Is DDR4 faster than SSD? Blazing DDR4 RAM vs smoking fast SSDs
As a passionate gamer and content creator always chasing higher frame rates and silicon glory, I get asked this question a lot when advising fellow PC builders – should you prioritize faster DDR4 RAM or SSD storage for the best gaming performance?
The short answer is: yes – DDR4 memory blows away even the fastest solid state drives in terms of raw speed and latency. But SSDs are still crucial ingredients for a powerful modern gaming PC.
In this epic bout of DDR4 vs SSD speed tests, we‘ll compare latest gen memory versus storage chips across a range of real-world metrics – then discuss why these tech heroes have such drastically different performance characteristics. Time for benchmarks at dawn!
DDR4 memory obliterates SSDs in raw bandwidth
Let‘s kick things off by comparing peak transfer rates from major DDR4 and SSD brands:
| Type | Max Speed | Real-World Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung 980 Pro SSD | 7,000 MB/s seq. read | 5,000 – 7,000 MB/s |
| Corsair Dominator DDR4 | 51,200 MB/s | 40,000+ MB/s |
As you can see, even the fastest consumer SSDs top out around 7 GB/s sequential read performance. That‘s incredibly fast storage…until you look at DDR4 RAM churning upwards of 40,000 MB/s in memory bandwidth tests!
Clearly DDR4 operates in an entirely different performance universe compared to SSDs and traditional hard drives. The massive speed advantage comes down to architecture and technology differences between volatile memory and non-volatile storage, which we‘ll analyze next.
Why is DDR4 so much faster than SSDs?
There are 3 key reasons why DDR4 leaves SSDs in the dust when it comes to data transfers:
1. Direct CPU access
DDR4 RAM connects right to the processor via integrated memory controllers. This gives it a high-speed "express lane" to shuttle data to the CPU with minimal latency. SSDs rely on PCIe or SATA – which while fast, still create a bottleneck.
2. No need to store data permanently
As volatile memory, DDR4 simply holds data temporarily while power is applied. It doesn‘t need to worry about recovering or permanently saving data like non-volatile SSD and HDD storage. This allows it to be exceptionally optimized for speed.
3. Bleeding-edge bandwidth tech
Modern advances like dual/quad memory channels, higher clock frequencies, optimized memory timings all unlock higher bandwidth for DDR4 modules up to 51,200MT/s currently. SSD designs just can‘t compete (yet).
Here‘s a comparison of key specs:
| Spec | DDR4 RAM | SSD Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Direct to CPU | PCIe 4.0 or SATA |
| Latency | 10-15 ns | 50-100 μs |
| Clock Speed | Up to 51.2 GT/s | 1-2 GHz |
| Channels | Up to 4 | PCIe lanes |
With its direct connection unleashing massive memory bandwidth combined with nanosecond latency, you can see why DDR4 leaves even the fastest SSDs in the dust currently in speed tests!
Real-world gaming – do you need faster RAM or SSD?
Synthetic benchmarks give us an objective measure of technical performance (and bragging rights!). But how do these numbers actually translate to real-world gaming?
Short answer – you want BOTH quality RAM and SSDs! Focusing on one over the other depends on your priorities:
RAM – Faster DDR4 speeds up asset streaming and reduces stuttering significantly during gameplay for higher, smoother framerates. 3200-3600 MT/s is the gaming sweet spot.
SSDs – Blazing storage reduces game/level load times and texture pop-in. It also accelerates transfers of 100GB game files! M.2 NVMe SSDs are 3-5x faster than SATA.
Here is some data comparing game load times and performance across different RAM and SSD configurations:
(Image Source: Corsair)
While not as drastic as synthetic tests, this still shows tangible improvements from faster RAM and SSDs in real gaming scenarios. Upgrading both can yield >30% better frame rates and almost half the load times!
So don‘t hinder your uber-GPU with outdated storage and memory. To avoid bottlenecks, I actually recommend BOTH latest-gen DDR4 sticks running at 3000MHz+ speeds as well 16GB+ capacity, paired with a fast PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD around 1TB. This balances bandwidth and capacity for buttery gaming performance!
The future – when will DDR5 dethrone DDR4?
DDR5 is the exciting new memory standard starting to enter gaming PCs in 2022. It offers double the peak bandwidth (51.2 vs 25.6 GB/s) compared to DDR4 along with reduced voltage for increased efficiency. Some specs:
| Spec | DDR5 | DDR4 |
|---|---|---|
| Bandwidth | 51,200 MB/s | 25,600 MB/s |
| Modules | 288-pin | 288-pin |
| Voltage | 1.1V | 1.2V |
| Power savings | 20-25% | – |
Major CPU platforms like Intel Alder Lake already support DDR5 manipulation. However its adoption has been slowed by supply issues and extremely high costs currently. Expect DDR5 to start displacing DDR4 in mainstream gaming builds later in 2024 once prices become more reasonable.
For now, DDR4 still reigns supreme in delivering the best balance of cutting-edge memory speeds and affordability for most gamers. But the new hotness DDR5 is waiting in the wings to claim the bandwidth crown!
The Verdict: DDR4 speed crushes SSDs, but both are essential!
While they serve different roles, quality RAM and SSDs are both integralingredients for a powerful modern gaming PC.
In closing, DDR4 absolutely demolishes even the fastest SSDs in terms of raw transfer rates and latency thanks revolutionary memory technology culminating in >40 GB/s bandwidth today.
However SSDs are still vital, using flash performance to accelerate storage and reduce game asset load times by up to 5x over old hard drives. This perfectly complements the snappy DDR4 RAM feeding data rapidly to the CPU and GPU during actual gameplay.
For peak gaming and creative workstation performance, never compromise – go withthe latest generation DDR4 sticks AND NVMe solid state storage rather than just one or the other exclusively. Mixing cutting-edge RAM and SSDs will vault your rig into silicon Valhalla!
Hopefully this speed test battle has helped explain the drastic differences in capabilities between volatile system memory and non-volatile storage. Got any more questions on pampering your PC? Let me know in the comments!
