I'm still on AM4 and have no plans (or need) to upgrade. 5700x3d, 6900XT, 32GB of 4000MHz DDR4.

efikkanIf reusing spare DDR4 memory is the core motivation here, then those who suggest it should preface it with that, instead of leading uninformed and "panicked" gamers down a path which will sacrifice lots of performance and features in order to save a potentially minor cost.

Because sacrificing some performance for a considerable reduction in price is unheard of, even in places like Latin America, Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe, right? :rolleyes:

We get it, only the top of the top of the highest high end satisfies your web browsing needs, so AM4 is not for you. It doesn't mean it isn't for anyone else, though.

ToTTenTranzThe Zen3 5500 is currently #2 in Amazon's best selling CPUs and the 5800X is #6. Even without X3D models, the demand is already way above "some edge cases".

Isn't the 5500 like the last binned silicon of Zen3? Going further I don't see any 4c/8t parts.
A bountiful number of these are likely the natural conclusion of waiting too long on prices.
All the higher end parts have been snatched up and their resale value has a hefty premium.
I don't need a 5900X, 5800X3D, 5700X3D or 5700G but creators still daily them for a reason.
I'll wait a bit longer for something cool to drop to $150-200ish like I did with Phenom to FX.

DaemonForceIsn't the 5500 like the last binned silicon of Zen3?

It's basically a lower clocked 5600G with a disabled iGPU.

Best thing AMD can do now is get more 5000 series chips out.

Wonder if my 2600X go up in value now.

An iGPU that could have gone towards duty like rendering a compositor or just a basic display out in a retired system that shouldn't have a dGPU...Yeah pass.
I get that people will gripe about DDR4 availability even now. I'm just practicing meaningful consumption. If an upgrade sits within single digit %, not worth it.
If it's a low +10-20% that might be worth a look. The issue is getting that performance to translate into whatever hardware change that helps justify purchase.
Memory had a really good run between Samsung B die and Micron E die batches that sold out almost immediately. I stuck to Micron kits and they're the best.
The problem with memory upgrades in a period where AI is snatching up everything is this steady encroachment where even weird/old stuff gets snatched up.

If I tried to piecemeal this system today with single stick kits, it's good but not great.


That's the first dozen DDR4-3200 kits on the market. Beyond the first few, it gets ugly fast. Single sided memory, no heatspreaders, it's a no go zone.
Also the price on that bare Crucial stick is holding on for dear life. You know this is probably the last time we're ever going to see that one again.
But in terms of choosing a lane like the GPU enthusiasts that have a schizm between resolution and framerate, there is some of that here too.
I see people opting for large capacity but low speed ~2400ish or trying to max out their IF with fast memory that tops out between 8-16GB total.
We are regressing.

I have a similar issue with CPU because I'm on a 3600, it's well rounded for everything but creator workloads and screenshare makes it fall off a bit.
Situations where I need high core count or games where it would benefit from high core clock or early X3D technology don't translate well in charts.
We don't have very good creator benchmarks outside PCMark stuff and I use UserBenchmark to very liberally salt that field.
There's also the thing where late EOL upgrades should fetch really powerful hardware at a good price and I just don't see it.
Maybe I expect too much like a 5900X at 3900X prices but my reasoning for waiting on that is a complicated mixed bag.
The only reason to make that jump is to handle the kind of workload I mentioned. If you're just desktop gaming, it's fine.
If you're a streamer, editor, artist, some kind of busy collaborator with a bunch of equipment and heavy software, it's rough.

@DaemonForce Yeah, situation over DDR4 is getting dire everywhere. I, myself, had to resort to getting two 8GB sticks (instead of a 2x8 kit) of a relatively basic XPG 3200CL16 at $75 for my brother who's still on AM3+ due to my parents' AM2+ being absolutely molasses slow nowadays (they'll then get the Vishera). At least the XPG sticks have simple heatspreaders, they ain't bare, and I expect them to use some sort of Micron chips.

The best part is I'm seeing thumbs of old "Treasurebox" style recycled office PCs infusing hopium into this mess.



SFF and of course bunk ass bare memory stick. Not looking too bad these days is it?
Of course I run older AM2/AM3+ stuff to access and move data around the network.
In cases when I need actual work done those Dell SFF PCs look like great alternatives.
Old prebuilts might be undervalued because people won't learn to pick their battles.
Most of them are about as effective as my FX rack, which is just desktop components.

ToTTenTranzIt's "panicked gamers" who are begging for AMD to start selling X3D Zen3 CPUs again. Not sure who you're trying to protect here.

Protecting from bad advice, making sure people are making informed decisions instead of following the trending advice blindly.

ToTTenTranzAMD will resume Zen3 X3D production if it's profitable to them, period.

In case you aren't aware; the X3D dies are primarily made for super expensive Epyc CPUs, where the lower quality ones are used for consumer CPUs, that's how they manage to "subsidize" wasting a whole wafer just for cache. They probably aren't making a lot of Zen 3 Epycs any more, if at all, so if they were to make more cache dies now just for Ryzen, the added price per CPU will be substantially higher.
Also considering they probably would have to sacrifice wafers which could be used to make CPUs, this would be not profitable for AMD. These wafers are probably better spent on replacements and upgrades for those really wanting to upgrade their existing AM4 CPU.

ToTTenTranzWafer allocation is booked years in advance (actually more like a year AFAIK), but wafer setup isn't.

They can use wafers however they want, but the vast majority are reserved/allocated before even the production line or factory is built, that's how the factory finance it.
If they want to increase their allocation, they have to buy the remaining capacity, or purchase it from someone who are willing to sell theirs.

ToTTenTranz$800 might actually make sense for e.g. a 5950X3D, for people who want/need lots of RAM and already have lots of DDR4.

You know I was talking of the 5800X3D,
but fine, +$400 on whichever model you want. ;)

ToTTenTranzIn 4 to 5 months, RAM is probably even more expensive than it is now. Best estimates point to prices "stabilizing" in Q3 and only then they'll go down.

Nobody knows. But by then DDR4 is probably going to be even more scarce than it already is.

ToTTenTranzDefine "a little longer".

However long it takes to make a meaningful upgrade.
If their current system is okay, then spending hundreds of dollars for ~10% is probably wasteful.

DaemonForceThat's the first dozen DDR4-3200 kits on the market. Beyond the first few, it gets ugly fast. Single sided memory, no heatspreaders, it's a no go zone.
<snip>
There's also the thing where late EOL upgrades should fetch really powerful hardware at a good price and I just don't see it.
Maybe I expect too much like a 5900X at 3900X prices but my reasoning for waiting on that is a complicated mixed bag.
The only reason to make that jump is to handle the kind of workload I mentioned. If you're just desktop gaming, it's fine.
If you're a streamer, editor, artist, some kind of busy collaborator with a bunch of equipment and heavy software, it's rough.

Yes, the selection of DDR4 is drying up fast.
Back in 2024 when I was upgrading a system, the selection was vast, but last summer when I was replacing/upgrading for a couple of systems, the selection was already very slim, and that was before all the current nonsense.

Expecting to find the best OC memory to match the IF and squeezing out those few extra percent for a cheap AM4 build is probably not very realistic. As time goes by, the remaining selection of DDR4 sticks are going to be predominantly plain standard JEDEC speed ones.

Won't Upgrade my 5950X that cost 850 dollars new with tax, MB 500 dollars ,4 kits of RAM 3600CL16 4X8- G-SKILL / 3600CL15 2X8 G-SKILL B-DIE / Patrot Viper Steel crown jewel of the set 4000CL16 4x8 B-Die / Corsair Vengeance 4600CL18 4X16 Micron - ALL NEW KITS TOTAL 700+ TAX , the cost was a Investment ,but had no idea it was ,and glad I didn't sell theme !

My 4060 bout to bet real good

EsaT(also in time of Abit BP6 memory controller was on mobo and not in CPU itself)

Yep, for AMD, the last on-motherboard RAM controller, was on socket 462. On Intel, it was socket 775.