Dual-channel DDR4 vs single-channel DDR5 for gaming: Dual-channel DDR4 still wins for gaming

Dual-channel DDR4 beats single-channel DDR5 in most games because latency matters more than raw bandwidth for gaming. DDR5’s higher latency hurts it when running single-channel, while dual-channel DDR4 keeps latency low and effectively doubles bandwidth. Tests from Gamers Nexus and Hardware Unboxed show DDR4-3600 CL16 dual-channel outperforms DDR5-4800 single-channel by a noticeable margin. Don’t chase single-channel DDR5 for gaming unless you’re running dual-channel or higher speeds (6000+), which costs more.