Is DDR5-8000 worth it? The Ryzen AM5 test
DDR5-8000 isn't the best choice for AM5; DDR5-6000 CL30 is recommended.
In exploring the efficacy and value of upgrading to DDR5-8000 for the Ryzen AM5 platform, the findings suggest modest performance gains. Steven Walton outlines that while DDR5-8000 offers a theoretical bandwidth increase of 33% compared to DDR5-6000, this does not directly translate to proportional real-world gaming performance improvements. Testing specifically with AAA game titles such as Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, the performance uplift generally ranged between 5% to 12% at 1080p, with diminishing returns noted at 4K resolutions.
The assessment revealed that the motherboard is a limiting factor in DDR5-8000 support, with only about half of the X870/X870E boards passing stability tests at the higher frequency. This testing configuration included the Ryzen 9 9950X alongside G.Skill’s new CL26 and DDR5-8000 configurations. Steven Walton highlights, "DDR5-8000 isn't ideal for all X870E motherboards, despite AMD's claims," further implicating BIOS updates in potentially mitigating this constraint.
A specific focus was placed on the relationship between memory clock speeds and the integrated memory controller’s capacity on the AM5 platform. When operating above a 3,000 MHz memory clock with DDR5-8000, the controller defaulted to a 2:1 ratio due to its stability threshold, negating some expected performance gains. It was observed that in CPU-bound gaming scenarios, the gains were marginal at best, and substantially less evident in GPU-heavy games such as Alan Wake 2 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Price considerations also heavily influenced recommendations, as DDR5-8000 kits are significantly costlier than DDR5-6000 CL30, with minimal performance difference outside highly specific use cases. The DDR5-6000 CL30 kit, previously established as the performance sweet spot for Zen 4 and Zen 5 AM5 processors, continues to represent the best value for gamers, providing optimal clock speeds without excessive expense.
Walton anticipates further testing with AMD B850 motherboards to explore memory support variations. Currently, hardware enthusiasts are guided to pair Ryzen 5 processors with DDR5-6000 CL30 for balanced cost-effectiveness. As Walton concludes, the premium on DDR5 memory "really only matters in scenarios where you're playing competitive shooters or games that tend to be more CPU-limited than GPU-limited."
Sources: TechSpot, AMD official documentation, G.Skill product datasheet, Cyberpunk 2077 developer insights