I'm in the process of building my first PC and I've already purchased an RTX 3080 graphics card. Now I'm torn between going with the AM4 platform while waiting for AMD's next-gen AM5 or AM6, or jumping in now and spending more on DDR5 RAM and an AM5 motherboard. I have an additional budget of about $700 for my build, excluding the GPU and PSU. I'm open to used parts except for storage and case. What should I do?
5 Answers
I decided not to wait since prices are unpredictable right now. I picked up a 7800X3D with 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and it’s been performing incredibly well. Plus, AM6 hasn't even been announced yet, so I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it!
Why wait when you can enjoy your gaming setup now? Build what suits you today and consider future upgrades as they come out!
Totally agree! Plus, you'll probably want to upgrade again before AM6 anyway.
Ask yourself if you really need to upgrade right now. Keep an eye on your CPU and RAM usage while gaming. You may find your current setup is good enough for now, and you can always upgrade later if needed.
With $700 left, you can get a solid combo on Newegg for a motherboard and 16GB of DDR5 for around $229. If you grab a Ryzen 5 9600X for about $200, that still leaves you with some budget for a case and storage. You could definitely make an AM5 setup work without waiting!
AM6 isn't likely until 2028 or later. If you really need to build now, I’d recommend going with AM4. Since you're open to used parts, you can find great deals there. The current AM4 chips are still very capable and can give you solid performance for gaming.
Some people think AM6 might not come until 2027, so that's quite a wait!