I have an i5-14600KF and an RTX 5070 with 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and I'm debating whether to upgrade to 32GB of DDR4 or switch to DDR5 entirely. I mainly game while keeping Chrome and Discord running in the background, but I often experience freezing or lagging when managing tabs or checking Discord mid-game. Is it worth it to invest in DDR5 with a new motherboard, or should I just stick with upgrading to 32GB of DDR4 for now?
5 Answers
If you're mostly gaming and using Chrome and Discord, consider switching browsers to something lighter and maybe grabbing a second monitor. But yeah, bumping up to 32GB would be a good move overall.
It sounds like the lag issues might stem from not having enough RAM, so I get why you're considering an upgrade. Unless you're planning to switch to a platform like AM5, I'd recommend just adding another 16GB of DDR4. That should help resolve those freezing problems without the hassle of changing your entire setup.
I think a lot of people underestimate RAM needs these days. For any serious gaming setup, aiming for 32GB should be the standard moving forward. Windows can use up to 8GB just sitting there, so it's worth planning for the future.
I'd say just stick with DDR4 for now. Upgrading to DDR5 requires a new board and the cost of DDR5 RAM is crazy high. You could easily add another 16GB of DDR4 for a fraction of the price and keep your current board.
Honestly, DDR5 isn't going to provide a significant performance boost for your i5, especially in gaming. Stick with DDR4 since it's cheaper and you'll find that the performance difference isn't worth the extra cost of DDR5. You might want to check out a video from LTT, they did a comparison that might help you decide.
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