I'm 16 and have about €900 for a gaming PC, not including peripherals. I plan to use integrated graphics for roughly four months, then buy a used RTX 3080 for around €275. I mainly play Satisfactory, Factorio, and heavily modded Minecraft at 1440p, often with large factories or megabases, so strong CPU performance matters. I'm deciding between a cheaper AM4 build that would let me afford the graphics card sooner and an AM5 build that costs more now but should provide a better upgrade path. I'm located in the Netherlands and would like advice on the best value, including whether 16GB or 32GB of RAM makes more sense.
3 Answers
Don’t choose a newer graphics card solely because it is new. A used RTX 3080 around €275 can offer excellent 1440p performance, provided it has been tested and the power supply is good enough. If buying new, a card with 16GB of VRAM may be a better long-term choice than an 8GB model, but that could delay the purchase and make the rest of the build harder to balance.
With a strict €900 budget, AM4 is the easier route because the motherboard and DDR4 memory are cheaper. However, AM4 processors with integrated graphics are generally weaker than the regular desktop CPUs, so the temporary integrated-graphics period won’t be ideal. Also, make sure the exact CPU you want is actually available; some of the newer X3D AM4 chips can be difficult or expensive to find.
AM5 is the more sensible long-term platform if you can fit it into the budget. A Ryzen 7000-series X3D processor gives you integrated graphics for basic use until the RTX 3080, and AM5 leaves room for future CPU upgrades. I would avoid building around only 1x16GB if possible: 32GB as a matched 2x16GB kit is much better for modded Minecraft and large Factorio or Satisfactory saves, while also enabling dual-channel memory.
Related Questions
Lenovo Thinkpad Stuck In Update Loop Install FilterDriverU2_Reload