DDR5 doesn't need a Windows reinstall.

No. Swapping RAM—even from DDR4 to DDR5—is a hardware swap Windows handles just fine. The OS doesn’t care what kind of RAM you’re running.

What does trigger a reinstall is swapping the motherboard, especially if you’re changing chipsets (say, Intel 12th-gen to 13th-gen, or AMD AM4 to AM5). That’s a different story. But if you’re just pulling out your old RAM and slotting in DDR5 on the same board that supports it? Plug and play.

Now, if you’re upgrading to DDR5 because you bought a new CPU and motherboard that require it… then yes, Windows will probably need a fresh install. But that’s not the RAM’s fault. That’s the motherboard swap.

Long story short: RAM alone is a five-minute swap. No reinstalling.