I'm brand new to building PCs and I'm looking to put together a budget-friendly setup to get started. I'm primarily an Xbox player, but I want to see what building a computer is all about. I know prices are pretty high right now, and there's a lot of discussion on which components to choose. I'm particularly curious—how relevant is DDR4 RAM these days? I'm seeing good prices on it. Alternatively, I'm also considering just getting a gaming laptop while I save up for a better setup. I'll be playing games like 'Ready or Not', 'ABI (Arena Breakout Infinite)', and other PC-exclusive FPS games. I'd appreciate any suggestions or insights about DDR4!
4 Answers
DDR4 is still a solid choice for gaming! But if you're considering a laptop, keep in mind that they often require you to stay plugged in for decent performance, and your budget typically goes further with a desktop compared to a laptop. If portability isn’t a big concern, I’d recommend sticking with a PC build instead.
DDR4 is definitely still usable, just make sure to get at least 3200MHz RAM to avoid bottlenecks with higher-end CPUs. Laptops can be an okay option, especially if you find open box deals at places like Best Buy. Just be careful—with prebuilt systems, you might end up overpaying. By the way, what's your budget? Oh, and do you have a Micro Center nearby?
I'm in a similar situation, and from my research, I'm leaning away from DDR4 because you'll eventually need to upgrade your processor and motherboard to switch to DDR5. For your needs, I'd suggest a Ryzen 5 7500X3D, starting with 16GB RAM (upgradable to 32GB), a solid B850 motherboard, and either a 5060 or 9060 XT graphics card, along with a good PSU and a decent 1TB SSD. Laptop prices are inflated right now, and you won’t get the best experience for your money if you don’t need the portability.
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