whole story, though Memory maker Corsair explains“DDR4 typically has a CAS latency of 16, while DDR5 will have a CAS latency of at least 32. However, due to the faster clock speeds, the new standard has better overall performance.” In other words, it takes more cycles to complete a task, but those cycles are much faster than before.

Real nerdy stuff

There are a few other changes to the DDR5 standard that don’t really affect which slot it slots into on your particular PC.

DDR5 memory should use less power overall than DDR4, though not in a way that would allow you to get away with a smaller power supply. In turn, this gives manufacturers and overclockers more voltage headroom to push for even higher speeds. Each stick of DDR5 memory has its own power management chip, rather than the motherboard handling power distribution. Again, probably not something that will matter to most people, but it will make for a more consistent experience when using XMP profiles.

You also get increased bandwidth thanks to a major change in the basic architecture of a memory DIMM. Whereas each DDR4 module relies on a single 64-bit channel, DDR5 has two 32-bit channels. Combined with increased speed and efficiency, Memory maker Crucial says “Users can get up to 2X system bandwidth compared to DDR4 for next-gen, multi-core CPUs.”

Installation slots for random access memory (RAM) computer chips sit on a support board for a server system at the Bull SA headquarters in Angers, France, Monday, June 23, 2014. Thierry Breton, chief executive of software maker Atos, is engineering a 620 million-euro ($846 million) bid to acquire Bull, the computer company he tried to revive two decades ago. Photographer: Balint Porneczi/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPhoto: Balint Porneczy/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Some manufacturers specify Error Correction Code, or ECC, which is now present in DDR5 memory. This is slightly different from ECC in DDR4, which was an additional module present on chips intended for server or commercial use. Instead of helping a bunch of different memory chips communicate reliably, it corrects errors in individual banks before sending them to the motherboard. Commercial memory manufacturer ATP There is a deeper explanation The logic behind this technology goes beyond the scope of what you need for a gaming computer, if that’s of interest.

Too much to remember?

if you Building a new PCIt’s very likely that your motherboard will support DDR5, so that’s what you should buy. The only reason you need DDR4 memory for a new build is if you’re using older parts specifically to keep costs down. Perhaps you’re hunting for DDR4 because you’re upgrading an existing system.

In the early days of launch, you could pay almost twice as much for DDR5 as for DDR4, but prices have stabilized with more widespread adoption and will look recognizable to those who bought memory before the update.