The Intel Core i5-12600K Alder Lake has a CPU base frequency of 3.6GHz and supports up to 16GB DDR4 2133MHz SDRAM, which is really impressive for the price point. However, some experts are saying that there might be better options on the horizon if you want future proof your gaming PC. How does it compare?

The “ddr5 ram” is a type of RAM that has been used for quite some time. However, Intel’s new Core i5-12600K Alder Lake DDR4 vs DDR5 Performance article shows that there are differences between the two types of RAM.

Crucial Ballistix DDR4 RAM next to Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 RAM with Intel Core i5-12600K CPU in the middle

Introduction

When it comes to which RAM to use on Alder Lake, the question on everyone’s mind is DDR4 or DDR5. We’ll run DDR4 and DDR5 on an Alder Lake CPU Z690 platform today in our RAM performance comparison review to see if there are any performance differences in synthetic benchmarks and gaming.

Intel’s 12th Generation Intel Core Processors, also known as Alder Lake, were released at the end of October this year. The Intel Core i5-12600K CPU was the subject of our first thorough evaluation using an Alder Lake CPU on the new Z690 platform. However, we accomplished it in a novel way: we tested it on a GIGABYTE Z690 GAMING X DDR4 motherboard with Z690 DDR4 support. We thought this combination was fascinating, and the savings from utilizing DDR4 RAM with the more cheap 12600K CPU were well worth it.

Of course, one of Alder Lake’s main selling features is that it supports the new DDR5 standard. As a result, we thought it advisable to test this, and we had hoped to do so much sooner. DDR5 RAM, on the other hand, is both pricey and very scarce right now, as everyone knows.

Thankfully, MSI came to our aid, providing us with a brand-new retail-packaged DDR5 RAM kit that we could use to test all future Alder Lake CPUs. MSI also handed us their top-of-the-line Z690 motherboard, the MSI MEG Z690 UNIFY, which supports DDR5. We now have the tools we need to properly compare DDR4 and DDR5.

12600K in a Hurry and a Platform Overview

To give you a short rundown, we’ll be evaluating the Intel Core i5-12600K CPU on two separate motherboards today, one with DDR4 and the other with DDR5. All other aspects of the systems will remain unchanged.

With P-cores and E-cores, the Intel Core i5-12600K Alder Lake CPU is a hybrid architecture. The Intel Core i5-12600K contains six P-Cores and four E-Cores, totaling 16 threads. This is the $289 CPU, which comes with 20MB of L3 cache, 125W of base power, and 150W of maximum turbo boost power. It runs at a 4.9GHz P-Core Max Turbo Frequency and a 3.6GHz E-Core Max Turbo Frequency.

DDR5 RAM at up to 4800MT/s is now supported by the Z690 chipset and memory controller on the CPU. It does, however, retain backward compatibility with DDR4. The motherboard will be the deciding element here; you won’t find both on the same motherboard; instead, you’ll discover DDR4 Z690 motherboards and DDR5 Z690 motherboards.

Everything You Need to Know About DDR5 RAM

What’s different about DDR5? There’s a lot of fresh information about DDR5, and there are a few things you should be aware of. Of course, it runs quicker, but it’s also built differently in terms of power supply and data flow to each channel. A new XMP 3.0 version has been released, with its own set of additional features.

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Each 64-bit rank in DDR5 is now divided into two 32-bit channels, allowing for lower data transmission block sizes. It doesn’t affect bandwidth, but it does modify how data flows; it can burst smaller chunks and, as a result, it doesn’t have to wait as long for a response. Previously, a tiny block would occupy the whole channel for a period of time; today, it does not have to wait for smaller blocks. It essentially implies that data is transported more efficiently.

Another significant design change is that the PMIC, which is a 12-volt power management IC for the VDD, VDDQ, and VPP rails, is now situated on the DIMM modules itself rather than on the motherboard. This enables the DIMMs to better control power load and encode power management profiles into XMP profiles. The voltage for DDR5 has reduced to only 1.1V presently, compared to 1.2V for DDR4, according to the official JDEC standard.

Intel has officially released Intel XMP 3.0, which supports DDR5 memory. There are more RAM profiles available, as well as the option to store a profile to RAM. The number of XMP profiles available has been increased to five; three vendor profiles and two rewritable profiles are now available. For more descriptive names, the profiles now allow up to 16 characters. It now includes a CRC Checksum, On Module Voltage Control, and an increase in the number of bytes allotted to XMP. It also improves overclocking by allowing RAM to automatically transition between JDEC and XMP modes.

DDR5 Kingston FURY Beast Memory

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MSI provided us with a 32GB Kingston FURY Beast DDR5-5200 memory kit. Kingston’s FURY Beast memory is a high-performance gaming memory series aimed towards enthusiasts. The DDR5 memory range, which includes a number of various possibilities, is their newest line. Kingston provides single and double 16GB and 32GB kits with speeds of 4800MHz, 5200MHz, 5600MHz, and 6000MHz. The 32GB 5200MHz Kit of 2, product number KF552C40BBK2-32, is the one we’re utilizing. It has a low-profile heat spreader and supports XMP 3.0.

The kit we’re using supports Intel XMP 3.0, and the XMP1 profile runs at 1.25V at 5200MHz @ CL40 (40-40-40-79-2T). That indicates it’s upping the voltage somewhat; DDR5’s default voltage is 1.1V, therefore this RAM is raising it to 1.25V to reach 5200MHz. This is still less than DDR4 3600 or higher, which need 1.35V or more to operate. If you don’t activate the XMP profile while installing the RAM on a motherboard, it will operate at 4800MHz and 1.1V by default.

The timings are probably the most surprising to you; CL40 is a lot higher than DDR4 timings, which are often around CL19, CL16, or even CL14. However, DDR4 has had plenty of time to grow; give it some time, and DDR5’s timings will improve. In the final image, you may compare our CRUCIAL Ballistix DDR4 memory to Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 memory.

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