[SOLVED] Is it worth buying more RAM (DDR3) or should I move to DDR4 (for gaming)

[Josh-Sweeny]

Starting to notice games nowadays are requiring more and more RAM to run at peak performance. My current (relatively old) PC has 8GB DDR3 and I was wondering if it is more sensible to just buy 8GB more for around £40 or to switch out and completely upgrade?
My current PC:
2 x 4GB DDR3 RAM
i5 4670k
Gtx 780

 

[jeremyj_83]

Starting to notice games nowadays are requiring more and more RAM to run at peak performance. My current (relatively old) PC has 8GB DDR3 and I was wondering if it is more sensible to just buy 8GB more for around £40 or to switch out and completely upgrade?
My current PC:
2 x 4GB DDR3 RAM
i5 4670k
Gtx 780

4c/4t is the absolute bare minimum for PC gaming now. There are plenty of games that use more than that as well. Adding 8GB RAM to an already dated system won't prevent the inevitable of needing to upgrade soon for AAA titles.

 

[Obakasama]

DDR3 and DDR4 are incompatible.

By upgrading to DDR4 you also need to upgrade the CPU and motherboard.

 

[jeremyj_83]

DDR3 and DDR4 are incompatible.

By upgrading to DDR4 you also need to upgrade the CPU and motherboard.

"is more sensible to just buy 8GB more for around £40 or to switch out and completely upgrade? "
While the headline was a bit bad, in the post the person alluded to knowing they are incompatible.

 

[Josh-Sweeny]

4c/4t is the absolute bare minimum for PC gaming now. There are plenty of games that use more than that as well. Adding 8GB RAM to an already dated system won't prevent the inevitable of needing to upgrade soon for AAA titles.

So would buying more RAM give minimal if any benefit at this point? Would my CPU most likely be slowing performance anyway?

 

[jeremyj_83]

So would buying more RAM give minimal if any benefit at this point? Would my CPU most likely be slowing performance anyway?

Adding 8GB RAM will help for another year. After that your CPU and GPU will be really start holding you back on new titles. In 2016 your GPU was a good 20% slower than a Radeon 390X. The 390X is still OK for 1080p. https://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1718?vs=1747 Just going to a 5600XT will be like going from your 780 to a 1080FE. https://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1714?vs=1718

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In the long run upgrading will be the best thing to do.