Sure DDR5 is great, but do you have to pay the toll?

One nice thing about the current generation of Intel motherboards is the ability to choose between DDR4 and DDR5 when you buy one. All Raptor Lake processors are memory technology friendly, just make sure you know which memory standard your new motherboard supports. This is a great way to save money on a new build without sacrificing much performance. indeed in most cases you won’t notice any difference.

The MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk is one such DDR4 motherboard, costing around $300, but allowing you to save money by getting some low-latency DDR4 DIMMs. It has a stunning backplate with DisplayPort, HDMI, four Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps, two Type-C of which one is USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 20Gbps and even a Clear CMOS button, to name just a few.

3D Guru tested the MAG Z790 Tomahawk with DDR4-3600 against a DDR5-6000 system, both using the Core i9-13900K. The game results show that even at higher resolutions there is almost no difference in performance results. The DDR5 system is a hair faster, but that difference pales in comparison to the difference in price for the memory.

See for yourself here.