Examining DDR4 PC build options in 2026 — With high DDR5 prices, a PC build with DDR4 is worth considering, especially if you have RAM you can carry over from a

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Examining DDR4 PC build options in 2026 — With high DDR5 prices, a PC build with DDR4 is worth considering, especially if you have RAM you can carry over from a

Intrepid PC builder fights RAM crunch by building DDR3 system that runs Cyberpunk 2077 at 60 FPS

We paired the Ryzen 7 5800XT with the budget-friendly Asus TUF Gaming B550-Plus Wi-Fi ($119.99). This motherboard supports 3000- and 5000-series processors (including 4/5000 G series), offers PCIe 4.0, dual M.2 sockets (one PCIe 4.0, one PCIe 3.0), and six SATA ports. Connectivity includes 2.5 GbE, Wi-Fi 6E, and eight rear USB ports, including a 10 Gbps Type-C. It utilizes the Realtek ALX897 audio solution and has robust power delivery for compatible CPUs.

We also chose Gigabyte’s RTX 5060 Ti Windforce OC 16G for this budget AM4 build (or upgrade) for its ample VRAM, important for the future, and solid 1080p performance across a wide variety of games, even AAA titles. The dual-fan solution should keep things running cool and quiet, and its all-black look blends in with most build themes.

For RAM, we stuck with the same 32GB from the Intel build, so you can have the best experience possible. We chose Patriots’ Viper Steel DDR4-3200 (2x16GB CL16) for the capacity, tight timings, and ‘low’ price of $172.99 . You can go faster, but this is a budget build, and you generally wouldn’t notice the difference. Save the money here for spending elsewhere.

Storage-wise, Patriot’s Viper VP4300 1TB PCIe 4×4 fits the bill at $139.99 . The drive uses DRAM cache for quick bursts, and lists speeds up to 7,400/6,100 MB/s R/W for longer transfers, which is plenty fast for loading your games and applications quickly. You can use SATA-based SSDs or hard drives for additional storage at a lower price per TB if necessary.

The machine is powered by an ASRock Steel Legend SL-850G 80Plus Gold (Cybenetics Platinum) 850W power supply. This mid-range unit supports ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 standards, including a native 600W 12V-2×6 cable. At under $90, this 'future-proof' PSU is backed by a 10-year warranty.

We selected the Montech X3 Mesh (black) case ($69.90), which includes six preinstalled, fixed-lighting RGB fans for excellent airflow. The chassis supports ITX to E-ATX motherboards, multiple drives, PSUs up to 160mm, coolers up to 160mm, and GPUs up to 305mm. A side-swivel tempered glass panel provides easy access and displays the internals. For under $70, it’s a good-looking RGB case with ample space and cooling for high-performance components.

As you can see, building a new gaming PC today using DDR4 can get you plenty of performance for the money – and all the more so if you have RAM you can carry over from a previous system. Intel’s i5-1400KF and AMD’s 5800XT are formidable processors by nearly all measures. They’ll game and do well with most highly threaded work, too. Nvidia’s RTX 5060Ti 16G is arguably one of the better price-to-performance-to-VRAM ratio cards around, doing well at 1080p, and even stretching its legs to 1440p if you choose.

While these systems aren’t the pinnacle of DDR4-based PCs, they are full, well-rounded builds from Intel and AMD. Swap in your existing RAM and/or storage where you can, to help you get even more out of your build budget.

AMD and Intel have both moved past DDR4 at this point, so some element of building a DDR4-based PC is based on what’s available, not necessarily what’s objectively best. With that in mind, also check your local Micro Center and Best Buy, particularly when it comes to CPUs and motherboards. You might be able to score a deal if you shop at a local retailer.

Joe Shields is a staff writer at Tom\u2019s Hardware. He reviews motherboards and PC components. ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-11/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Joe Shields Staff Writer, Components Joe Shields is a staff writer at Tom’s Hardware. He reviews motherboards and PC components.

Gururu Seriously good PCs, not bad prices at all. Reply

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