Is DDR4 outdated in 2024? Not yet for most gamers

We are clearly in an transitional era for PC memory technology. While the speedy new DDR5 RAM standard has arrived and is claiming the high-performance crown, the incumbent DDR4 remains firmly embedded as the price-performance leader for budget-conscious gamers as of 2023.

Based on extensive testing and number-crunching of specs and real-world performance data, my verdict is that DDR4 still has at least 3 more years of relevancy left for 1080p and 1440p gaming builds. The introduction of platforms like Intel Meteor Lake later this year will extend its lifecycle even further.

However, for gamers wanting to maximize fps regardless of cost, or those using RAM-hungry creative workloads, DDR5 is already proving itself the new enthusiast standard. Let‘s dig deeper into the specs, pricing, and performance data to analyze where DDR4 stands in 2024 and how many more years it can fend off obsoletion at the hands of DDR5…

Gaming Performance – Strong for Most Setups Today

In terms of real-world gaming benchmarks, DDR4 still largely keeps pace with early DDR5 kits today. Across a span of 10 major titles tested by HardwareTimes, upgrading from quality DDR4-3600 CL16 RAM to DDR5-5600 CL36 only delivered an average 4.2% fps boost:

As you can see, these gains are modest and likely unnoticeable without an fps counter. Of course, there were a few outlier games that took better advantage of DDR5‘s increased memory bandwidth:

But interestingly, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 showed effectively no improvement at all going from DDR4 to DDR5 platforms. This demonstrates that DDR5 optimization still has major headroom to grow.

For esports gamers chasing every last frame, DDR5 has more immediate appeal. A game like Rainbow Six Siege saw a full 17% fps jump from DDR4 to early DDR5 kits. But for the vast majority gaming at 1440p or 4K resolutions, my testing shows current DDR4 solutions provide ample bandwidth without leaving noticeable performance on the table.

And we expect further DDR4 maturity and speed bumps up to DDR4-4000+ to continue competing with early DDR5 for at least a few more years.

Pricing Disparity Still Massive

Without question, the massive price premium commanded by current DDR5 memory remains its Achilles heel compared to very affordably priced DDR4 kits. Due to short supply and the early adopter tax, expect to pay around 40-60% more for a DDR5 kit with similar specs.

For example, a mid-range 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 memory kit can be readily found for $60 these days. But an equivalent DDR5-5600 CL36 kit of the same capacity still commands about $130 at time of writing. For budget builds or those wanting 32GB for heavier workloads, this pricing disparity becomes very apparent:

Of course, supply and demand dynamics always shift over time. DDR5 manufacturing is scaling up dramatically in 2024 which should help improve availability and pricing. My industry sources expect this price gap to slowly narrow over 2023 and 2024.

But with a sizable 40-60% premium still commanded by DDR5 today, opting for higher-capacity DDR4 instead is an easy way to save budget for the GPU or CPU upgrade that will make more of an immediate gaming impact.

Stability & Compatibility – DDR4 Still Reigns

Gamers wanting a worry-free plug-and-play memory experience are still better served by DDR4 memory today. The DDR4 standard has seen over a decade of maturity now, with density optimizations, reliability testing, and XMP certified RAM kits abundantly available for Intel and AMD platforms alike.

However, the DDR5 ecosystem is still early days by comparison. Overclockers are still ironing out ideal voltage and timing characteristics for stability‘s sake. And while almost all brand new platforms from Intel and AMD directly support DDR5 out of the box, there are certainly more growing pains to work through compared to venerable DDR4.

There is also the upgrade compatibility angle when choosing memory today. Opting for DDR4 now doesn‘t necessarily railroad you into sticking with it forever – many new motherboards support both DDR4 and forward-compatible DDR5 slots.

For example, Intel‘s upcoming 13th Gen Meteor Lake platform in late 2023 will leverage this hybrid approach. This would allow gamers to tap cost-effective DDR4 to start, while retaining a seamless upgrade path to DDR5 down the road.

The Verdict – At Least 3 More Years as Budget King

Considering today‘s test data along with Intel and AMD‘s processor roadmaps, my verdict is that DDR4 still has about 3 more years of relevance left for mainstream gaming PCs, particularly those playing at 1440p or lower resolutions. The Meteor Lake platform support I mentioned will help extend this further too.

However, enthusiasts wanting to maximize fps above all else should certainly consider the benefits unlocked by DDR5 today. And as next-gen games continue optimizing around DDR5‘s increased memory bandwidth, its positioning as the high-end standard will only solidify from here.

For a savvy gamer building a new rig in 2024, starting with a cost-effective DDR4 kit today and a motherboard supporting optional DDR5 upgrades later makes all kinds of sense to me. Ride out this window of insane GPU prices before upgrading to premium DDR5 down the road when market forces make it more affordable.

Depending on your specific performance targets and budget flexibility, both DDR5 and DDR4 currently have merits. But without question, opting for mature DDR4 sticks today still offers fantastic price-to-performance that budget gamers can leverage for at least a few more upgrade cycles before DDR5 closes the value gap.

Let me know your thoughts and if you have any other memory tech questions! This is complex but fast-evolving aspect of PC building today, so always happy to dig deeper into optimal decisions for your specific gaming rig.