Intel 12th Gen DDR4 vs DDR5 With ASUS Z690 Plus TUF Gaming D4

ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi D4 Preview

Introduction

One of the biggest problems with the Intel product launches is always how they demand a new system to handle them. You can transfer your GPU and PSU across, but otherwise it’s a wholesale, and expensive, upgrade path.

The 12th Generation is even worse than usual with its support for DDR5, a technology in its infancy. Anyone who has been in the hardware world for more than a minute understands that new anything equals more expensive, but new technology is doubling down on that cost. Remember when SSDs first appeared and it was either get a 2TB HDD or a 64GB SSD? DDR5 prices are at a similar level right now, although naturally they will fall as time passes. What if you wanted to move across to the 12th Generation CPU and Z690 setup but wanted to keep as much of your current rig as possible? Or perhaps even just move across but take advantage of the age of DDR4 meaning it’s more affordable? ASUS have the answer.

The ASUS Z690-Plus TUF Gaming WiFi D4 is all the PCI Express 5.0 and 12th Gen Intel goodness, but wrapped up in a package that supports DDR4 instead of DDR5. Naturally our first question was whether this was a wise move on their part, and how much of a difference it will make to the performance of your system. You don’t want to get a brand new CPU and get it hamstrung by RAM, but equally you don’t want to needlessly spend money if there is no performance benefit to be had.

There is only one way to find out.

Technical Specifications

Intel 12th Gen DDR4 vs DDR5 With ASUS Z690-Plus TUF Gaming D4  

Intel 12th Gen DDR4 vs DDR5 With ASUS Z690-Plus TUF Gaming D4 Â