[SOLVED] Wait for one or two generations?

Rocksy

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Jan 25, 2020
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In principle, I plan to wait and buy a new computer for a new generation, so that it will be relevant for as long as possible.

What I have today is pretty old and it's also one of the reasons I'm waiting ...

Now, is there any chance that by the end of 2020 it will be possible to buy Ryzen's next generation processors + new boards and video cards?

I also realized that just a year after AMD was going to spend a new generation with another resident, and probably would come with DDR5 as well.

The thing is that the DDR5 will also be a new transition and I am looking for this significant transition.

Today I have a DDR3, not is it that every year there is a new DDR on the market.


what do you think?
 
Solution
if ddr5 is sooner rather than later, it might also be compatible with current gen mobos. Perhapse the later generation ones like the x570.
Nope, DDR5 has a lower operating voltage and a different internal layout, which means changes in the arrangement of address pins and how the memory controller uses them. I can say with 99.9% certainty that DDR5 won't be compatible with AM4 even on Ryzen 4000/X670.

Ryzen 5000 may be backwards-compatible with DDR4 and let motherboard manufacturers pick either DDR4 or DDR5, much like how DDR1-DDR2, DDR2-DDR3 and DDR3-DDR4 transition generations have had boards with slots for either standard. If AMD did that along with promising four years of AM5, then they'll be stuck either keeping DDR4...
It looks like mass production won’t be until 2021, with that in mind I doubt DDR5 will be hitting consumer grade equipment until earliest of the end of 2021.

There is always something new just around the corner. Unless a new product is being released very soon just upgrade when you need to otherwise you will never buy anything.
 
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Rocksy

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2014 or so. Itll take awhile for DD4 to phase out.
Anyway, I dont see why you care. Youve held onto your system for so long, obviously performance does not matter.
Just get the new thing already and enjoy faster - insert whatever you do-

So we are in the end of DDR4.. so why dont wait to DDR5 in the next year?
 

fredfinks

Honorable
So we are in the end of DDR4.. so why dont wait to DDR5 in the next year?

If you can skip a whole ram generation, why not 2 or more? I hear good things are coming in the year 2050.

There are always shiny new things around the corner. Youve got a very old system. I dont know what it is you do with it but a new system will be a TON better. Diff between the new DDR 4 system and DDR5? eh
 
What you mean about real performance?
I want to buy new PC every 6-7 years.
Original speeds and stability won't be higher (and may be even lower) than current DDR4. And like DDR3, the early motherboards may not be compatible with later DDR5 sticks.
Moreover, DDR4 will not be phased out right away as DDR5 will be quite power hungry while DDR4 is actually rather power sipping.
 

fredfinks

Honorable

You know that scene in Pulp Fiction?

After goodness knows how many posts, and double posting, being told the same thing repeatedly - No one thinks you should wait for DDR5.
You say you'd like to upgrade every 6-7 years. Youre using DDR3. Ergo...

XQaGNYP.png
 
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You are the only one to decide when you think your existing computer is too slow for what you want it to do...; I'd certainly not be upgrading solely on the basis of a 'it's been 1 or 2 generations, ergo, it's time!' -mentality/mindset...

I was using a only laptop from 2012 with an A4 APU thru Mar 2017, and, were it strictly for web-surfing duties, I'd be using it still!
 

Rocksy

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Jan 25, 2020
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You know that scene in Pulp Fiction?

After goodness knows how many posts, and double posting, being told the same thing repeatedly - No one thinks you should wait for DDR5.
You say you'd like to upgrade every 6-7 years. Youre using DDR3. Ergo...

XQaGNYP.png

But I need to wait only one year for ddr5 !
 

fredfinks

Honorable
I'd certainly not be upgrading solely on the basis of a 'it's been 1 or 2 generations, ergo, it's time!' -mentality/mindset...

If you're referencing me, the 'ergo its time' is because he set a condition of liking to upgrade every 6-7 years. Its already been that long.

It was a way of saying we've already answered your question a million times, and by your conditions , youve answered it yourself.
 
What are the make/model of all your relevant parts?
I might guess that if you have ddr3 ram, there is a very nice upgrade available to you today.

Is your current pc doing the job?
If so, there is no rush to upgrade.
If not, it is time to upgrade.
Do you have budget restrictions?

There is always something new in the future that is better.
If you wait for the next best thing, you will wait forever.
Whatever you buy today will be a bit obsolete in 6 months.

That said, rumor is that intel will launch 10th gen desktops in April.
I might wait for that. Intel is not going to let ryzen eat their lunch, expect a competitive product.


Do not focus on specs so much as performance.
Engineers select specs to achieve a target price/performance.
5/7/10/14nm manufacturing technology is probably irrelevant so long as what you get performs.
DDR5 is on the horizon and looks wonderful. But, unless you are looking at a laptop, the power savings are not important.
Faster speeds are good, but that usually comes with higher latency. Again, a cost/performance tradeoff.
 

InvalidError

Titan
Moderator
Moreover, DDR4 will not be phased out right away as DDR5 will be quite power hungry while DDR4 is actually rather power sipping.
DDR4 was considerably lower-power than DDR3 and DDR5 drops the standard voltage to 1.1V along with introducing a handful of additional power-saving features. It should have considerably higher throughput per watt just like every other DRAM standard update before it.

Performance-wise, DDR5 will be made on the same processes used for current 8-16Gb DDR4 dies, so I see no reason why it should perform any worse. Between enhanced channel equalization, twice as many internal banks, new self-refresh modes and other enhancements, there are plenty of opportunities for it to perform better even on the same memory clock when paired with a memory controller designed to take advantage of all the new capabilities.
 

bryanc723

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Jan 1, 2015
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Well, the Ryzen 4000 desktop series will be backwards compatible with current ryzen motherboards, so if ddr5 is sooner rather than later, it might also be compatible with current gen mobos. Perhapse the later generation ones like the x570.
I am still using ddr3 with an fx 8350 and my plan is to buy a new high end mobo and RAM, with a budget processor that has at least the same performance as my 8350, and then wait until the 4k series chips are available to purchase one of them.
 
Apr 3, 2020
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To each his own, but I would say waiting for DDR5 would be a mistake over taking a high speed DDR4 kit. It's possible to get 16gb of DDR4 rated at 3600Mhz for under $100 which I think is plenty for most things done on a computer. I'm not sure what you would be running on your pc or if you would need the extra DRAM but in my opinion there are plenty of options out today that will last you years instead of waiting for DDR5 to finally hit consumer markets.
 

InvalidError

Titan
Moderator
if ddr5 is sooner rather than later, it might also be compatible with current gen mobos. Perhapse the later generation ones like the x570.
Nope, DDR5 has a lower operating voltage and a different internal layout, which means changes in the arrangement of address pins and how the memory controller uses them. I can say with 99.9% certainty that DDR5 won't be compatible with AM4 even on Ryzen 4000/X670.

Ryzen 5000 may be backwards-compatible with DDR4 and let motherboard manufacturers pick either DDR4 or DDR5, much like how DDR1-DDR2, DDR2-DDR3 and DDR3-DDR4 transition generations have had boards with slots for either standard. If AMD did that along with promising four years of AM5, then they'll be stuck either keeping DDR4 backward-compatibility until Ryzen 8000 or drop support along the way and force people to upgrade their DDR4 motherboards to a DDR5 one if they want to upgrade to a future model.
 
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