PC gaming has long been a pursuit that demands a considerable investment, even for those opting for entry-level hardware. Many enthusiasts find themselves upgrading their systems incrementally, replacing one component at a time or waiting years before acquiring an entirely new rig. However, for those looking to build a new gaming PC or upgrade their CPU and motherboard this year, the current prices of DRAM kits present a significant hurdle.
In July 2025, a 32 GB kit of DDR5-6000 with a CAS latency of 30 cycles could be purchased for less than during sales. This configuration was more than sufficient for AMD Ryzen processors, while Intel’s chips, although capable of handling faster DRAM, performed admirably with such a kit. Fast forward to today, and the same kit is now priced at 0 on Amazon. For those seeking RGB lighting or brands like Corsair or G.Skill, the costs rise even further. There are cheaper alternatives available, such as a 32 GB kit from PUSkill priced at 0, but the lower cost is often reflected in its speed and timings.
To explore the impact of DRAM speed on modern gaming performance, I utilized a set of Lexar Thor OC DDR5-6000 CL32. Without enabling EXPO in the motherboard BIOS, the memory defaults to 4800 MT/s with a CAS latency of 40 cycles. While this scenario does not represent the worst-case outcome, it reflects the type of ‘budget’ memory currently available. I selected seven games for testing—three where I anticipated minimal performance differences and four where I expected slower performance with the 4800 MT/s setting. The results revealed intriguing insights.
Games that aren’t DRAM-sensitive
Among the games tested, Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth: Wukong, and Stalker 2 exhibited negligible performance differences between the two DRAM speeds. In fact, while Stalker 2 showed a slight decrease in performance with DDR5-4800 CL40 compared to DDR5-6000 CL32, the differences were minimal enough to be considered insignificant.
For the testing process, I conducted five minutes of gameplay for each title, using Nvidia’s Frameview to capture average and 1% low frame rates at resolutions of 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. With the GeForce RTX 5090, graphics settings were maximized, excluding path tracing, while ray tracing was enabled for all but one title. To maintain a balanced load on the hardware, I refrained from using DLSS upscaling and frame generation.
Games that are a little bit DRAM-sensitive
When examining games that are slightly sensitive to DRAM speeds, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and Counter-Strike 2 emerged as notable examples. In these titles, the performance metrics indicated that while there were some differences, particularly at lower resolutions, the overall impact of DRAM speed was less pronounced than anticipated. For instance, in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, the results varied significantly due to the complexity of the environment, suggesting that DRAM speed does play a role, albeit inconsistently.
Games that are very DRAM-sensitive
In contrast, titles like Spider-Man Remastered and Hogwarts Legacy demonstrated a clear sensitivity to DRAM performance, primarily due to their reliance on continuous data streaming from system RAM. In these cases, the performance drop with DDR5-4800 was more pronounced, with Hogwarts Legacy showing up to a 20% reduction in minimum performance compared to DDR5-6000. However, adjusting settings to shift the performance burden back onto the GPU mitigated some of this impact.
Ultimately, while the current landscape of DRAM pricing presents challenges, particularly for those seeking to maximize frame rates in competitive gaming, many gamers can still find satisfactory performance with slower DDR5 kits. As the industry navigates this ‘RAMpocalypse,’ it’s essential to balance budget constraints with performance needs, ensuring that gaming experiences remain enjoyable without breaking the bank.
