There is no denying that DDR4 is at the End Of (its) Life. In every way imaginable DDR5 is better. So it really is only a matter of time before DDR4 goes the way of DDR3 and becomes an uber-niche product. Unfortunately, as with all new technology, DDR5 adoption has been on the slow side. All thanks to a combination of clown-world logistics, first gen Integrated Memory Controller teething issues, and a high asking price, many (arguably too many) people look at the average cost of DDR5… and then look at the average cost of premium DDR4… and decide to wait another upgrade cycle before taking the plunge. At least that is what the calculus used to boil down to. With the release of the next generation of Crucial Value line, in general and the DDR5-4800 CL40 2x16GB kit in specific, the equation just got a whole lot more interesting.
Up until now the rule of thumb was that if you wanted, even entry level DDR5-4800, DDR5 RAM you could expect to pay at the very least $10 USD per Gigabyte (with price skyrocketing once you go above DDR5-4800). Even excluding everything but DDR5-4800 price tags, three hundred to three hundred and twenty dollars is a lot to ask for a mere 32GB kit. Especially when even high end, but not extreme end, 2x16GB kits like the Ballistix MAX DDR4-4000 are $168 – or about $5 per Gigabyte.
With an asking price of $217 for the 32GB (2x16GB) capacity option, the Crucial DDR5-4800 CL40 value line already lives up to its name. Yes, that still is over $6.78 a Gigabyte… but many builders will certainly have an easier time finding a mere fifty bucks in the budget to get on the DDR5 train. Furthermore, this is not like any Crucial Value line Crucial has ever previously released. In stead this is a whole new beast with a whole new bag of tricks ups it sleeve. With everything from dramatically improved aesthetics to actual overclocking potential, the Crucial DDR5-4800 CL40 kit intends to do something none of its predecessors could do before: broaden its appeal and make an cogent argument for why more than just entry level builds should be sporting it instead of the more expensive DDR5 alternatives.
