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4 reasons your RAM speed matters
With DDR5 becoming the de facto standard for every new PC, RAM speeds have increased to heights never seen before. You might think that means that RAM speeds don't matter anymore, with every module running faster than the prior DDR generations. While that's mostly true for general computing tasks, there are still some situations where you'd want the fastest RAM speeds. If you already use one of these programs, you know every performance boost you can get is welcome.
Save your money by overclocking your DDR4 RAM instead of upgrading to DDR5
Running a DDR4 system and itching for a DDR5 upgrade? Hold your horses, as overclocking your DDR4 RAM might save you money and get you what you need.
If you have an older PC
DDR3 users will want the fastest they can find
New PC builders using DDR5 already have transfer speeds above those of older platforms, but if you're using older hardware, you will want to find faster RAM to get the most performance possible. If you're using DDR3, finding new, faster modules might be difficult, as they are no longer manufactured. You can still overclock your memory to get a bit of a boost. The fastest DDR3 overclock on HWBOT is 4,620MT/s, but that was done under liquid nitrogen cooling, so expect a more modest score if you try this at home.
For those using DDR4, speeds don't matter much unless the difference between them has a big gap. Hardware Times extensively tested both single-channel vs dual-channel and different frequencies and found a 20% increase in average FPS when moving from DDR4-2400 to DDR4-3600. Those two speeds are very close in price, so always go for the faster speed, even if you think you won't need it. Again, overclocking is an option for a modest improvement with minimal effort.
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Video editing and 3D rendering benefit from faster speeds
You'll be able to render finished files slightly faster
If you work with video or 3D graphics all day, you know that every little boost in performance you can get multiplies quickly into noticeable improvements in productivity. That makes the speed of your RAM matter, although how much depends on which programs you use and which CPU you have. Programs like Adobe's Premiere Pro benefit from faster RAM when using Intel processors, with the change from DDR5-4400 to DDR5-6400 bringing as much as 13% performance in Puget System's testing.
The picture for AMD processors using DDR5 is slightly different. Even with optimized timings, there is a minimal boost going from DDR5-4400 to DDR5-6000. Other programs show little correlation between RAM speeds and performance, with DaVinci Resolve testing showing only a few percent difference. Adobe's After Effects boosts by around 7% on Intel systems with the same RAM speed changes as the Premiere Pro testing. Still, if you're performing the same tasks over and over again, even single-digit increases will save you time, and the price difference between slower and faster RAM is negligible.
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Photo editing and library management
Polish up your photos in less time
Increased RAM frequencies benefit photography applications like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom Classic. The improvement isn't as marked as in video editing applications, but it will be reasonably consistent as you increase RAM speeds. That means you'll be able to sort through and index your photo library faster, use tools and adjustment layers in less time, and export slightly quicker. While each task running slightly faster might not seem much of an improvement, remember that those minor improvements soon add up when you perform these tasks repeatedly.
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Gaming on a weaker processor
Faster RAM benefits you more when you are at processor limits
Gaming loads differ from the other tasks on this list, as the other tasks rely on sequential memory access, which always benefits from faster RAM speeds. In gaming loads, the CPU is hit with many different commands with smaller data packets, making the graphics card have a greater impact on performance. The only time this isn't the case is if you have a lower-powered CPU paired with a powerful GPU. In that situation, the CPU is often near or at its limit, and faster RAM can improve the system's overall performance.
YouTuber Hardware Unboxed tested just that, using an Intel i9-13900K, an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, and an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X with various RAM speeds. Overall, the Ryzen 7 7700X benefited more from faster RAM, with going from DDR5-4800 to DDR5-6000 increasing FPS by 11% on average and gaining another 9-12% of performance by lowering latency from CL40 to CL30. The two flagship processors had single-digit gains for the most part, mainly because the GPU is the limiting factor on systems using more powerful processors. So, if you have a low or midrange CPU, faster RAM will give you better gains than a flagship CPU.
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There are still a few situations where RAM speeds matter, but the list is shrinking
Now that DDR5 RAM is the de facto standard for those building a new PC, even picking the slowest DDR5 has it running faster than DDR4 or DDR3. We still haven't seen the limits of DDR5 speeds or stability yet, with future kits able to run at tighter timings. Until then, if you have older generations of RAM, you still want to aim for faster-rated speeds or overclock to reach those speeds if possible. That will give you more performance for those programs and games that benefit from faster speeds, and you can put off the hardware upgrades for a while.