I'm planning to downsize my current PC into a small-form-factor build, likely using a Dan A4-H2O case, and would appreciate a sanity check on the parts plan. My current system has a Core i9-12900F, ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3070 Gaming OC, 32GB Kingston Fury Beast DDR5, a ROG STRIX LC 360 liquid cooler, an ASUS ROG STRIX B660-F Gaming WiFi motherboard, a Thermaltake Core P3 case, and an ASUS ROG Strix 850W Gold power supply.
I'm considering selling some of these parts and buying the components from my planned parts list instead. I'm based in the UK, so I'm happy to consider used hardware from places such as Facebook Marketplace. Ideally, I'd like to keep the additional cost to around £250 after selling the parts I won't need.
One suggestion was to keep my existing CPU, switch to a DDR4-compatible motherboard, and sell the DDR5 memory to reduce costs. I understand the savings, but I'd prefer to retain DDR5 because it gives me a better upgrade path later. My rough estimate is that I could get around £420 for the components I would sell. Does keeping the DDR5 platform make sense, or would switching to DDR4 be the more sensible value option for this small-form-factor build?
1 Answer
If the priority is keeping the upgrade cost low, the biggest saving would probably come from reusing the 12900F and moving to a DDR4-compatible motherboard. You could then sell the DDR5 kit and avoid replacing the CPU as part of the downsizing process. DDR5 is more modern and gives you a little more flexibility for future upgrades, but the extra cost may not be worthwhile if your main goal is simply getting into a smaller case for about £250 more.
That makes sense from a cost perspective, but I’m hesitant to give up DDR5 because I’d rather keep a more current platform for future upgrades. Based on my estimates, I could recover roughly £420 from the parts I won’t use, so I’m trying to work out whether keeping DDR5 is worth the extra expense.