I built my current PC in 2018: a ROG B360-F motherboard, Core i5-8400, GTX 1070 Ti, and 16GB of DDR4-2666 memory. It still handles the games I currently play, but I would like to catch up on games I have missed and hopefully play GTA 6 at 1080p when the PC version arrives.
I originally considered spending up to €2,000, but current component prices have made me rethink that. I plan to reuse my ATX case and possibly three existing hard drives, so I may only need a motherboard, CPU, GPU, and perhaps a power supply. My current 600W unit failed, and I am temporarily using an old 450W generic unit, which obviously may need replacing.
Would it make sense to keep my existing DDR4 and move to something like a B550 motherboard with a Ryzen 7 5800X3D, or would I be better off starting with a newer DDR5 platform? I am also considering a midrange graphics card such as a 5060 or 5060 Ti 16GB rather than spending heavily on a high-end card. I do not need ultra settings or 200 FPS, and I probably will not upgrade again for several years.
4 Answers
Before choosing a platform, check the price of 32GB of DDR4-3200 or faster. Your 2666MHz kit will work, but it is fairly slow by modern standards, and replacing it with 2x16GB would be worthwhile. If an AM4 build is only slightly cheaper than DDR5, I would take the newer platform. AM4 makes more sense if you can find the motherboard and CPU used at a substantial discount.
With a budget close to €2,000, I would price out a complete DDR5 build before committing to AM4: a current gaming CPU, 32GB of DDR5, a solid motherboard, a dependable power supply, and the strongest GPU that fits afterward. For a 1080p target, dropping to a cheaper graphics card and keeping more money available for the platform is perfectly reasonable. Reusing the case and storage can help, but check the drives' health and remember that an SSD will make the system feel much better than older hard drives.
For 1080p, you probably do not need a 5070 Ti-class card. Put some of the budget into a reliable power supply first, since a generic 450W unit is not something I would pair with a new GPU. A quality 650–850W model, depending on the graphics card, is a much safer foundation. Replacing the 1070 Ti with a good midrange card may be enough without rebuilding the entire system.
The 2666MHz memory is usable, but I would not spend premium money on a high-end GPU while keeping an old CPU, slow RAM, and an unreliable power supply. Balance the whole system instead.
The 5800X3D is still a capable gaming CPU, but buying a new AM4 motherboard and CPU at current prices is not especially attractive when you do not already own an AM4 board. Compare the total cost against a newer DDR5 setup rather than focusing only on reusing the memory. A modern six-core gaming CPU, 32GB of DDR5, and a sensible midrange GPU may give you a better upgrade path.
A cheaper DDR5 system does not need premium memory timings. A 6000MT/s kit with looser timings is usually fine if it saves a meaningful amount, and the money is better spent on the graphics card or power supply.