My nearly 10-year-old system has an ASUS Z97-A motherboard, an i5-4690, 16GB of DDR3, an RX 570, a 1TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD, and a 550W power supply. It has served me well, but newer games are exposing its limits. In particular, crowded areas in the current World of Warcraft beta cause severe frame-rate drops and stuttering, while large Cities: Skylines cities also become sluggish. Leveling areas and less demanding games are generally fine.
I mainly play games such as World of Warcraft, Civilization, and Cities: Skylines. I am not chasing ultra settings or competitive-shooter performance, but I do want smooth gameplay and enough headroom for occasional multitasking or streaming. I currently play at 1080p and expect to upgrade my graphics card and monitor sometime in the next couple of years.
My main priority is improving the CPU, which means replacing the motherboard and memory as well. I am considering either a modern AM5 build with something like a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, 32GB of DDR5, and an 850W power supply, or a cheaper DDR4-based upgrade using newer or used parts. The DDR4 option would cost much less and could let me put the savings toward a major upgrade in two or three years, but it would have less upgrade potential.
I would also like a new case, preferably something understated such as a Fractal North, with no need for RGB. Since my office cannot use Ethernet, built-in wireless networking would be useful, although I am unsure whether Wi-Fi 7 would make a noticeable difference.
For those in Canada, what would you do in this situation? Is it worth paying for a current AM5 system, or would a less expensive DDR4 build be sensible for 1080p gaming? Is 850W enough for future graphics-card upgrades, and what memory speed is considered the AMD AM5 sweet spot?
2 Answers
AM5 is the better long-term choice if the price is comfortable. The advantage is the CPU upgrade path, not the fact that the memory is DDR5 by itself. A Ryzen 5 7600X or similar chip would already be a huge improvement over the i5-4690, and you could move to a later AM5 processor without replacing the board and memory again.
That said, do not overlook the RX 570. It was a mid-range card even when it launched, and a newer or used GPU could make a very noticeable difference in regular gaming. For World of Warcraft and Cities: Skylines, the new CPU should help with simulation and crowded areas, but the graphics card will still limit performance in many other games.
For a sensible AM5 setup, 32GB of DDR5-6000 with relatively low latency is the usual target. An 850W quality power supply is plenty for most reasonable future upgrades, though the exact graphics card should determine the final choice. Wi-Fi 6 or 6E is already sufficient for most homes; Wi-Fi 7 is mainly worthwhile if your router and internet setup support it and you specifically need its higher speeds or lower latency.
A newer DDR4 system would still feel dramatically faster than your current machine, but I would only choose that route if the savings are substantial, especially if you are buying used. AM4 or an older Intel platform gives you fewer worthwhile upgrade options, so you may end up replacing the motherboard, CPU, and RAM again sooner than expected.
For your games, prioritize a strong modern CPU and adequate memory over an oversized power supply. A 6- or 8-core AM5 processor, 32GB of DDR5-6000, and a good B650-class motherboard would be a strong foundation without paying for features you do not need. You can reuse the RX 570 temporarily and upgrade the GPU when prices or your monitor plans make more sense. Your SSD is also fine to keep for now.
Before buying, compare complete Canadian bundle prices rather than focusing on the cost of individual parts. A 9800X3D is excellent, but it may be unnecessary for 1080p gaming if it forces compromises elsewhere. A less expensive AM5 CPU could provide the platform longevity you want while leaving money for the eventual graphics-card upgrade.
My budget is fairly flexible, but I am struggling to justify spending around 700 Canadian dollars on memory alone in some of the bundles I have seen. Since the desktop is almost exclusively for gaming, I am wondering whether a cheaper platform now and a major upgrade in two or three years would be smarter. I currently play at 1080p but expect to replace the GPU and monitor later.