Intel is launching its 12-gen CPUs, and those that purchase the i5-12600K, i7-12700K, or the i9-12900K (or the non-iGPU equipped KF variants) have a big decision to make. The Z690 motherboards that support these new CPUs come in two varieties, and users will need to choose whether they want to buy one that takes DDR4 or DDR5 RAM. This decision will affect a user’s future upgrade path and isn’t one to take lightly. Below, we’ll discuss whether early adopters of Intel 12th-gen CPUs should use DDR4 or DDR5 RAM.
Should I get a DDR4 or DDR5 motherboard for 12th-gen Intel CPUs?
Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer to whether users who buy an i5-12600K, i7-12700K, or the i9-12900K should get a DDR4 or DDR5 compatible motherboard. There are merits to both, and depending on availability, there may not be much choice in the matter.
Compared to DDR4 RAM, DDR5 lowers power consumption and doubles the bandwidth. Early iterations of the memory won’t feature massive improvements over DDR4, but users will still see better performance. Of course, this will come with a price, and at least early on, users should expect DDR5 RAM to be 20-30% more expensive than DDR4 RAM.
However, the biggest issue for those wanting to make the transition to DDR5 in the immediate future is availability. As of writing, Newegg is sold out of DDR5 RAM, and supply issues may affect it in the same way they have every other tech item this year. So, even those that are willing to spend the premium may find the option to purchase DDR5 simply isn’t available to them.
DDR4 RAM, on the other hand, is readily available and is decreasing in price. For example, a high-quality 32 GB kit of Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3600 C18 RAM can be had for less than $150 on Amazon right now. Additionally, many users already have a gaming PC with DDR4 RAM that they could transfer to a new Z690 motherboard. So, this is obviously the cheaper and easier upgrade path for those purchasing Intel’s 12th-gen CPUs.
We haven’t had a chance to test DDR4 vs. DDR5 performance, so it’s hard to recommend one over the other. We assume in practice that most games won’t see a gigantic boost on systems with DD5 RAM. Those that use ramdisks or frequently encode video are the ones more likely to see a noticeable improvement.
Unfortunately, since Intel’s 12-gen CPUs have moved to an LGA1700 socket, there’s no way to avoid buying a new motherboard. Users who want maximum performance are likely best off going with DDR5 with the caveat that they may have issues purchasing RAM immediately. Those who already have RAM from a previous build or want to save money are best off going with DDR4-compatible motherboards.
