Who should still buy DDR4?
Anyone with a DDR4 board who needs more memory. That covers a lot of PCs built from 2016 to 2022 and some Intel 12th to 14th gen boards. New builds should not use it: AMD AM5 and Intel Core Ultra 200S boards only take DDR5.
On a working system, extra DDR4 is almost always cheaper than a new board, processor and DDR5 kit. The median DDR4 desktop kit costs £9.32 per GB this week, and the median DDR5 kit £16.25. Our DDR5 prices show the other side of that sum.
Why DDR4 is no longer the bargain tier
An older memory generation normally gets cheaper as the new one takes over. DDR4 is being retired at the same time. TrendForce reported in July 2025 that Samsung, SK hynix and Micron planned to end DDR4 shipments between late 2025 and early 2026, citing industry reports rather than official dates. In July 2025, 8GB DDR4 modules even cost more than 8GB DDR5 modules, which TrendForce called a rare price inversion.
For a UK buyer the effect is a thin shelf. Our data shows 162 DDR4 desktop kits against 443 DDR5 kits, so the choice of speed and brand is narrower than for DDR5. Check price per GB in the table, because a small DDR4 kit is not always the saving it looks like.
What to buy
Match the speed your board supports, usually 3200 MT/s. Buy the whole capacity as one matched kit: two DDR4 kits bought years apart often will not run together at the rated speed. Prices include VAT; delivery comes on top.
A DDR4 module label reads PC4, for example PC4-25600. If your board manual says DDR5, none of the kits listed on this page will fit.