As the sun sets on the AM4 platform, anticipation continues to build for the next-generation AMD Zen 4 processors. These new chips could become the best gaming CPU to power your gaming PC, but they may come with some hidden upgrade costs for those who are still using DDR4 RAM.
According to CapFrameX, it’s looking increasingly likely that AMD Zen 4 CPUs will only support DDR5 RAM. These findings come from a 254-page guide to the AM5 socket that will be used by upcoming Ryzen 7000 processors, in which the term DDR5 can be found 76 times whereas DDR4 doesn’t show up once.
This means that not only will you need to invest in a new motherboard for your AMD Zen 4 processor, but also splash some cash on the best gaming RAM too. This added expense could steer those looking to upgrade towards 12th Gen Intel Core CPUs instead, which can be paired with DDR4 memory if you’ve the right motherboard.
It’s entirely possible that we could see compatibility with AMD Zen 4 chips and DDR4 RAM via future budget-oriented chipsets. This would greatly help alleviate the cost of upgrading to the new AM5 platform, allowing more gamers to get their hands on a Ryzen 7000 processor.
Editor from @ComputerBase posted this already few days ago in their forum.
Socket AM5 guide, in the 254-page document you can find the text "DDR5" 76 times, "DDR4" never.
Some hoped that AMD would support DDR4 on AM5. https://t.co/kO5zfGhnix pic.twitter.com/MQPBr9ocgU
— CapFrameX (@CapFrameX) April 25, 2022
If the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is any indication of how AMD Zen 4 CPUs will perform, Intel Raptor Lake processors could face some stiff competition. Thankfully, we shouldn’t have long to wait to see how both of these architectures compare to one another when they launch later this year.