Should You Wait For DDR5? Here's What We Think

Many PC builders will be asking themselves if they should wait for DDR5, and at Stealth Optional, we're also asking ourselves the same question.

If the claims are true, then DDR5 will be a significant step up in the RAM department, but is it all a little early to get excited?

As with everything tech, there are few things you'll need to have in place before you can use DDR4 RAM, so let's see if it's actually worth the wait.

Should you wait for DDR5?

For many, the answer could well be no, but it's the reason as to why which we're interested in.

One big factor is that a number of upgrades will likely have to be in place before you can use DDR5 Ram.

DDR5 may have the same design as DDR4, but it has some major differences surrounding the required voltage and possible speeds. These differences will make DDR5 incompatible with not only currently available motherboards but also currently available CPUs.

Along with needing to wait for DDR5 to be officially released, any potential early adopters would need to wait for a CPU and motherboard to be released to support the new generation of RAM.

The projected time frame for CPUs to be released that offer support for DDR5 is by the end of 2021, according to Intel, and 2022, according to AMD. This means that depending on your preferred CPU platform, and you may be waiting until late 2022 to utilize any DDR5 modules you may have bought.

The lack of any release date for DDR5 makes it not worth it to wait for most gamers, as they want the best performance as soon as possible.

For other applications, like video editors, DDR5 may be a more viable option when it launches with support, but the lack of any release date and time makes buying a fast DDR4 module much more appealing.

If you are looking to get a fairly priced and fast DDR4 module, then head over to Gfinity's Best Ram of 2021 article to look over some of their top picks, which are available right now!

READ MORE:Will DDR5 Be Expensive? Here's what we know so far