In 2025, the memory market is dominated by DDR5's rising popularity, but DDR4 remains a hot topic among budget builders and old-platform users. Many wonder if investing in DDR4 is still a wise choice amid DDR5's promotion. The answer lies in your specific needs, budget, and existing hardware.

First, DDR4 holds an unbeatable price advantage. As of 2025, a 32GB (16GB×2) DDR4 3600MHz kit costs around $150, while a similarly sized DDR5 4800MHz kit is at least twice as expensive. For students, office workers, or users upgrading old computers, this price gap is significant. You can save the budget for better graphics cards or SSDs, which bring more obvious experience improvements.

Compatibility is another key strength of DDR4. A large number of existing motherboards, such as Intel's B560, B660 and AMD's X570, still have mature support for DDR4. Even 12th/13th Gen Intel Core and AMD Ryzen 5000/7000 series processors work seamlessly with DDR4, avoiding stability issues like blue screens that may occur with DDR5 high-frequency modules. For users with DDR4-only motherboards, upgrading to DDR5 would require replacing the motherboard and CPU, doubling the cost unnecessarily.

In terms of performance, DDR4 is more than sufficient for daily scenarios. For daily office work, web browsing, video streaming, and even light gaming, the gap between DDR4 3600MHz and DDR5 4800MHz is barely perceptible. Only in extreme scenarios like 8K video editing or large-scale AI model training does DDR5's advantage become obvious. Most mainstream users will not encounter these scenarios in daily use.

However, it's worth noting that DDR4 chip production has stopped, leading to gradual stock reduction. Some high-frequency DDR4 modules with excellent quality, such as those using Hynix CJR chips, may become scarce and their prices may rise slightly. If you need to upgrade your old platform, it's better to act sooner rather than later.

In conclusion, DDR4 is still a cost-effective choice in 2025 for budget-conscious users, old-platform upgraders, and those with basic performance needs. It balances price, compatibility, and performance perfectly, making it a reliable option that won't disappoint.