I. Foreword
Within the tech community, a common saying persists: the difference between DDR4 and DDR5 memory has a negligible impact on final gaming performance, with gaps so small they can be safely ignored.
With the recent surge in DDR5 prices, many users planning new PC builds are feeling anxious: should they choose DDR4 or DDR5? Is the aforementioned claim actually reliable?
This article provides a real-world gaming performance comparison between DDR4-4000 and DDR5-4800 to reveal the answer for those interested.
II. Test Platform Configuration
The core specifications are as follows:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-14700K
- Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming
- Memory: 32GB DDR4 4000MHz CL17 vs. 32GB DDR5 4800MHz CL40
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- Storage: 2x Samsung 970 EVO 1TB
- OS: Windows 11
III. Gaming Benchmarks (DDR4 4000 vs DDR5 4800)
The following seven games were tested at 1080P resolution. In the descriptions below, “DDR4-4000” refers to the left-side data and “DDR5-4800” refers to the right-side data.
1. Ghostwire: Tokyo
- DDR4-4000: Avg 169 FPS, 1% Low 148 FPS, Frametime 5.5ms, CPU Usage 17% (86W, 52°C), RAM 11.5GB, GPU Usage 64% (275W, 44°C).
- DDR5-4800: Avg 172 FPS, 1% Low 138 FPS, Frametime 5.8ms, CPU Usage 17% (82W, 59°C), RAM 12.4GB, GPU Usage 61% (273W, 45°C).
- Comparison: DDR5-4800 showed equal CPU usage but 0.9GB higher RAM usage and 3% lower GPU usage. While the average FPS was 3 FPS higher on DDR5, the 1% lows were 10 FPS lower. Overall, the performance was roughly equal with a slight edge to DDR5 in averages.
2. Cyberpunk 2077
- DDR4-4000: Avg 125 FPS, 1% Low 91 FPS, Frametime 8.2ms, CPU Usage 53% (140W, 63°C), RAM 11.8GB, GPU Usage 88% (359W, 49°C).
- DDR5-4800: Avg 132 FPS, 1% Low 94 FPS, Frametime 7.0ms, CPU Usage 54% (139W, 64°C), RAM 11.8GB, GPU Usage 90% (376W, 50°C).
- Comparison: DDR5-4800 maintained a 7 FPS lead in averages and a 3 FPS lead in 1% lows. GPU usage was slightly higher (2%), indicating a slight overall advantage for DDR5.
3. Red Dead Redemption 2
- DDR4-4000: Avg 157 FPS, 1% Low 111 FPS, Frametime 7.6ms.
- DDR5-4800: Avg 168 FPS, 1% Low 106 FPS, Frametime 6.7ms.
- Comparison: DDR5-4800 provided a notable 11 FPS increase in average frame rates, though its 1% low was 5 FPS lower than the DDR4 platform. Overall, DDR5 maintains a slight lead.
4. Hogwarts Legacy
- DDR4-4000: Avg 47 FPS, 1% Low 43 FPS, Frametime 21.1ms.
- DDR5-4800: Avg 45 FPS, 1% Low 32 FPS, Frametime 21.7ms.
- Comparison: In this title, DDR5-4800 lagged behind by 2 FPS in averages and 11 FPS in 1% lows. This result is effectively a draw, with a slight tilt toward DDR4.
5. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
- DDR4-4000: Avg 68 FPS, 1% Low 55 FPS, Frametime 14.3ms.
- DDR5-4800: Avg 67 FPS, 1% Low 53 FPS, Frametime 16.1ms.
- Comparison: Hardware usage was nearly identical across both platforms. With only a 1 FPS difference, this is a technical draw.
6. Silent Hill f
- DDR4-4000: Avg 124 FPS, 1% Low 118 FPS, Frametime 8.2ms.
- DDR5-4800: Avg 122 FPS, 1% Low 116 FPS, Frametime 8.0ms.
- Comparison: All hardware metrics were essentially identical. The 2 FPS difference is negligible, resulting in a draw.
7. The Last of Us Part II
- DDR4-4000: Avg 180 FPS, 1% Low 143 FPS, Frametime 5.7ms.
- DDR5-4800: Avg 177 FPS, 1% Low 143 FPS, Frametime 5.3ms.
- Comparison: While DDR4 had a 3 FPS higher average, DDR5 had a slightly lower (better) frametime. Again, the results are essentially a draw.
IV. Conclusion
The results are clear: the gaming performance of DDR4-4000 and DDR5-4800 is extremely close. In daily gaming, the difference is almost imperceptible, though DDR5-4800 holds a very slight overall edge.
Crucial Note: These test conditions are specific. The frequency gap between the two kits was only 800MHz. Therefore, these conclusions should not be applied to all DDR4 vs. DDR5 comparisons. If the frequency gap widens—for example, comparing DDR4-3200 to DDR5-6000—the performance delta will increase significantly. Consequently, the claim that the difference is “completely negligible” is somewhat biased and lacks objectivity.
Given that DDR5-6000 is now the mainstream standard, the final verdict is: while the performance gap isn’t massive, it is perceptible and shouldn’t be ignored from a pure performance standpoint. However, from a value-for-money perspective, DDR4 remains the superior choice for most average users at this stage. We recommend making a decision based on your specific budget and needs. (End)
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