Is 32GB of DDR4 better than 16GB of DDR5 for a new AAA gaming PC?

I’d favor one of the 32GB DDR4 builds right now. Two 16GB sticks run in dual channel, while the 16GB DDR5 options use a single stick, which can noticeably hurt performance. The extra capacity also helps with newer AAA games and multitasking. DDR4-3200 CL16 is perfectly reasonable, and DDR4-3600 could also be considered if the price is similar.

The AM5 system has the better future upgrade path, but that advantage doesn’t outweigh using a single slow 16GB stick for a gaming build. DDR5-4800 CL19 is also fairly modest compared with typical modern DDR5 kits. If you choose the Ryzen 5 7500F, plan on getting two matching sticks, ideally 32GB total.

For high and ultra settings, the GPU will usually be the main limit, so the difference between these CPUs may not be huge in every game. Still, 32GB is the safer target today, and dual-channel memory matters. I’d choose the 14400F with 32GB DDR4 unless the AM5 build can be purchased with 32GB of reasonably fast dual-channel DDR5 for a similar total price.

Among these exact choices, the i5-14400F with 32GB of DDR4 is probably the strongest all-around option. It combines the faster CPU with enough memory and a proper dual-channel configuration. The Ryzen 7 5700X build is still a good value choice, especially if it costs substantially less, but the DDR5 systems would make more sense only after upgrading to a matched 2-stick kit.