Examining DDR4 PC build options in 2026 — With high DDR5 prices, a PC build with DDR4 is worth considering, especially if you have RAM you can carry over from a previous build

Now might be one of the worst times ever to build a new PC. Not only are GPU prices climbing, particularly at the high-end, but the RAM and NAND pricing apocalypse has pushed memory and storage — two components that are traditionally among the cheapest in many builds — to new highs. That makes building a new PC from scratch with DDR5 particularly tough right now. Upgrading, though, is a different story. If you have an old kit of DDR4 kicking around, and maybe an SSD, you can make a substantial upgrade to your PC without shelling out for insanely priced hardware right now.

We’ve put together two builds based on the latest chipset and processors that support DDR4, from both AMD and Intel. Intel certainly has the edge, as it supported DDR4 all the way up to its last-gen Raptor Lake Refresh chips. AMD stopped supporting DDR4 with Zen 3, and if it weren’t for some well-timed refreshes a couple of years back, you probably wouldn’t be able to find Zen 3 chips at all. If you have RAM and a decent CPU already, now is the time to buy a new video card, as prices are expected to further increase over the coming months. A modern Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB balances budget and performance at 1080p, and even into 1440p.

Unfortunately, DDR4 builds are effectively a dead end. AMD moved past AM4 and DDR4 a few years back, and Intel abandoned DDR4 as it sunset the LGA1700 socket. However, these builds set you up for a full platform upgrade in the future. You might not be able to drop in a new CPU, but you’ll at least have all the other components you need once RAM pricing is under control.

DDR4 Intel Build

Although a Z-series chipset is ideal to give you the full performance of the chip, there aren’t a lot of options available. Most Z-series motherboards still available at reasonable prices only support DDR5. For the few Z-series motherboards that have DDR4 support, you can expect to spend north of $250.

Along with the CPU, we chose the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120, both because of how inexpensive it is and because it’s one of the best CPU coolers. Raptor Lake Refresh is known for getting hot, but that’s less of an issue for a chip like the Core i5-14600KF.

For the GPU, we’re going with the Gigabyte Windforce OC RTX 5060 Ti 16GB. This card has more than enough grunt for 1080p, and it can scale up to 1440p with its 16GB frame buffer and a little help from DLSS 4 (and even the newer DLSS 4.5). If you can spend around $150 more, the RTX 5070 is available for true 1440p sweet spot, or you can go with the AMD RX 9070 XT, which is currently our top pick for the best graphics card.

Rounding out the build is an inexpensive Montech XR midtower that posted solid thermal performance in our Montech XR Wood review (this version is $10 cheaper and ditches the wood but is otherwise identical). We also chose the Crucial P310 for its solid pricing and performance, along with the ASRock Steel Legend SL-850G, mainly due to the price and because it’s fully modular.

DDR4 AMD Build

The full build at Newegg when we wrote this was $1,262.84. For the money, you get the latest-gen AM4 processor, in this case a Ryzen 7 5800XT with an 8c/16t configuration and a max boost of 4.8 GHz. Priced at $219.99, the CPU isn’t a great deal (it sold as low as $124.99 previously), as people are already looking for DDR4/AM4 upgrades or new systems. Worse yet, for gamers, AM4 X3D options are either sold out at popular e-tailers, or third-party vendors are charging significantly higher prices. If you want a 5800X3D today, a third-party seller on Newegg has you covered…for over $600 (MSRP at launch was $450). Yikes.

We paired the Ryzen 7 5800XT with the budget-friendly Asus TUF Gaming B550-Plus Wi-Fi ($119.99). This motherboard supports 3000- and 5000-series processors (including 4/5000 G series), offers PCIe 4.0, dual M.2 sockets (one PCIe 4.0, one PCIe 3.0), and six SATA ports. Connectivity includes 2.5 GbE, Wi-Fi 6E, and eight rear USB ports, including a 10 Gbps Type-C. It utilizes the Realtek ALX897 audio solution and has robust power delivery for compatible CPUs.

We also chose Gigabyte’s RTX 5060 Ti Windforce OC 16G for this budget AM4 build (or upgrade) for its ample VRAM, important for the future, and solid 1080p performance across a wide variety of games, even AAA titles. The dual-fan solution should keep things running cool and quiet, and its all-black look blends in with most build themes.

For RAM, we stuck with the same 32GB from the Intel build, so you can have the best experience possible. We chose Patriots’ Viper Steel DDR4-3200 (2x16GB CL16) for the capacity, tight timings, and ‘low’ price of $172.99. You can go faster, but this is a budget build, and you generally wouldn’t notice the difference. Save the money here for spending elsewhere.

Storage-wise, Patriot’s Viper VP4300 1TB PCIe 4x4 fits the bill at $139.99. The drive uses DRAM cache for quick bursts, and lists speeds up to 7,400/6,100 MB/s R/W for longer transfers, which is plenty fast for loading your games and applications quickly. You can use SATA-based SSDs or hard drives for additional storage at a lower price per TB if necessary.

The machine is powered by an ASRock Steel Legend SL-850G 80Plus Gold (Cybenetics Platinum) 850W power supply. This mid-range unit supports ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 standards, including a native 600W 12V-2x6 cable. At under $90, this 'future-proof' PSU is backed by a 10-year warranty.

We selected the Montech X3 Mesh (black) case ($69.90), which includes six preinstalled, fixed-lighting RGB fans for excellent airflow. The chassis supports ITX to E-ATX motherboards, multiple drives, PSUs up to 160mm, coolers up to 160mm, and GPUs up to 305mm. A side-swivel tempered glass panel provides easy access and displays the internals. For under $70, it’s a good-looking RGB case with ample space and cooling for high-performance components.

Conclusion

As you can see, building a new gaming PC today using DDR4 can get you plenty of performance for the money – and all the more so if you have RAM you can carry over from a previous system. Intel’s i5-1400KF and AMD’s 5800XT are formidable processors by nearly all measures. They’ll game and do well with most highly threaded work, too. Nvidia’s RTX 5060Ti 16G is arguably one of the better price-to-performance-to-VRAM ratio cards around, doing well at 1080p, and even stretching its legs to 1440p if you choose.

While these systems aren’t the pinnacle of DDR4-based PCs, they are full, well-rounded builds from Intel and AMD. Swap in your existing RAM and/or storage where you can, to help you get even more out of your build budget.

AMD and Intel have both moved past DDR4 at this point, so some element of building a DDR4-based PC is based on what’s available, not necessarily what’s objectively best. With that in mind, also check your local Micro Center and Best Buy, particularly when it comes to CPUs and motherboards. You might be able to score a deal if you shop at a local retailer.