Final Words & Conclusion

Final Words 

Purchasing a DDR5 memory kit can be a daunting task, especially with prices ranging from $125 to $400 for a 32Gb kit. While it's true that higher-priced kits offer slightly better performance, the difference is often only <5%. For gamers, investing in a faster GPU might be a more worthwhile expenditure. However, for professionals whose work depends on speed, investing in a faster memory kit may be vital. It's essential to consider various factors when deciding on the speed of DDR5 memory, such as the purpose of the computer and the specific workload requirements. Ultimately, a balance must be struck between performance and affordability. So then, the question remains whether the increased cost is worth the performance gain. The combination of frequency and latency is a sweet spot in terms of price and overall performance, but if you are willing to spend more money on DDR5, latency becomes more important. As the article has shown, the difference in performance between a DDR5 kit running at 6000 MHz and one running at 4800 MHz is relatively small, around 2%. However, there is a more noticeable difference between 4800 MHz and 6800 MHz, around 3% in best-case scenarios. This raises the question of how crucial DDR5 memory is over DDR4 and memory frequency over latency, which is why we included DDR4 results in our comparison. When we look at gaming with DDR5 memory, we can see actual results scaling upwards in frequency and, most importantly, latency, however, solely at lower resolutions and CPU-bound games. There is little question that DDR5 is the way to go; we, however, prefer kits with lower latency as opposed to super high frequencies with higher latencies. Admittedly, the memory tested is shy on both fronts.

Overclocking

We managed to push our sample kit, at native latencies, to 5,800MT/s using 1.3V. The increase over default frequency is less impressive than going from 4,800 to 6,000, as other than AIDA, regular benchmarks improved by, on average, maybe 1 per cent. 

Concluding

The Crucial 32GB DDR5 memory kit is now available at a more cost-effective price of 150 euros, making it a prime option for budget-conscious consumers. One of the standout features of this kit is its ability to be overclocked, as we were able to reach a speed of 5800 MHz with ease. This makes it a desirable choice for users looking to enhance their system performance without breaking the bank. However, despite its affordability, the Crucial memory kit faces stiff competition from Corsair's 5200 Mhz CL40 kit, which is 25 euros cheaper. Additionally, the Crucial kit lacks a heat spreader, which might be a drawback for some users. In terms of performance, the Crucial kit offers similar performance to a 4800/CL40 kit, with a 5% difference compared to 7200/7600 MHz at most. Despite this slight disadvantage, it remains a cost-efficient alternative to more premium memory options that are 100% more expensive.

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