[SOLVED] Should I be buying DDR4 or 5 for my new system?

[talesofjenny]

I am a (hobbyist!) music producer and far from a tech expert, looking to invest in a new system.
Ideally I would like it to last for the next 7 or 8 years without the need for any significant upgrade/modification and am wondering how best to futureproof myself while also considering value for money when it comes to DDR4/5, motherboard and CPU.

My main question is: if I buy an i9 12900K should I be getting DDR5 for futureproofing (understanding that a) it's waaay more expensive and b) it might be a couple of years before it's actually markedly 'better' than DDR4) or is it better to save the money and get good quality DDR4 RAM?

And secondary question I guess...

If I do go for DDR4, is it really worth getting for the i9 12900K, or should I be looking at a lower spec CPU?

The main purpose of the system would be operating a DAW with a large number of plugins running and perhaps several dozen tracks.
High spec GPU is not a major consideration beyond the ability to run three monitors.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[SkyNetRising]

if I buy an i9 12900K should I be getting DDR5 for futureproofing or is it better to save the money and get good quality DDR4 RAM?

Maybe watch this.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN7Bv_adHs0

 

[Lafong]

Have you drilled into the various DAW forums for opinions on where the law of diminishing returns seriously comes into play on the CPU price/performance spectrum?

Ditto for the amount and type of RAM.

DAWs are their own world, but I know of producers who have done quite well with stuff well below a 12900K. They tend to worry about stuff like latency rather than raw CPU power as far as I can tell.

 

[talesofjenny]

Have you drilled into the various DAW forums for opinions on where the law of diminishing returns seriously comes into play on the CPU price/performance spectrum?

Ditto for the amount and type of RAM.

DAWs are their own world, but I know of producers who have done quite well with stuff well below a 12900K. They tend to worry about stuff like latency rather than raw CPU power as far as I can tell.

Thanks - that's really sound advice. Every opinion I find about DDR5 is - understandably - targeted at gaming users, and DAWs are different beasts. You're dead right that it's figuring out the point at which diminishing marginal returns really kick in and knowing when the cost:benefit of adding 'more' no longer makes sense. It may well be long before 12900K!