Question DDR4 or DDR5 RAM for an i5-13500 ?

[Harsh316]

Hi all,

I am trying to make new pc build with an i5-13500 but I'm confused on what RAM and mobo to go for.
I could see memory controller speeds listed as ddr4 3200mt or ddr5 4800mt on Intel site.
I have seen couple of people saying to stick with the listed speeds rather than going for oc 5600 or 6000mhz as sometimes it might cause issue with cpu mc.

So I am not sure what ram and Mobo to pick now.
Should I go with 2x16 3200mt cl 16 or 2x16 4800mt ( which is very hard to find in local stores ). How much difference can I be going with ddr4 over ddr5 ?

 

[CountMike]

Hi all,

I am trying to make new pc build with i5 13500. But confused on what ram and Mobo to pair with.
I could see memory controller speeds listed as ddr4 3200mt or ddr5 4800mt on Intel site.
I have seen couple of people saying to stick with the listed speeds rather than going for oc 5600 or 6000mhz as sometimes it might cause issue with cpu mc.
I am not sure what ram and Mobo to pick now.
Should I go with 2x16 3200mt cl 16 or 2x16 4800mt ( which is very hard to find in local stores ). How much difference can I be going with ddr4 over ddr5

Not much but it's not only RAM to think about. DDR5 platform is more important. Soon DDR4 platform will be gone (AMD already got out of it) and future upgrades will be more restricted.

 

[Harsh316]

Even if choose ddr5, should I go with 4800mhz or 6000mhz ?
Will there be issues with using 6000mhz with xmp profile while cpu memory controller is limited to 4800mt ?

 

[bill001g]

The first question is do you run a application that actually needs faster memory. For many application the memory speed almost can't be detected.

Fast dd4 can perform as well as slower ddr5. DDR5 may have higher clock but it also has much higher latency. Again the detail only really matter if you have a application that is affected by memory.

What do you buy today to a point depends on what do you plan to do in say 2 years. Intel should have new cpu and motherboards out by then. You might in theory reuse the ddr5 memory but memory is the lowest cost item in a build. Is your ddr5 memory going to be good enough or do you just toss it out with the rest of the machine. Maybe it uses ddr6.

The thing that has happened is ddr5 memory costs have come down but the motherboards that support them have not. If you were running a 13/14900k maybe the memory would be all that was left to get the last performance out of your machine. In your case I would compare what happens if you save money on a cheaper motherboard and ddr4 memory and spend that saving on a better cpu like a 13700. The faster cpu tends to improve all application unlike faster memory.

 

[Harsh316]

The first question is do you run a application that actually needs faster memory. For many application the memory speed almost can't be detected.

Fast dd4 can perform as well as slower ddr5. DDR5 may have higher clock but it also has much higher latency. Again the detail only really matter if you have a application that is affected by memory.

What do you buy today to a point depends on what do you plan to do in say 2 years. Intel should have new cpu and motherboards out by then. You might in theory reuse the ddr5 memory but memory is the lowest cost item in a build. Is your ddr5 memory going to be good enough or do you just toss it out with the rest of the machine. Maybe it uses ddr6.

The thing that has happened is ddr5 memory costs have come down but the motherboards that support them have not. If you were running a 13/14900k maybe the memory would be all that was left to get the last performance out of your machine. In your case I would compare what happens if you save money on a cheaper motherboard and ddr4 memory and spend that saving on a better cpu like a 13700. The faster cpu tends to improve all application unlike faster memory.

First thing i had on my mind was going with cheaper motherboard and ddr4 Ram for my i5 13500 because mostly I would be trying to upgrade it after couple of years but many suggested that as prices of ddr5 come down you might for go it. But yea ddr5 motherboards are pretty expensive still.
Can you suggest a decent ddr4 motherboard with good vrms.

 

[bill001g]

Generally you only care about the number of vrm if you are going to be pushing the motherboard. You have to remember even very basic boards to meet intel standards must run 13900k...even if you can't use the K feature to increase the limits. They must build them so someone can put in the largest cpu the chipset supports. You know there is a lot of extra vrm capacity when you only need a firmware patch to say go from a 13xxx to a 14xxx chip even though the 14 gen ones use more power.

So pretty much any motherboard is going to be fine with a 13500. Just avoid buying some crap brand you find on aliexpress.

 

[thestryker]

Fast DDR4 isn't an option for a CPU that isn't unlocked (you should stick with 3200, but should be able to get low latency), but you should be able to run DDR5 6400 without much trouble.

Generally speaking I'd lean towards DDR5 as it's going to cover anything you want to do.

VRM absolutely matters, because not all boards can actually run stock power settings and will have power limits. Every board has to be capable of running every CPU, but that doesn't mean they have to operate at high power levels.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

the problem i see here is you have chosen the 13500 CPU. you can upgrade the cpu to a 14700 and thats about it.

the 14700k looses about 5% in gaming with DDR4 vs DDR5

https://www.tomshardware.com/features/ddr5-vs-ddr4-is-it-time-to-upgrade-your-ram

So i would advice DDR4 for 13500.

or if you want long term, i would advice the Ryzen 7600 and DDR5.

 

[geofelt]

Ram speed with intel is only important if you are using integrated graphics.
DDR4 and DDR5 perform comparably today.
It takes a synthetic benchmark to detect differences.

Pick your motherboard based on any features you need.
I would avoid the cheapest chipsets. A B760 based motherboard of either ddr4 or ddr5 will be fine.
MATX size is usually cheaper.
Decent airflow into the case will supply sufficient motherboard and vrm cooling.
And the supplied 13500 stock laminar flow cooler is quite good and quiet.