I'm putting together a new gaming PC and am considering a 16GB RTX 5060 Ti. My budget allows either a Ryzen 7 7700X with 16GB of DDR5 on AM5, or a Ryzen 7 5700X with 32GB of DDR4 on AM4. Which platform makes more sense, and is 16GB of RAM enough for gaming?
4 Answers
Be careful with using one 16GB DDR5 stick just to upgrade later. Single-channel memory reduces bandwidth and can hurt gaming performance. For gaming, 2x8GB is often better right now than 1x16GB, although replacing the kit later is less convenient. Ideally, save for a 2x16GB DDR5 kit if possible.
I’d lean toward AM5 because it gives you a much better upgrade path. You can start with 16GB and add more RAM later, whereas AM4 is essentially a finished platform. That said, 16GB is tight for some newer games and multitasking, so make sure upgrading soon is realistic.
The graphics card may be the bigger issue. The RTX 5060 Ti 16GB has often been priced too close to faster cards, so compare current prices before buying. An RX 9060 XT 16GB could offer similar performance for less, while an RX 9070 or 9070 XT may be substantially faster if the prices are close. Saving money on the GPU could let you build AM5 with 32GB of DDR5.
The right choice depends on what else you do with the PC. For just gaming with a game, voice chat, and a few background apps, 16GB can still work. If you plan to stream, edit, use lots of browser tabs, or multitask heavily, 32GB is preferable. If you need 32GB immediately and can’t upgrade soon, the AM4 option is workable, but it has little future upgrade room.
That makes sense. I was mainly considering one stick so I could add another later, but I don’t want to lose noticeable performance in the meantime.