The more things change, the more they stay the same. It seems there’s always another PC hardware crisis around the corner. When the paper launches of the RTX 50 and RX 90 series gave way to some semblance of normalcy in the market, consumer RAM prices tripled almost overnight. The rising enterprise AI demand and the consequent shift in manufacturing priorities from consumer DRAM to HBM have left PC builders in the lurch. All upgrade plans have been delayed or canceledand reports indicate that this latest memory crisis could stretch well into 2028. PC builders who value platform longevity might not have the luxury of building an AM5 PC for years, but AM4 is still a viable option for a budget gaming rig.
Still using an AM4 PC? Here are 4 reasons not to upgrade to AM5
Table of Contents
Jumping from AM4 to AM5 isn’t always a slam dunk
Blame AI for the skyrocketing RAM prices
The AI bubble is at it again
Each time you use generative AI to create digital art or a brand logo, remember that this is what got us here. The rising demand for AI hardware, including High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), combined with industrial shortages, has virtually blocked access to consumer memory. Manufacturers like SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron have seized the opportunity to maximize benefits, shifting production away from consumer DRAM to HBM, which is faster and more power-efficient, making it suitable for enterprise use. Micron has even closed its consumer arm, Crucial, to focus on enterprise customers. The result is a near-instant tripling (or more) of consumer memory prices, with a 32GB kit of 6,000MT/s going for $350-$450.
No one planning to build a budget AM5 gaming PC will fork out an extra $300 just to go ahead with their plans. Well, some people might, but I don’t recommend that to anyone. AM5 is arguably the best platform to build a gaming PC right now, thanks to the price-to-performance of Zen 4 and Zen 5 CPUs and AMD’s famed platform longevity. However, the new market reality has made it essentially impossible to do that right now, unless you’re fine with burning your money or can’t wait any longer for a new rig. The realistic choices remaining with the average PC builder are to wait it out or consider an alternative platform, and there’s no prize for guessing the best one.
Even DDR4 RAM is overpriced, but it’s the cheaper option
The lesser of two evils
The price history of popular DDR4 kits shows that around 6 months back, you could get a 32GB kit of 3,200–3,600MT/s DDR4 memory for just $50. Today, those kits have crossed $200, showing an over four-fold increase in prices. While that’s terrible, to say the least, a budget PC builder will still save some money going AM4 instead of AM5, not to mention the savings from the cheaper Zen 3 CPUs and motherboards. Even today, you can put together a decent CPU + motherboard + RAM combo on the AM4 platform for less than $450. Compare this to around $700 on AM5, and you see where I’m going with this.
Sure, a Ryzen 5 5600 isn’t as fast as a Ryzen 5 7600but the difference isn’t night and day either. Even the performance difference between DDR4 and DDR5 RAM in gaming isn’t as drastic as to compel people to overspend on an AM5 rig right now. As far as building a budget PC and enjoying 1080p and even 1440p gaming is concerned, you won’t find an AM4 rig lacking in too many areas. After all, the Ryzen 5 5600 paired with the RTX 5060 can deliver 80+ FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p Ultra settings (with ray tracing turned off). This PC can be comfortably built for under $1,000, making it a good deal in the current market.
The memory crisis is a blessing in disguise for AM4’s longevity
AM4 is dead, long live AM4
I don’t think I need to say much about the longevity of AM4. Even when AM5 launched in late 2022, AMD didn’t stop producing new AM4 CPUs. The company released the Ryzen 5 5600F in September 2025, a full three years after AM5 was already on the market. So, it’s clear that AM4 won’t die for a long time. Even if we don’t get any new CPUs on the “dead” platform in 2026, there’s a huge user base still chilling on AM4. Plus, people on older Zen, Zen+, and Zen 2 CPUs will always have the option to upgrade to a stronger Zen 3 (Ryzen 5000) CPU before considering AM5. And that’s probably becoming a more enticing strategy with every passing day as RAM prices continue to rise.
However, coming back to new PC builders, the influx of AM5 hopefuls to AMD’s older platform will only contribute to AM4’s lifespan. More and more people will look to maximize their budget by skipping AM5 in favor of the more affordable AM4 platform. AMD might even seek to capitalize on this trend, and launch a few more AM4 chips in the near future. The company has already brought its 3D V-Cache to chips like the Ryzen 5 5500X3D, Ryzen 5 5600X3D, and Ryzen 7 5700X3D. So, it isn’t averse to keeping the older platform alive by infusing it with something fresh now and then.
No one wants to see the ongoing memory crisis continue for years, but if that’s how long it will take to burst the AI bubble and bring RAM prices back where they belong, PC builders might have no choice but to pick cheaper DDR4 RAM, at least for budget builds.
The RAM crisis means it’s time to go back in time
If you’ve been planning a budget AM5 gaming PC for some time, you’ve kinda missed the bus. As the RAM prices continue to climb, the only somewhat reasonable option is to build an AM4 rig instead. DDR4 RAM, despite being overpriced, is naturally cheaper than DDR5, and can allow you to build a decent budget gaming PC for under $1,000 (Ryzen 5 5600 and RTX 5060). 32GB of DDR4 RAM will last you a long time, and when memory prices come back to normal in a few years, you can decide if upgrading to AM5 is worth it.
