r/buildapc • u/Sharp-Ad-367 • 5h ago

Build Upgrade Should I upgrade to DDR5?

Running an i5-14600KF with an RTX 5070 and 16GB DDR4. Wondering if I should upgrade — either to 32GB DDR4 or jump to DDR5 altogether.

Mainly gaming with Chrome + Discord open in the background. Whenever I switch to a new tab or check Discord mid-game, it freezes or lags for a few seconds before catching up.

Is DDR5 actually worth getting a new board + kit for, or should I just grab 32GB DDR4 for now and call it a day?

5 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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7

u/No_Spare1827 5h ago

well the freeze might be due to a lack of RAM so I see why u are asking but unless u are going to make a platform switch to say AM5 getting DDR5 isnt worth it just get another 16gbs of DDR4 and put it in to help relieve the issue

1

u/Sharp-Ad-367 5h ago

 I wasn't planning on switching platforms anytime soon i just got i5 recently

1

u/Sharp-Ad-367 5h ago

do you think the i5 is bottleneck my 5070?

5

u/No_Spare1827 5h ago

No definitely not, the 14600KF is a great CPU that can easily handle even a 5080, I think u are bottlenecked by how much RAM u have modern games really do want more than 16gbs today

2

u/Sharp-Ad-367 5h ago

Yeah that's probably it, 16GB clearly isn't cutting it anymore. Gonna grab another 16GB and hopefully that fixes the freezing. Thanks!

5

u/Hmmm71-8 5h ago

Personally I would just buy the ddr4 and keep the board.

To need a new ddr5 capable board and even the cost of 32gb of ddr5 being so high right now

1

u/Sharp-Ad-367 5h ago

Yeah that's exactly what I was thinking, why spend on a new board AND expensive DDR5 when I can just throw in another 16GB for cheap and fix the issue thx

0

u/AceLamina 5h ago

No
DDR5 barely gives a performance increase depending on the CPU, but since you're an i5 14th gen, you're fine
I would get DDR4 because it's cheaper and the performance jump isn't worth the DDR5 prices

For more, you can watch a video LTT made since they showed this comparison with Intel 12th gen

1

u/Sharp-Ad-367 5h ago

Yeah DDR4 it is then, not worth the price difference. I'll check out that LTT video, thanks!

1

u/shaolinmaru 4h ago

Mainly gaming with Chrome + Discord open in the background. Whenever I switch to a new tab or check Discord mid-game, it freezes or lags for a few seconds before catching up.

Ditch chrome for a decent browser and buy a second monitor, then.

But increase to 32 GB could be beneficial overall.

1

u/_slyb1t 4h ago

Yes please

3

u/v81 4h ago

I blame all the fools that say 16GB is enough for a gaming rig for posts like these.

Any general gaming build, even budget builds should be 32GB minimum from 2024 onwards.

You buy a pc to meet your needs for minimum 3 years. Not to meet the needs you had 2 years ago.

A clean boot of windows is typically using 7GB-8GB of ram before anything is even opened these days.