I'm currently using a laptop with an RTX 3050 6GB and 16GB of DDR5-4800 memory, but I'm saving for a desktop gaming PC. I originally planned to build on AM5, but an AM4 system would be cheaper. The AM4 parts I'm considering are a Ryzen 7 5800XT, Radeon RX 9070 XT, and an MSI B550-A PRO motherboard.
I found a deal on 64GB of DDR4-3600 CL18 using four 16GB sticks, and it costs less than a 32GB DDR5-6000 CL32 kit for the AM5 build. Will the B550 motherboard run four memory modules reliably, including with XMP enabled? Is there any major downside compared with using two sticks?
I mainly play Icarus, Scrap Mechanic, Grounded, Minecraft Java and Bedrock, and other demanding open-world games. I also host worlds for more than three people and want to play at high settings around 1440p. Would 64GB be useful for hosting, or would 32GB of faster memory be the better choice?
4 Answers
The B550 board should support 4x16GB DDR4, and Ryzen 5000 systems commonly run that configuration without trouble. However, four DIMMs put more stress on the memory controller, so you may occasionally need to lower the speed or adjust settings if XMP is unstable. DDR4-3600 is a sensible target, but don’t assume four sticks will overclock as easily as two.
For normal gaming, 32GB is generally enough, even with a powerful graphics card. The extra memory only becomes especially useful if you run game servers, heavily modded games, virtual machines, editing software, or lots of other applications at the same time. Faster 32GB memory would usually be the better gaming-focused choice.
If the 64GB kit is genuinely cheaper, there’s no harm in buying it. Games will not be faster just because you have 64GB, but hosting several worlds and running heavily modded Minecraft can make the capacity useful. You could also use two sticks and sell the other pair, though matching kits and resale value may make that less convenient.
The bigger question is the platform rather than the RAM. Buying AM4 from scratch gives you an older upgrade path, while a Ryzen 5 7500F or another AM5 processor provides newer features and future CPU upgrades. If the AM4 parts are a particularly good used bundle, they can still make sense, but I wouldn’t choose AM4 solely to save money on memory.
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