My current system has a Ryzen 7 7800X3D, 32GB of DDR5-6000 memory in a 2x16GB kit, and an RTX 4080 Super. I mainly feel limited by the amount of RAM, but current prices make a large 256GB upgrade unrealistic. I'm considering buying a $499.99 bundle containing an Intel Core Ultra 5 250K+, 32GB of DDR5-6000, and a Gigabyte B860 DS3H WiFi6E motherboard. I would keep the memory and sell the CPU and motherboard, which might bring the effective cost of the RAM down to roughly $250 after fees and shipping. That would leave me with four 16GB DDR5 modules. Is this a sensible way to get more memory, or would it be better to wait for Black Friday or another upcoming sale?
3 Answers
That bundle seems like a poor way to expand memory. Your 7800X3D is still an excellent gaming CPU, while the 250K+ would generally be a downgrade for gaming. Also, four DDR5 sticks can be much harder on the memory controller than two. You may have to lower the memory speed substantially, and there’s no guarantee the system will run four modules at DDR5-6000 reliably.
I wouldn’t count on Black Friday producing a major discount on the exact memory kit you need. Memory prices can move in either direction, and the biggest sales are usually unpredictable. If you genuinely need more RAM, buy a good deal when you find one; if your current workload is fine, waiting is also reasonable.
Your system doesn’t sound dated at all. A 7800X3D and 4080 Super are still high-end gaming parts, and most games won’t benefit from moving beyond 32GB. If your usage actually involves heavy virtual machines, large datasets, professional content creation, or similar workloads, a 2x32GB kit would be preferable to adding another 2x16GB kit. If you do need more capacity, try to keep the system at two modules and avoid sacrificing memory speed just to reach four sticks.
The point of the bundle is only to keep the RAM and sell the CPU and motherboard, but the resale effort, fees, shipping, and risk still make the savings less attractive.