My 2013 gaming laptop is finally showing its age, and I'm looking to build a desktop for around $1,500 in the United States. I'm a father of two, so I need to be sensible with the budget rather than overspend. I mainly play Old School RuneScape, including raids and bossing where my current system stutters, plus some League of Legends and other games from time to time.
I'm unsure whether to build a strong AM4 system that should last for years or spend more on AM5 for a better upgrade path. I don't have a Micro Center nearby and I'm fairly new to choosing parts, so advice and criticism are welcome.
One AM5 idea is a Ryzen 5 9600X, an ASRock B850M Pro-A WiFi motherboard, 16GB of DDR5-6000, and an RTX 3060 Ti. My AM4 idea uses a Ryzen 7 5800X3D, an Asus B550M-A WiFi II motherboard, 32GB of DDR4-3200, and an RTX 4060. I'd like to spend efficiently and avoid another major rebuild as long as possible.
5 Answers
Both of your sample systems should handle RuneScape and League easily, and they’ll perform fairly similarly overall. The bigger issue is that the AM4 build is using a nearly finished platform, while the AM5 system can receive newer processors later. I’d prioritize 32GB of memory, a properly balanced graphics card, and a reliable power supply rather than putting too much of the budget into the CPU.
The AM5 option is the better foundation for a new build, but I’d revise the parts list. Sixteen gigabytes is a little light for a $1,500 system, and the graphics card choices don’t make the most of the budget. Aim for 32GB of DDR5, choose a stronger current-generation GPU if possible, and avoid overspending on the motherboard. For your games, a sensible AM5 build should give you smooth performance now and room to upgrade later.
Don’t rule out a reputable prebuilt if the final price is close to the cost of the parts. Some companies now charge a reasonable assembly premium, and a prebuilt can make sense if you’re not comfortable building. Just verify the exact motherboard, power supply, cooling, memory configuration, and whether standard parts are used so future upgrades aren’t unnecessarily restricted.
Before replacing everything, check whether your current computer can be upgraded in stages. For example, someone with a Ryzen 5 3600 and GTX 1060 was able to move to a Ryzen 5 5600 and a used RTX 2060 for far less than the cost of a new system. If your motherboard and power supply support worthwhile upgrades, that may stretch the budget considerably.
Would starting over with AM4 leave me missing much compared with AM5, or could a well-balanced AM4 build realistically last another decade?
AM4 is still perfectly usable, especially if you find good prices on older parts, but for a brand-new build I’d lean toward AM5. It gives you a much better CPU upgrade path, while AM4 is essentially at the end of its platform life. You could also use a parts-pricing site to compare retailers and check compatibility before buying.
Are there particular prebuilt configurations worth considering, and do they generally leave enough room for upgrades later?