PC Gamer tests slow DDR5: when DDR5-4800 hurts gaming and when it's fine
PC Gamer tested seven games to see how much slower DDR5-4800 memory affects play compared with DDR5-6000, using a test rig built around an AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, and Lexar Thor OC DDR5 kits (6000 CL32 vs 4800 CL40). Each game was run for five minutes of real gameplay while Nvidia Frameview recorded average and 1% low frame rates at 1080p, 1440p and 4K.
Graphics were set to maximum (ray tracing enabled in all but one title), and neither DLSS upscaling nor frame generation were used to avoid artificially shifting load off the GPU. Three titles—Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth: Wukong and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2—showed no meaningful difference between the two DRAM speeds.
PC Gamer notes differences under about 5% are within the margin of error for gameplay captures and that these games are clearly GPU‑limited at the test settings. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and Counter-Strike 2 were somewhat sensitive to memory speed. MSFS 24 produced inconsistent results but showed evidence of DRAM influence even at 4K, while CS2 can see reductions (PC Gamer recorded a ~7% loss at 1080p with very high settings) if you run low resolutions or quality that shift load off the GPU.
Spider-Man Remastered and Hogwarts Legacy were the most DRAM‑sensitive. Spider-Man ran about 117 fps vs 106 fps on average (1% lows 72 vs 66) with the faster kit, and Hogwarts Legacy saw notably larger drops in minimum performance—up to 20% in some cases.
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