DDR5 vs. DDR4 in the Latest PC Games

Comparison of DDR5 vs. DDR4 memory in gaming, showing performance gains for Intel's 12th and 14th-gen CPUs with DDR5.

: This evaluation contrasts DDR5 and DDR4 memory in modern gaming applications. Significant performance gains were noted, particularly with Intel's 12th and 14th-gen CPUs using DDR5. The results suggest DDR5's growing importance as games become more demanding.

In light of the upcoming AMD Ryzen 9000 processors, testing was conducted to compare DDR5 and DDR4 memory in modern PC games. The study focused on Intel's 12900K, 14900K, 14600K, and 12600K CPUs to determine performance disparities when switching from DDR4 to DDR5 memory.

Results showed marked performance improvements with DDR5, particularly in CPUs with less L3 cache. For instance, Baldur's Gate 3 showed up to a 35% boost, while Cyberpunk 2077 saw improvements up to 29%. However, not all games exhibited significant gains; Homeworld 3 had just a 10% increase.

Overall, the average performance boost with DDR5 for 14th-gen Intel processors was around 16%, with even greater gains for 12th-gen models. The findings indicate that as games advance, DDR5 will likely become the standard, phasing out DDR4 as seen with Intel's future Arrow Lake architecture.

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