AMD claim this is for the benefit of the Ryzen chips’ performance, but it does compound the issue of upgrading from a DDR4-based system. Makes it more expensive, too, as since DDR5 only became a real gaming PC possibility last year, prices are still a ways off dropping to DDR4 levels. Maybe, then, the Prime Early Access Sale can dull the sting. In the UK, there’s a particularly low-priced 16GB DDR5 module; it’s single-channel, and doesn’t have a big heat spreader like the Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 on sale in the States, but it’s a damn sight better than an empty DIMM slot.
UK deal:
US deal:
What about using these deals to upgrade to a newer Intel 12th/13th Gen build? These do include some of the best CPUs for gaming, though in my DDR4 vs DDR5 testing, the newer variety wasn’t always faster than the other for games. That’s not to say you shouldn’t switch to DDR5, especially as it’s likely to get meaningfully quicker once manufacturers start getting latencies down, but it’s fine to stick with DDR4 and spend your PC budget elsewhere if you want an Intel chip.
