DDR4 vs. DDR5 Memory Performance For Intel Core i5-12600K Alder Lake On Linux

Given current memory pricing and extremely limited availability of DDR5 memory modules, many Phoronix readers have been requesting DDR4 vs. DDR5 memory benchmarks for Alder Lake on Linux. After picking up a DDR4 Z690 motherboard, here are some reference benchmarks between DDR4 and DDR5 when testing with the Core i5 12600K on Ubuntu Linux in a variety of real-world workloads.

The Alder Lake benchmarking at Phoronix to this point has been with the ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-E GAMING WiFi and Corsair Vengeance 2 x 32GB DDR5-4400 C36 memory, both kindly provided by Intel as part of our review kit. DDR5 commands a significant premium at the moment with that 64GB DDR5-4400 kit currently retailing for $555 USD or even the 32GB version for $295, but good luck finding it in stock or even close to that MSRP if finding it resold online.

At the moment that is the only DDR5 I have available, not any DDR5 modules at a higher speed. But it is convenient for comparison purposes in having the Corsair Vengeance LPX 2 x 16GB DDR4-4400 C19 memory modules on-hand for an interesting comparison target in this round of testing. Besides DDR4-4400, the profiles were then pulled back for runs at DDR4-3600, DDR4-3200, and DDR4-2800 as some additional context over the impact of memory bandwidth on various Linux workloads with Alder Lake.

The Alder lake motherboard used for the DDR4 testing was the MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4. I bought this motherboard as being one of the most affordable LGA-1700 options at the moment at around $220 USD while boasting a decent feature-set. This motherboard has been working out well under Linux and surprisingly the BIOS/firmware being less quirky under Linux than the much more expensive ASUS ROG board used for the DDR5 testing. For those looking for a more "affordable" Alder Lake motherboard with DDR4 for use under Linux, this has been working out surprisingly decent for the testing so far over the past two weeks. More on this motherboard to come in a separate Phoronix article.

Long story short, with this hardware on hand I then ran a variety of benchmarks looking at the i5-12600K DDR4 vs. DDR5 performance in various real-world workloads.