12900K/Z690 with DDR4 or wait for DDR5 ?

[GSalden 4,700]

To upgrade my 7940X server I want to go for the 12900K.

Regarding motherboards there are DDR4 and DDR5 compatible versions.

Here in Europe you cannot buy DDR5 at the moment and the time it will be available can go up to 35 weeks from now.

In benchmark tests the difference is 5-7% in overall performance when using DDR5 compared to DDR4.

Surely I do have DDR4 memory : 32Gb 3200 MHz cas 14 already.

So wait till DDR5 becomes available or go for a DDR4 motherboard?

Does MSFS benefit from more DDR5 bandwidth and can Windows 10/11 handle it ?

Edited November 28, 2021 by GSalden

[vincentrouleau 71]

To make the jump to DDR5 worth while , you would need to get those 6000 speed series $$$. And even then, it remains to be seen just how much it helps. It would be cheaper to get a ddr4 mb now and reuse your dimms and change the mb again when the price of the ddr5 comes down. I’m contemplating going 8700k ->12900k and reusing my ddr4 myself.

[GSalden 4,700]

31 minutes ago, vincentrouleau said:

To make the jump to DDR5 worth while , you would need to get those 6000 speed series $$$. And even then, it remains to be seen just how much it helps. It would be cheaper to get a ddr4 mb now and reuse your dimms and change the mb again when the price of the ddr5 comes down. I’m contemplating going 8700k ->12900k and reusing my ddr4 myself.

Thanks for your reply .

Or perhaps purchasing DDR4 4800mhz would fill that 5-7% gap for a part compared to my current DDR4 3200 MHz.

Surely there need to be a XMP profile present to make use of 4800 MHz .

My 8700K @ 5.0 Ghz pc has 16 Gb 4000 MHz memory but the pc will only run if I lower the frequency to 3600 MHz .

I do not want to but DDR4 4800mhz memory and run it at 3200-3600 mhz …

 

Edited November 28, 2021 by GSalden

[GSalden 4,700]

Here a comparison review with the same motherboard in DDR4 and in DDR5 version :

https://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/intel_12th_gen_ddr4_vs_ddr5_with_asus_z690_plus_tuf_gaming_d4/18

Summary : at this moment there is no benefit waiting for DDR5 as DDR4 with low latencies performs the same

‘ So right now, the DDR4 kit is just as good as the DDR5 setup. Look through the results. In rendering and gaming it almost doesn't make a difference which you have. There are small gains and losses depending upon the test, but in actuality the gaps are so fine that we'd go for whichever best suits your plans.”

Edited November 28, 2021 by GSalden

[roesti 71]

Hi Gerard,

I'm currently in the middle of building a new machine. You're correct, DDR5 is currently difficult to acquire here in Europe. Was on the hunt for a month now, was lucky enough with getting a "lower kit" (5200MT/s Kingston) earlier this month. Was labeled as "unknown time for delivery", got it 2 weeks later after placing the order. Last week I was lucky again, coincidentally seeing the new G.Skill 6000 Kits available on some retailers website - was able to pick it up locally from the store.

Summary: At around DDR5-6000CL36 Level, DDR4 loses in games. Especially the Low Percentile FPS see some significant gains (which are the most important for us simmers).
But if you already got a good DDR4 Kit with tight timings (around 7ns~ latency) and you don't have the time monitoring all the store websites all day long, I recommend staying with DDR4. DDR5 has gotten really rare and expensive (paid about 480 Euros for one 6000CL36 Kit) and I think availability won't get better before Q1 2022 (if at all, theres a new shortage related to the PMIC controllers required for the DDR5 sticks). Even if you find some available, it's sold out in less than 5 minutes - even if you're fast enough to order it, chances are high you still won't get it delivered because some bots are already buying everything again like with the graphics cards. Just not worth the hassle if you don't have enough time or money to pay scalper prices.

Anyway, I hope I can do some benchmarks in the coming weeks.

Regards,
R

Edited November 29, 2021 by roesti

[GSalden 4,700]

8 hours ago, roesti said:

Hi Gerard,

I'm currently in the middle of building a new machine. You're correct, DDR5 is currently difficult to acquire here in Europe. Was on the hunt for a month now, was lucky enough with getting a "lower kit" (5200MT/s Kingston) earlier this month. Was labeled as "unknown time for delivery", got it 2 weeks later after placing the order. Last week I was lucky again, coincidentally seeing the new G.Skill 6000 Kits available on some retailers website - was able to pick it up locally from the store.

Summary: At around DDR5-6000CL36 Level, DDR4 loses in games. Especially the Low Percentile FPS see some significant gains (which are the most important for us simmers).
But if you already got a good DDR4 Kit with tight timings (around 7ns~ latency) and you don't have the time monitoring all the store websites all day long, I recommend staying with DDR4. DDR5 has gotten really rare and expensive (paid about 480 Euros for one 6000CL36 Kit) and I think availability won't get better before Q1 2022 (if at all, theres a new shortage related to the PMIC controllers required for the DDR5 sticks). Even if you find some available, it's sold out in less than 5 minutes - even if you're fast enough to order it, chances are high you still won't get it delivered because some bots are already buying everything again like with the graphics cards. Just not worth the hassle if you don't have enough time or money to pay scalper prices.

Anyway, I hope I can do some benchmarks in the coming weeks.

Regards,
R

Thanks for your reply.

I am thinking of buying 32 Gb DDR4 memory : 4266 mhz / cas 16 which results in 7.5 ns.

My current 32 Gb 3200 mhz / cas 14 results in 8.75 ns.

Looking at several reviews when comparing DDR4 to DDR5 memory the pc’s performance gain is about 5-7%.

The advantage of DDR5 shows in the 7-zip compression test and games like F1 2021 and Troy.

So I am interested in your experiences ….

Regards, Gerard