DDR4 and cheaper or DDR5 and better?
Posted by Actual_Ad_463@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 45 comments
First PC build, but I did plenty of research beforehand and I have a full build ready. However, due to picking DDR5 32GB, it is pretty pricy. I want to get a rtx 5060 and probably a ryzen 5 9600x or try to stretch the budget and get a ryzen 5 7500X3D. I know that I won't be able to use the said CPU's with ddr4, but it will be a difference of around 135$ of just RAM and probably a cheaper CPU as well(the polish market is absolutely diabolical). I will probably avoid AAA games other than modded CP2077,mostly multiplayer- focused on CS2.
So , my question is whether pay up or go more budget friendly (or spend the budget on something else) by choosing either DDR4 or DDR5?
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated š
WingerRules@reddit
Theres been benchmarks in recent games between DDR4 and DDR5 and the performance loss is only a percent or 2. X3D chips in particular see less performance loss on DDR4 because the large amount of memory on chip reduces the amount of times it has to call from system RAM.
Soggy-Airline@reddit
5800XT, B550 Motherboard, and 2x16gb DDR4 3200Mhz CL16 RAM.
On Amazon, I've managed to make a build for under $2000 CAD with tax.
This is with a SAMA P1000 PSU, an Asus A31 Mid Tower Case in White, and Thermalright CPU Cooler and case fans.
Should look into Timetec RAM and Nvme... Chinese brand but still good based on reviews.
Born_Bad_1294@reddit
Why not get a 5600/5700X+32GB DDR4+RX 9060 XT 16GB??
it will be much cheaper and play any game at 1440p or 1080p.
It's not like you will be upgrading your build in the next 2-3 years, right?
Actual_Ad_463@reddit (OP)
pricewise its very close or identical in the polish market from my research
Born_Bad_1294@reddit
32GB DDR5 and 32GB DDR4 has minimal price diff? Then get the DDR5
Actual_Ad_463@reddit (OP)
the GPU is significantly pricier almost 200$. CPU is around 50-60$ cheaper. And ram is around 135. Comes out to almost the same
Born_Bad_1294@reddit
You are getting the 8GB RTX 5060? Then you can look at the Intel Arc B580 12GB, it's cheaper. or the RX 9060 XT 8GB
Actual_Ad_463@reddit (OP)
yes. the intel is cheaper by 10 bucks while the rx is mor expensive by around another 60
_Salish@reddit
I really suggest any intel card, they all work great.
mister_newbie@reddit
Unless you're trying to play Crimson Desert
t90fan@reddit
ish - seems it depends what games you play, some have optimization issues right now because Nvidia/AMD have lots of engine specific tweaks in their drivers
I play Delta force with a bloke who has one an Arc he says he gets like 100-200FPS in it when its all hunky dory but you will get random jarring lows of like 10-20, apparently its a driver issue, same for him with a couple of others like Starfield
bit of a shame as the hardware is good, hopefully the software catches up
Actual_Ad_463@reddit (OP)
more*
TheBoohal@reddit
Exactly what I did. 5700x/32GB DDR4/9060XT 16GB Gaming Edition/B550. I am playing everything on 1440p ultra.
Actual_Ad_463@reddit (OP)
thank you for this suggestion. after digging deeper into the prices (and just hitting a 12 leg sports bet) my budget i will probably stick with DDR5 RAM, an RX9060 XT 16 GB, and a 7500X3D. Is this okay?
Born_Bad_1294@reddit
Perfectly fine mate
CuteAnalyst8724@reddit
Right now, it makes 0 sense to jump to an AM5/DDR5 platform, unless you are going all out for the top of the line build.
Go with the 5800XT instead
Right now, you still have a chance to find some DDR4 RAM on the used market for not an absolutely ridiculousĀ price. You should aim for 32gb (2x16) 3600-3200mhz with the lowest CAS latency you can find. Or at the very least, you should get a 16gb kit (2x8)
Do not just get random stick(s) of ram, as almost always you will have compatibility problems. Instead, get a full kit from someone
Technically speaking, you still mostly don't need 32gb of RAM for games, but more as a QOL thing, or for productivity, I'd say it's a must, and it would be best to avoid going through the whole thing again if you can.
As for the gpu go with the regular 5070 or a used 4070/ti/super/super ti/4080
A similar specked cpu+mobo+32gb of ram combos recently sold on eBay for $350 and $400 ballpark, and 4070s are in the $400-$600 range, depending on the model
If you go this route, you will have a good enough base PC to skip AM5/DDR5 entirely and a drastically better experience the whole time you'll be using it
Ethtopia@reddit
So I'm building a pc for a friend. Strictly slight office work (web browsing, small downloads, excel, word, printing). I have a pc case, 850w psu, and an aio that was for a am3 (that won't fit am5 unless I find an adapter(?) from the research I've done) and A 5700xt.
Now looking at bundles at microcenter they have a 5500 cpu(no igpu), w motherboard and 2x8gb ddr4 ram for 199. Or a 7600x cpu(w/ igpu) motherboard, and 1Ć16gb ddr5 ram for 350. The am5 would be a better buy obviously even for work purposes, right. (Excluding using the gpu to maybe sell it).
CuteAnalyst8724@reddit
That PSU will be an extreme overkill, and the aio would be lost on it as well.
Honestly, in regular everyday office work you don't need anything that special - even a Ryzen 5 3600 will be way, way more than enough for anything your friend can throw at it in strictly office work
Your best course would be to look for some used office pre-builds on ebay like 8th-gen or newer Intel Core i5/i7 processors, specifically the Dell Optiplex 7060/7070, HP EliteDesk 800 G4/G5, and Lenovo ThinkStation P330
Look for something with 16b of RAM and an SSD (even SATA will be fine). 256gb should be more than plenty for office docs
Ethtopia@reddit
The parts I have are spare parts laying around. Would I be better trying to sell them (psu, aio, gpu) and buying cpu, motherboard, ram and psu all while spending less than 350? I also have an extra 1tb ssd (sata) I was going to throw in.
I'm typically not a fan of buying used due to unknown conditions and lack of warranty. Also hesitant on prebuilds because you can't change hardware/upgrade(?).
I wouldn't be offended if I'm coming off as crazy lol.
Side note: The psu is probably 10years old. If this fails while in use would all other components be safe? Its a EVGA 850w Bronze +.
Super side note: I see both the Dell Optiplex 7060 and 7070 for less than $500 refurbished on amazon. I will recommend these as options.
CuteAnalyst8724@reddit
There is nothing wrong with recycling your old parts, per se, but to me it seems like a waste for an office pc
On an entirely different note, I personally would be extremely hesitant to fuck with a 10 yo PSU, no matter if it's even from a very reputable company like EVGA
I personally had 2 pc "burn down" because of questionable PSU, and seen a lot of others give up the smoke and in the process kill most, if not everything that it was connected to (including a phone's USB-C port that was just changing at the time, connected to the PC)
as for other things, I get the sentiment about avoiding used, but
CPUs generally either die in the first few years due to some technical/manufacturer issues, or just work until something else kills them
RAM is mostly binary - it either works or it doesn't, with a few, very rare exceptions
GPUs are similar to CPUs and are generally fine if you know what you're doing when picking a reputable manufacturer of one and know how to run a basic stress test (the long one). The only problematic part that may arise due to age is the need to replace the thermal compounds, which is more complicated than just repasting a CPU
Storage is a whole other thing, and largely depends on how and what you are using.
A used enterprise grade server drive that got retired due to high hours, but with plenty of life left and no bad sectors, will be generally fine for years to come for your general use bulk storage
A dying drive can still be used for long term offline backups or even daily, for non critically important stuff.
MOBOs are a lotterie; the older they get, the less reliable they will get. You can greatly improve your chances by once again using a reputable manufacturer and Googling failure rates for that specific model and revision.
In general, your experience will greatly depend on your risk tolerance and your mitigation strategies
On the other side of the coin, buying used gives you the benefit of time, which usually reveals the systematic issues, and how to solve them, which items are g2g, and which you should avoid like the plague
Ethtopia@reddit
I'm very grateful for your time and opinion. I will sell what I have and encourage them to buy a refurbished optiplex 7060 from Amazon and include the 3 year warranty for $541 before tax. Or the refurbished 7070 for $580 before tax with the 3 year warranty.
DigitaIBlack@reddit
Why the 5800 XT? A 5600(X) is going to perform almost identically and free up budget for a 12-16GB GPU
CuteAnalyst8724@reddit
No, it will not be "almost identical" to a 5600 (orX)
5800xt has more cores and higher tdp, clocks, and in games its performance sits right in between 5700x3d and 5800x3d
DigitaIBlack@reddit
Given the class of GPU OP is getting he's going to be playing 1080p Ultra or 1440p outside of something like CS2.
I just checked Hardware Unboxed for sanity's sake and even in more GPU limited situations the scaling isn't impressive.
145 vs 140avg at . at 1080p high
That is the biggest load of baloney I've heard in a while.
HB has the 5700X3D at 179 vs 146 FPS avg for the 5800 XT at 1080p medium. 146 to 122 FPS AVG at 1080p high.
CuteAnalyst8724@reddit
I'm talking about in real world use, and not just an inorganic CPU test (nobody plays games with those settings, how HU tests CPUs)
When paired with a reasonable GPU (like a 4070ti or a 5070/ti) and having set to max graphical settings, (1440p/4k) the real world difference is exactly as follows: 5700x3d<5800XT<5800x3d, with an average 7% (5-10% depending on the game) difference between each
5800 XT is $150-170 used, $200-220 new
coolboy856@reddit
He is not playing on fucking 4K and mentioned esports titles.
CuteAnalyst8724@reddit
Since when is modded CP2077 an Esport?
and it doesn't mean that he can't branch out of his comfort zone when he is ready and has something that can actually run them
DigitaIBlack@reddit
And even if he was, spending extra on a CPU when he desperately needs more VRAM is a terrible idea.
If OP is prioritizing CS FPS, 12-14th gen i5 is the play. If he wants a decent CS CPU but also wants to play 1440p (or God for big 4K) then a 5600(X) makes more sense if it gets them a 12GB+ card.
And the 5800XT stands there being the worst of both worlds. Intel beats it in its priceclass and the 5600(X) undercuts it.
DigitaIBlack@reddit
For starters, OP is not gaming at 4K and maybe mot even 1440p. And if he was, putting budget towards a 5800XT instead of more VRAM would be ludicrous given he'll need 8+ even for 1440p. 4K he would realistically want 16.
Also, are you getting those numbers from? You also need to be extra careful with something like 4070 Ti because you're going to be bouncing off GPU limits.
...but 1080p medium is going to show a larger gap than 1080 Ultra. Which is the minimum OP will be able to set. At 1440p the gap can shrink more.
The 1080p medium is showing the worst case for the 5600X.
Regardless, even if the 8800XT was justified OP would want to go for an Alder Lake to Rocket Lake Refresh i5 given they also sit in that price class. And are straught better.
621_@reddit
OP would be fine with a 5600 tbh. If he really wants an upgrade he can scour the used market for a 5700x3d/5800x3d
coolboy856@reddit
It makes 0 sense to buy a new am4 system.
Actual_Ad_463@reddit (OP)
i will try but the used market is tricky and it's tougher in poland. i tried to go the used route and faced multiple issues
CuteAnalyst8724@reddit
I'm next door to you, from the east, and the market (used or otherwise) ain't any easier here either)
I don't know the detailed specifics of laws/taxes for importing stuff to Poland, but you can definitely check on eBay within the EU for used parts to avoid VAT, and you will even get a pretty solid return policy/fraud protection from eBay itself, just in case
But besides that, 5800xt are still being sold new
DigitaIBlack@reddit
I'd make whatever cuts necessary to get a card wit more than 8GB VRAM. So probably an AM4 or 10th-14th gen Intel build.
coolboy856@reddit
Yeah save $130 to be on am4 and need to replace everything so you can get extra VRAM for 1080p LOL
DigitaIBlack@reddit
CP2077 uses ~7.9GB of VRAM on Ā¹080p Ultra, ~11 with RTX, and that's a 5 year old game...
BattleCrier@reddit
Whats your budget?
Its better to think ahead.. rather stretch budget that will keep up for next 3-5 years rather than be pissed after 2 years..
ah__there_is_another@reddit
Hey, since it's your first build, I would highly recommend going for a DDR5 build, as it has a future. I'll use 'DDR' to refer to the build generation below (ie motherboard, cpu etc)
Actual_Ad_463@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the breakdown, I will definitely consider the MoBo.
Actual_Ad_463@reddit (OP)
200 quid for ram would be marvelous mate. The cheapest used CL30 6000 is around 260-270, but i will go with a new one for an equivalent of around 320. Since I just became the greatest sports bettor in the world i can afford it.
621_@reddit
I myself said fuck it and am going for an AM4 build i have a pcpartpicker list for a 5600/9060xt rig for $1129.72 USD minus the ssd and mouse and keyboard I figure if others can find ssd deals in Walmart why canāt I.
WizardMoose@reddit
I'd only go for DDR5 if you can get a decent deal on it, like from Microcenter.
Actual_Ad_463@reddit (OP)
i wish but the polish market is very poor
definitlyitsbutter@reddit
Go am4 and ddr4 if you buy them used and save so much, that you can afford by that a significant gpu upgrade and have more Performance overall (eg 5060 8gb to 16gb or 9060 to 9070xt...)
MagicPistol@reddit
5060 isn't very high end and you don't really need a powerful cpu for it. Just go with ddr4 and save some money. Or use that money for a better GPU.