You could also hold out hope for a RAM component bundle deal, but most of those have included DDR4 so far.
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(Image credit: Getty, Tom's Hardware) Jump to: 1. Get a better gaming monitor to make your games look better 2. Grab a new GPU while some are still selling below MSRP 3. What about a CPU upgrade in your existing rig? 4. Forget DIY. Buy a prebuilt or a gaming laptop before prices increase 5. Hold out hope for a good component bundle with RAM? In case you haven't noticed, RAM prices have been rising faster than most of us can think of appropriate metaphors other than space . It's causing PC builders and upgraders a lot of consternation and financial pain during this Black Friday deals season, as capable and speedy DDR5 kits now cost as much (or more) than a current-gen gaming console . But just because modern RAM now resembles gold-pressed latinum in both form and value, doesn't mean you have to haggle with a Ferengi at a Micro Center to improve your PC gaming experience. We're here to help, with five smart ways to improve your gaming experience without paying full price for RAM this Black Friday deals season.
First up, and perhaps the best bang for your upgrade buck, would be to pick up a new monitor – especially if you're still gaming at 1080p. Our recent RTX 5050 testing shows that anything at or above an RTX 5060 or RX 9060 XT is overkill for a 60 Hz 1080p display with modern games. Upping your resolution will both make your games look better and take a lot of the weight off your CPU and RAM. Monitor tech has advanced a lot in recent years, with OLED and QD-OLED models offering the best color and black levels, but IPS panels are still a good option if you're prioritizing value.
The MSI MAG 275UPD is a 27-inch gaming monitor with a 4K IPS panel. It supports Adaptive-Sync and includes HDMI 2.1 along with DisplayPort 1.4a connectivity.
The Alienware AW3425DW is a 34-inch curved QD-OLED gaming monitor that offers excellent visuals with high-end performance. The panel offers a 3440×1440 resolution, 240 Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time, and support for both AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync. The display also covers 99.3% DCI-P3 and hits 1000 nits peak brightness with VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification.
Want more advice about display upgrades and monitor deal options that will make your existing gaming frames look better? Our monitor editor, Brandon Hill, has hand-picked a few of the best gaming monitor deal options he's seen so far for Black Friday, including a 49-inch monster at its lowest-ever price. Just don't complain to us if you also have to upgrade your desk.
Of course, buying a GPU is typically a sure-fire way to increase gaming performance. And there are currently some deals that take current-gen gaming cards down to new low prices. And if you are in the market for one, you probably don't want to wait, as memory demand is expected to hit graphics cards as well .
The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is a value-for-money GPU offering with excellent performance while maintaining power efficiency. Based on the RDNA 4 architecture, it provides almost the exact numbers as the Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti at a much lower price.
But how do you make sure your new graphics card isn't bottlenecked by your older CPU and RAM? Our resident GPU expert, Jeffrey Kampman, just tested a half-decade-old AMD Ryzen CPU with a Radeon RX 9070 XT to figure out the best performance settings for maximizing image settings and GPU utilization, while keeping your older CPU from being the true bottleneck. That doesn't mean just turning on upscaling, but instead, involves a mix of higher resolutions, higher-quality upscaling settings, and framegen. You can find out more by checking out his test results and settings advice here .
Of course, a faster CPU can also increase your gaming performance – especially if you are sticking with 1080p resolution and aiming for triple-digit frame rates for competitive gaming. If you're currently on a DDR4-based platform with enough RAM, your best bet for better performance might be a higher-end CPU. But it may be tough or impossible to find AMD's best AM4-based X3D CPUs for gaming. If you're currently running an older, mid-range AMD CPU, you can still find a good deal on something faster or with more cores. But Intel-based platforms have a better upgrade path if you have a capable DDR4 kit, thanks to the company's decision to support boards with the older memory standard all the way through its Raptor Lake refresh cycle.
The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core (6+4)/16-thread processor from the Raptor Lake range. It features a maximum boost clock speed of 4.6GHz on the P-cores, and although it's a generation older than the Core i5-14400, it offers largely similar performance.
Since those 13th and 14th Gen chips can still better gaming performance than Intel's current Core Ultra models, and 13th/14th Gen CPU stock continues to be pretty good (though compatible DDR4-based boards are starting to become scarce), those who opted for Intel a few years ago may be in a better place in terms of upgrade options as DDR5 prices continue to increas. That's true, at least, as long as your CPU remains stable . But then again, AMD's higher-end chips have issues on that front as well.
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Key considerations
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/five-smart-ways-to-ride-out-the-the-ram-price-apocalypse-get-the-most-of-your-old-ddr4-buy-a-prebuilt-or-new-gpu-before-prices-rise-get-a-better-cpu-for-your-socket-or-make-your-game-frames-look-better-with-a-new-monitor#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
- Intel's next-gen Nova Lake will finally tackle AMD's Ryzen X3D, but only with pricey 'K' models — 144MB Big Last Level Cache response to 3D V-Cache will only co
- The Bambu Lab P2S is now available to buy in the U.S. — 'logistics delays' appear to have been resolved
- Malaysian state of Johor drowns any ideas for Tier 1 and Tier 2 data centers —water concerns have authorities only allowing energy-efficient builds
- China's hybrid-bonded AI accelerators could rival Nvidia's Blackwell GPUs — top semiconductor expert hints at 'fully controllable domestic solution'
- Noctua confirms that Intel's Nova Lake won't need new CPU coolers — coolers for LGA1851 and LGA1700 are compatible with the upcoming LGA1954 socket
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.