DDR4 vs DDR5 at a glance
Here is how the two generations compare on the specs that matter, with live cheapest and average prices per gigabyte from our catalogue:
| Specification | DDR4 | DDR5 |
|---|---|---|
| Speed range | 2133–4000MHz | 4800–8200MHz |
| Voltage | 1.2V | 1.1V |
| Max module size | 32GB | 128GB |
| On-die ECC | No | Yes |
| Cheapest / GB | £2.20/GB | £5.64/GB |
| Average / GB | £7.54/GB | £16.65/GB |
| Platform support | Intel 6th–12th Gen, Ryzen 1000–5000 | Intel 12th Gen+, Ryzen 7000+ |
32GB kit price comparison
The most popular capacity for gamers and creators. Here is how DDR4 and DDR5 compare for a 32GB kit right now:
Performance: DDR4 vs DDR5
DDR5 offers significantly higher memory bandwidth than DDR4, but the real-world impact varies by workload.
Gaming
DDR5 at 5600MHz+ typically gives a 5-15% FPS improvement over DDR4-3600 in CPU-bound gaming (1080p, competitive titles). At 4K, where the GPU is the bottleneck, the gap shrinks to 2-5%. For most gamers either generation is a great experience.
Content creation & productivity
Video editing, 3D rendering, and large-dataset work benefit more from DDR5's bandwidth. Applications like Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, and Blender can see 10-25% improvements, especially on large projects.
Everyday tasks
For web browsing, office work, and general computing the difference is negligible. Your money is better spent on storage or a faster CPU if these are your main use cases.
Compatibility: what does your system support?
DDR4 and DDR5 are not interchangeable — your motherboard determines which you can use.
DDR4 platforms
- Intel 6th Gen (Skylake) to 12th Gen (Alder Lake)
- AMD Ryzen 1000 to 5000 series
- Some Ryzen 7000 boards with a DDR4 variant
Note: some 12th Gen boards support DDR4 or DDR5, not both.
DDR5 platforms
- Intel 12th Gen (Alder Lake) and newer
- Intel 13th/14th Gen (Raptor Lake)
- AMD Ryzen 7000 series and newer
- AMD Ryzen 9000 series
The verdict: DDR4 or DDR5 in 2026?
Buy DDR4 if…
- You're upgrading an existing DDR4 system
- You're on a tight budget and want the most RAM per pound
- You're building a budget PC on an older-gen platform
- You mainly do everyday tasks and light gaming
Buy DDR5 if…
- You're building a new system from scratch
- You want the best gaming performance
- You do content creation, video editing, or 3D rendering
- You want future-proofing (DDR4 is end of life)
- You're on Intel 13th/14th Gen or AMD Ryzen 7000/9000