Should I stick with DDR4 for a budget gaming build in 2025?

Yes, DDR4 is still the better price-to-performance choice for a budget gaming build in 2025. DDR5 is 20-30% more expensive per gigabyte for only 5-10% real-world gaming improvement, and that extra $30-50 is better spent on a GPU upgrade. Pair DDR4 with a 13th-gen Intel or Ryzen 5000 series for a solid $600-800 build.