Differences Between DDR3 And DDR4 RAM

When you go for buying a new system, be it a desktop or a laptop, you first go through its specifications. It helps the user in figuring out what the right device would be for them. For instance, a heavy processor means heating issues, as well as short battery life, which is something that would be needed by a person who needs to use his device for a long period of time.

Similarly, a gamer or a researcher who needs great performance and optimum speed would require a device with powerful processors and great chip set. But the power of the components like RAM just doesn’t depend on their internal capacity, they depend on the generation of the RAM too.

This is why a lot of people get confused about what RAM to buy other than its size because it can prove to be crucial for any device and would definitely be necessary for enhancing the performance of the given device. This is why every user must know the difference between the latest two generations of RAM, DDR3, and DDR4.

DDR3 VS DDR4 RAM: Performance Comparison

Now, I don’t have a division apparatus prepared over here so I’ll differentiate between them one by one. I’ll start with DDR3 and then I’ll get to DDR4. This will be in a point to point manner so it wouldn’t be very hard to figure out what’s what.

DDR3

1. Starting with the fairly obvious one, DDR3 is pretty old and though it has been in the market for over a decade, it is outdated in some ways.
2. It has a powerful speed but it still isn’t comparable to the DDR4 memory. It offers a clock speed starting from 800 MHz and ends at about DDR3-2133. It may even provide speeds up to DDR3-3200 but those won’t be the officially announced speeds. This directly affects the latency which will definitely be lower than that of DDR4.
3. It works on a higher voltage against DDR4 RAM. Standard DDR3 memory requires 1.5 volts.
4. The user may perform self-refresh or even an auto-refresh can be performed through a DDR3 memory.
5. The DDR3 memory isn’t very expensive.
6. DDR3 memory has a cap limit of 16 GB beyond which it isn’t available. Due to this it just stops at the current existence point.
7. DDR3 RAM can be installed in a DDR4 slot.

DDR4

1. It is the newest choice in RAMs that a user can have and after a long period of usage of DDR3, DDR4 RAMs are being employed everywhere for quite a while now.
2. It provides a minimum clock speed of 1600 MHz and may stretch out to about DDR4-3200 officially. Unofficially, due to the help of overclocking kits, it can even go up to DDR4-4800. This means that there’s an overall increase in bandwidth due to the increase in speed. Due to this, the latency will definitely be higher than DDR3 memory.
3. DDR4 memory requires less voltage than that of DDR3 memory. The voltage required is about 1.2 volts in a standard DDR4 RAM.
4. Only self-refresh can be performed while using DDR4 memory.
5. DDR4 memory costs more than DDR3.
6. DDR4 memory does not have any cap limit which means we can use any amount of DDR4 RAM which can be more than 32 GB as well. It is available for the user without an issue.
7. DDR4 RAM can’t be installed in a DDR3 slot.

I hope I was able to clear your doubts on the differences between DDR3 and DDR4 memory. Although DDR4 cannot be beaten by DDR3 for the most obvious reason that it is more advanced, there are still not too many differences between DDR3 and DDR4 memory. If there are any further doubts, please drop a comment below. If the content was helpful, please leave a like on our post.