2x16GB of DDR4 good enough for 1440p gaming?
Posted by Splixxe_@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 88 comments
Or do I need DDR5? Mainly play story games
Posted by Splixxe_@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 88 comments
Or do I need DDR5? Mainly play story games
thenord321@reddit
Yes, 16gb+ should be fine.
Splixxe_@reddit (OP)
Can I ask what graphics settings you are able to run while still having good fps? And what are the main games you play?
thenord321@reddit
AMD 5600X, MSI 6800XT OC, 16gb DDR4, 144hz 1440P Samsung monitor primary and an old 60hz 1080p second monitor running at the same time.
FSR (lower resolution frames generation off)
BF6 2560x 1440 high settings. capped max 144fps, high combat areas 80fps, otherwise sitting around 120fps
Splixxe_@reddit (OP)
Thank you
os_nesty@reddit
U need 4x32GB of DDR6 at 12000Mhz or youre trash... /s
bubbarowden@reddit
DDR4 is still fine and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. With that being said there’s no reason to build on AM4 when Micro Center has stupid AM5 bundles
Splixxe_@reddit (OP)
Unfortunately Im not in the states so no micro centre :(
bubbarowden@reddit
Think about it like this, DDR3 is a 20 year old used car w 250,000 miles on it. DDR4 is a 7 year old used car w 70,000 miles on it. DDR5 is a brand new ride. DDR6 is a car that can drive Itself.
bubbarowden@reddit
lol well shits sometimes ya swing and miss
XiTzCriZx@reddit
Newegg sometimes has very close deals to what Microcenter offers if that's an option.
HankHippoppopalous@reddit
Whats your GPU son?
If its a GTX960 its not enough
If its a RTX 5080, you should be fine
Splixxe_@reddit (OP)
Was looking at a 9070
CrystalAlienConflict@reddit
Get the XT
IrrelevantTale@reddit
Heard you could flash the bios of the 9070 with the same firmware as the xt and it performs the same.
tikjzh@reddit
It won’t perform the same, besides that there’s no garuantee it’ll work and most people that buy a 9070 over the xt do it for efficiency
CrystalAlienConflict@reddit
Where did you hear that lmao
Biduleman@reddit
https://www.techpowerup.com/341187/flashing-xt-bios-on-amd-radeon-rx-9070-yields-up-to-25-performance-boost
CrystalAlienConflict@reddit
I would be skeptical about the real world performance. Even without considering the raw performance between the two cards OP wants to play 1440p and is going to need 16gb VRAM.
Biduleman@reddit
I mean, you could also have read the article:
In the real world, you can expect about 15% increase in performances from a XT over a basic card so it's not bad at all.
The 9070 XT is a 300 TDP card (without OC) and using its bios on the 9070 raises its TDP from 220w to 300w, which explains how it catches up to the 9070 XT, and why the XT is basically the same card with a higher power limit.
CrystalAlienConflict@reddit
Read comment, VRAM.
possiblypoughst@reddit
I’m a 9070 xt user so I have no race in this horse, but I’m pretty sure the 9070 still has 16gb of vram as well
HankHippoppopalous@reddit
AMD has been doing this stuff for literally 20 years or more. Flashing a 9700 into a 9700Pro or an X800 into an X800 PE, etc etc
CrystalAlienConflict@reddit
Yeah I’m aware but it’s not going to make it perform 1:1 with the XT lol.
Majorjim_ksp@reddit
‘Should be fine’? I use this setup and it flys.
Araceil@reddit
Not sure I'm following the logic here. Are you suggesting more/faster RAM to page file when VRAM overflows?
VersaceUpholstery@reddit
More like, the RAM has significantly less to do with 1440p gaming compared to the GPU.
32gb of RAM is more than most people will ever need for just gaming
Araceil@reddit
But the GPU working harder is because it gets all the extra work, it doesn't relieve the RAM of anything it was doing. They only cross paths in page filing, at which point you've already lost 90+% of your performance on any page filed asset.
On average, you'd need less RAM for a 960 because of all the newer games with higher RAM usage that a 960 can't run. A 5080 is also going to push more frames so the CPU has to prep them faster, which is going to be more RAM bandwidth-intensive but not capacity-intensive. Still not to the point that DDR4 vs DDR5 will make a meaningful difference, but an equivalent CPU on a DDR5 platform will have a higher fps limit just due to processing speed.
Agreed with your second statement though, 32GB is all you really need for modern gaming.
irexer505@reddit
you just need a good CPU and GPU, it will run 1440p with no prob, but if u want less lag and more fps, get more ram
Splixxe_@reddit (OP)
Would Intel Core i5-14400F CPU and a 9070 pair with it well?
Independent-Gear-711@reddit
DDR5 is more future proof and fast
Splixxe_@reddit (OP)
Is it very noticeably faster?
Independent-Gear-711@reddit
On daily usage for basic tasks? You will not feel the difference but in gaming, yess it makes significant difference especially if you have ddr5 6000mt/s or above but 6000mt/s is sweet spot
Splixxe_@reddit (OP)
Thanks!
Adem92foster@reddit
Not really that big of a deal it’ll depend more on everything else, I have 64gb of DDR4 and I play in 4K at max settings in every game
Splixxe_@reddit (OP)
Would Intel Core i5-14400F CPU and a 9070 pair with it well?
paulerxx@reddit
32GBs is fine for gaming, if you grab a X3D CPU, the speed doesn't matter as much but I personally wouldn't go lower than 3200mhz
Splixxe_@reddit (OP)
I was thinking of the Intel Core i5-14400F. Is this a good pairing?
Middcore@reddit
You realize you can't just pick between them, right? DDR4 is used by different boards and CPUs than DDR5.
unimportantinfodump@reddit
Unless you have a super rare board that has 2 ddr4 and ddr5 ports and a Intel chipset
KaleidoscopeFunny450@reddit
Those boards are h610s which have super weak vrms meaning they can support only cpus up to 14400f
Fragluton@reddit
Some intel chips support both types, which is pretty handy.
IAteTonysLoMein@reddit
As did some and procs, iirc. Mobos are still one or the other, though
Cold-Sandwich-34@reddit
Give an example of one.
Fragluton@reddit
AM3 platform was an example, though much like now, most boards were only equipped with one type of memory.
Cold-Sandwich-34@reddit
I mean, no one is seriously playing games on AM3 right now, though. Stick to minimum specs of modern games, at least.
Fragluton@reddit
You asked for an example of something AMD has made. They said they "did" some, past tense, not present tense. No one said AMD make them now. That's how I read it anyway, AM4 is nearly 10 years old now and was only DDR4, so it can't have been recent.
Fragluton@reddit
AM4 is DDR4, AM5 is DDR5, unless you are talking really old AMD stuff that isn't used anymore. I'm only talking about current gear.
You can actually get motherboards that take DDR4 and DDR5, but I don't keep up with the Intel side of things so can't comment if they are any good or not. But that flexibility does exist for the 12/13/14 gens.
RumbleTheCassette@reddit
This is true and worth mentioning, but also, those Intel chips perform notably better for gaming with DDR5 vs DDR4. Just wanna mention it in case anyone sees your comment.
max123246@reddit
Well duh, why would we have a ddr5 if not for speed improvements or energy efficiency gains over ddr4
Fragluton@reddit
Yeah if you buy fast DDR5 there are gains for sure. Given the price of memory though, I would hazard a guess at that being a bad value proposition. I only see intel performance on hardware unboxed videos as i've been on AM4 since in launched and have no plans to go DDR5 while the prices are so outrageous.
Podalirius@reddit
That used to be true until Intel launched multiple CPUs with memory controllers that could handle both lol
misteryk@reddit
12-14th gen intel CPUs can use both depending on motherboard. You can run 14900k with DDR4
Splixxe_@reddit (OP)
I am doing a complete new build
PermissionJaded5510@reddit
I am pretty sure the higher the resolution, the less the ram matters. Maybe i'm wrong
dayglo98@reddit
Of course it's good enough. My RAM usage tops out at around 25GB when I play games. 1440p, Windows 11
Upstairs_Marzipan48@reddit
So, 16gb is good enough for gaming. DDR5 is faster but not needed. If you have a good kit of ddr4 you will be gaming and enjoying it.
If you want to do DDR5 youre gonna be in the hole for a new motherboard, CPU and of course, the ram.
Splixxe_@reddit (OP)
Its for a fully new build so I need to get everything anyway, I was just wondering if theres a massive difference between DDR4 and 5
Celatra@reddit
yes, there is about 30% uplift from ddr4 to ddr5.
Splixxe_@reddit (OP)
Worth the price difference?
GoGoGoRL@reddit
Depends what games you play at and what settings you want.
Splixxe_@reddit (OP)
Mainly triple A single player games, would like to have at least high graphics with ray tracing for some of the less demanding games
Celatra@reddit
that is not up to us to to decide but ddr5 supports faster cpus such all the am5 cpus and all the intel ultra cpus, and even 13th and 14th gen intel gets quite the kick on ddr5 vs ddr4
Splixxe_@reddit (OP)
Fair enough. Thank you
unimportantinfodump@reddit
As someone with 32gb of ddr4 and has been 1440p gaming for 5 years.
Yes.
Jethawk1000@reddit
I have that same ram with a 10600k and a 7800xt, I run most games well at 1440p.
jaxspider@reddit
No.
Still-Inflation9175@reddit
yes its fine
iceseayoupee@reddit
We been doing 4k Gaming using DDR3 man
atatassault47@reddit
Time between clock cycles for any generation of RAM is consistently around 10 ns. Newer generations usually have more features rather than better raw performance.
Impossible_Cream7793@reddit
32GB DDR4 is more than enough for 1440p gaming. For most story-driven games, you won’t notice a meaningful difference between DDR4 and DDR5.
Bront20@reddit
The rest of the system will matter more than DDR4 vs DDR5. DDR4 works fine in a well specced system
fliberdygibits@reddit
You'll most likely be just fine.
Dstln@reddit
Pretty sure there's not a single game that needs more than 32 gigs
phildogtheman@reddit
As others have said, this really depends on your CPU as that will then decide the chipset and the available motherboards that can support it, which in turn will either be DDR4 or DDR5 so the choice might be made for you.
There might be motherboards that support both, but I would look closely at reviews of those to make sure that you're not choosing something that's sub standard quality just for convenience sakes.
Hate_Manifestation@reddit
I game in 4k with 32gb of DDR4 with no problems. you'll be fine.
prodigallsun@reddit
It’s fine, I’m running 64GB of DDR4 (albeit with a 5080) at 4K resolution with great frame rate.
typographie@reddit
If your PC uses DDR4, that's what you're stuck with. There are a few CPUs that can support both DDR4 and DDR5, but even then the motherboards still require one or the other because the slots are different.
DDR5 is faster, but DDR4 is still relevant. It's unlikely to be the deciding factor in what you can play.
In terms of quantity, 32 GB is plenty. Ideal, probably.
LGWalkway@reddit
If I did a new build today I’d probably just go DDR5. Part of me wishes I’d just done this before, but DDR4 has worked fine.
PsychologicalGlass47@reddit
I wouldn't do less than 48gb if you're running PCIe 4.0 and \~250gb/s bandwidth
elloMotoz@reddit
I am running 32GB DDR4, 4060 Ti and 10700k...1440p works great for me on med\high settings
Thisisnotpreston@reddit
6700xt with 16g ddr4 RAM 3600 mhz cl16 - mine does plenty fine with 1440p gaming
Naerven@reddit
It's good enough for 5k gaming.
GamingKink@reddit
Budget - ddr4 32gb. Money - ddr5 32 or 64gb.
Choconolait@reddit
Ram speed mostly effects CPU performance, which is independent from the rendering resolution.
heydanalee@reddit
Should be fine absolutely.
jackbarbelfisherman@reddit
Yes, DDR4 is still fine (assuming it's compatible with your CPU and motherboard). The GPU is more important. My AM4 system handles 1440p just fine.
iTzJME@reddit
Should be fine with 32gb DDR4 assuming it has decent speed and timings
Fragluton@reddit
Depends what you want to spend really. And the cost difference between DDR4 / DDR5 builds.
I'm running 8GBx4 DDR4 on my AM4 rig, 5700x3D with 9070XT. Memory speed isn't going to be a deal breaker for me.
At the same time, a 7800x3D combo would be a step up. With a 9070, I don't think there will be much difference. But the future CPU upgrade options will be a thing on DDR5 (if going AMD), so there is that. I'd pay a premium for that path.