The faster RAM for gaming is DDR4 or DDR5, depending on your system requirements.
The faster RAM for gaming is DDR4 or DDR5, depending on your system requirements.
Cl40 performance isn't great, but DDR5 helps somewhat. I'd still recommend the DDR4 setup.
You can evaluate memory options using a table that displays timing details such as module speed, clock cycle time, CAS latency, and latency in nanoseconds. It’s important to understand that the CL rating only provides part of the picture: actual effective latency (in ns) is determined by the formula (2000 x CL) divided by the rating. For example, a DDR4 4400 with CL 19 would yield a real latency of about 8.6 ns, which is quite strong compared to other RAM sticks.
It really doesn't matter much. A 3600 cl18 should cover most setups (excluding APUs) if you opt for 4400 cl19 (assuming Viper Steel B die). Purchasing 4400 cl19 means you're aiming to push performance to its limits, like with 4800 cl16 at 1.65/1.7v—ideally around 1.75v—but cooling constraints usually prevent that. Even with that close attempt, you'll likely see only a small boost, maybe a few frames per second for most games, except those heavily reliant on RAM. Some titles won't even notice much improvement and may not care at all. You can achieve solid performance with budget RAM (often cheaper than 3000 cl16) by using high-quality boards with micron-level revisions, setting the CPU to 3600 cl16 at 1.35/1.4v, and letting the system handle the rest. They also support 4600+ cl17/18 if you're willing to invest time in cooling and manage fan speeds due to voltages between 1.55-1.65V. However, going beyond 4500 is mostly for show and bragging, unless your APU can keep up with high frequencies and you want impressive GPU performance. In short, 3600 cl18 is sufficient for most systems (except APUs), and overclocking further usually brings only marginal gains.
The optimal scheduling doesn't hold much value. Future releases of DDr4 won't happen either. New DDR4 will remain limited to the present generation and that's enough. DDR5 offers significantly higher bandwidth—roughly 50% more. With these insights, you can choose wisely: allocate funds toward system RAM that will become outdated or invest in DDR5 for upcoming platforms.
However, it only makes sense if the price drops below 7000—probably when mainstream DDR5 reaches its peak. In that case, DDR5 definitely adds value, though you might want to opt for bare PCB because they’re more affordable and if you get a solid IC it could easily reach impressive performance (like a 2666 micron revision pushing 4600+ CL18 at around 1.6V). For this scenario, it’s safe to assume future DDR5 speeds will be around 4800–5200 with a boost of about 50%, which is the target for keeping your system ahead of time.
I don’t get the point you’re making. Are you comparing DDR4 XMP overclocking to the JDEC DDR5 standard? You seem confused about what bandwidth actually means—using vague terms like "fast" doesn’t help clarify the difference.
Thanks for the suggestions. I plan to switch to 12gen soon. Upgrading the CPU in less than three years seems unlikely, especially for gaming where the performance boost isn't significant in that generation. The ITX case is a consideration too. Based on your thoughts, the options are: 114€ for an X2 8GB DDR4 4400MHz CL19 steel viper with ASRock Z690 M2 (248€) or 118€ for an X2 8GB DDR5 4800MHz CL40 with AORUS Z690 I (380€). Which one would you prefer? Also, it works well with an i5 12600K and 6800X gaming at 4K.