Question Longevity and DDR4 ?

[Zograf]

Greetings! I have one dilemma: Shall I upgrade now or shall I wait? My current configuration is:

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-AX370-Gaming (rev. 1.x)
PSU: Chieftec Element 600s (600W)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600x (not overclocked)
GPU: ASUS Dual OC GTX 1060 (6GB)
RAM: 4x8GB HyperX Fury 3200MHz
SSD: HyperX Fury Renegade 1TB
HDD: Seagate BarraCuda 3.5" 2TB
CPU cooler: LC Power LC-CC-120-RGB (advertised for up to 150 TDP)
Case: MS Industrial Spectrum with 5 Arctic P120 fans (3 intake, 1 exhaust, 1 as 2nd CPU cooler fan-also set as exhaust)

So far the PC has worked fine. Had several instances of BSOD, but it has subsided after SSD replacement. All components are from 2018 except SSD, 2x8GB RAM, CPU Cooler and fans. SSD was replaced because the old one's sectors got corrupted. Other components were added/replaced becase I found them for a good price 2-3 years ago.

What I would like to achieve: Being able to use this PC smoothly, for next few years (Windows 10 and after its support is terminated, Windows 11) for, mostly, general purpose tasks and maybe some gaming (spending as little money as possible. Shocking! I know...).
Pretty sure that all I would need to replace is CPU with something like Ryzen 5 5600x, for general purpose tasks. It would also help with some games that I sometimes play. For many other games, I would simply need a much stronger GPU.

Why am I here? Well, this part... I am not really sure how to structure. I guess my main concearn is do PC components deteriorate over time? I suppose this might sound stupid, but nothing lasts forever (except maybe RAM :^) ). I am also concearned with Windows 11's support for DDR4 platform. Not really concearned with if the system is going to run, but are programs running on Windows 11 going to be optimized enough for DDR4? Therefore:

• Shall I replace components like Motherboard (with updated DDR4 version of it) and PSU? (There is also an advantage here in getting faster PCIe slots. Although, I am not really sure how much that really improves the performance?)
• Shall I save that money for completely new DDR5 PC?
• Or shall I leave current components as they are and add/replace those that influence the performance mostly (CPU and GPU) and what would be the best options?

If you have any other option in mind, please, do tell.

Thank you in advance. ♥

 

[Lafong]

Offhand.....I wouldn't let the DDR 4 or 5 choice be the controlling factor. I wouldn't go to a DDR 5 platform simply because it was available. There is a performance difference, but it isn't huge. It's rank guesswork to predict when your RAM or any of your other components will fail.

DDR 4 compatible motherboards will be harder to find in new condition as time passes.

If you have to (or merely want to) replace your motherboard for whatever reason, I would certainly take that as the time to go to DDR 5. That could be tomorrow or in 10 years or?? Of course, I have no idea how itchy you are to upgrade. If you have a strong urge, then maybe rationality takes a back seat.

 

[SkyNetRising]

my main concearn is do PC components deteriorate over time?

If you overclock them, then yes. With normal stock settings - not likely.
Though ...
PSU may loose performance with old age.
Other components like mechanical hard drives, ssds, fans - can simply die without any prior warning.

I am also concearned with Windows 11's support for DDR4 platform.
but are programs running on Windows 11 going to be optimized enough for DDR4?

No. It doesn't work like that.
Windows doesn't care, if you have DDR4 or DDR5.
Windows 10, for example, runs perfectly fine even on DDR3 system.

There is also an advantage here in getting faster PCIe slots. Although, I am not really sure how much that really improves the performance?

Zero to minimal difference.

Shall I save that money for completely new DDR5 PC?

If you want to, then sure.
But since cost is a major concern for you, I wouldn't.

Or shall I leave current components as they are and add/replace those that influence the performance mostly (CPU and GPU)
and what would be the best options?

Yes. That would seem to be a more sensible option.
Options depend on particular issues, you're having with your current system and
your budget limitations.

 

[bill001g]

This all depends on what you use your computer for and if it is meets your needs. If you buy a new computer will you be able to do something when you get it that you can not do today.

Resist the marketing and pressure from all your friends bragging about their new computers.

A computer in the end is a tool. I have a hammer that is more than 20 years old. I might want a air nailer but do really "need" one.

The best thing is to read sites like this and keep your brain updated with the new technology. When you computer fails or it is too slow to do what you want then you will be all set to make a educated choice on a new machine.

 

[Satan-IR]

I personally would leave the shift from DDR4 to DDR5 to the time I would want to upgrade or th time I have to because for example the motherboard dies or something that forces me to make the change before I want to. If you're on a budget I would hold the change for now.

Why am I here? Well, this part... I am not really sure how to structure. I guess my main concearn is do PC components deteriorate over time?

Yes they do, like all electric and electronic components, they age and die. Some sooner like storage drives and some usuallt take a long time to break like CPU and RAM (if they were not faulty to begin with). If user pushes them beyond safe margins (heavy overcloking which requires higher voltages ) the load the the resulting heat will kill them sooner than the MTBF.

On the same note, one of the things that age sooner and under load and lose some of their juice with every passing year is the PSU. Their deterioration is faster and worse if their not very good quality to begin with.

I'm not quite sure about your model but Chieftec has been known to make some low quality and some abysmal models throughout the years. Yes they have some good models like PowerPlay and Polaris.

I would replace that PSU with a good quality one soon and as you plan to keep the PC for a few years I would get a good quality unit with a 7-10 year warranty. You can also consider the headroom you might need later now and get a 750-850W unit that you can use when you upgrade to a new platform. If it is ATX 3.0 compatible it's a bonus as far as 'future-proofing' is concered.

 

[Eximo]

I would probably go ahead and get a 5700X since that is likely the last upgrade you are going to do with that board. You probably don't need the 12 or 16 cores of the bigger chips, but 8 cores isn't priced out of reach.

Chieftec makes both good and terrible power supplies. That one is a 550W (realistically) Bronze unit. Single rail with a two year warranty. Probably not the best, but okay with a relatively light system. Might be worth pre-emptively replacing it for something with a 7-10 year warranty and a gold rating.

 

[DSzymborski]

Yeah, this is a pretty cheap group-regulated PSU. I'd only think about putting more money into this rig if at least an upgrade to a decent budget PSU was going to happen.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

I concur. Replace the power supply with a good unit, then do a bios update on your system and grab the 5700x, pick up a 5700x3d or 5800x3d if you have the cash, but the 5700x is relatively inexpensive and is probably the last cpu you’ll be putting in that board.

From there you can swap the gpu. You may not be getting a 4090 or something but a 7900gre or similar card would probably pair nicely with that new cpu to give a few more years.

 

[Zograf]

Offhand.....I wouldn't let the DDR 4 or 5 choice be the controlling factor. I wouldn't go to a DDR 5 platform simply because it was available. There is a performance difference, but it isn't huge. It's rank guesswork to predict when your RAM or any of your other components will fail.

DDR 4 compatible motherboards will be harder to find in new condition as time passes.

If you have to (or merely want to) replace your motherboard for whatever reason, I would certainly take that as the time to go to DDR 5. That could be tomorrow or in 10 years or?? Of course, I have no idea how itchy you are to upgrade. If you have a strong urge, then maybe rationality takes a back seat.

Thank you for your reply. Well, I don't think I would post this on 5 different forums if rationality took a back seat.

 

[Zograf]

If you overclock them, then yes. With normal stock settings - not likely.
Though ...
PSU may loose performance with old age.
Other components like mechanical hard drives, ssds, fans - can simply die without any prior warning.

No. It doesn't work like that.
Windows doesn't care, if you have DDR4 or DDR5.
Windows 10, for example, runs perfectly fine even on DDR3 system.

Zero to minimal difference.

If you want to, then sure.
But since cost is a major concern for you, I wouldn't.

Yes. That would seem to be a more sensible option.
Options depend on particular issues, you're having with your current system and
your budget limitations.

Thank you for your reply. Happy to hear all of that. Well, I would like to have beefier CPU and GPU, but would really like to avoid changing PSU. What would be your recommendation? Do you think I should indeed change the PSU anyway, because of its age?

 

[Zograf]

This all depends on what you use your computer for and if it is meets your needs. If you buy a new computer will you be able to do something when you get it that you can not do today.

Resist the marketing and pressure from all your friends bragging about their new computers.

A computer in the end is a tool. I have a hammer that is more than 20 years old. I might want a air nailer but do really "need" one.

The best thing is to read sites like this and keep your brain updated with the new technology. When you computer fails or it is too slow to do what you want then you will be all set to make a educated choice on a new machine.

Thank you for your reply. Well, I do agree with you. I don't reallt feel pressure from the outside, I was just afraid of things not functioning the way they did for aformentioned reasons. If I wanteed to beef up the CPU and GPU department, what would be your recommendation?

 

[CelicaGT]

Thank you for your reply. Happy to hear all of that. Well, I would like to have beefier CPU and GPU, but would really like to avoid changing PSU. What would be your recommendation? Do you think I should indeed change the PSU anyway, because of its age?

The PSU is the single most important piece of hardware in your build, but never gets the respect it deserves. Why? Because generally it has no visible impact on performance. Why is it so important? It can fail, sometimes in a spectacular fashion, but often just snuffs out. Often times it takes some other, very expensive hardware with it. Get a good one, replace it when it gets old.

 

[Zograf]

I personally would leave the shift from DDR4 to DDR5 to the time I would want to upgrade or th time I have to because for example the motherboard dies or something that forces me to make the change before I want to. If you're on a budget I would hold the change for now.


Yes they do, like all electric and electronic components, they age and die. Some sooner like storage drives and some usuallt take a long time to break like CPU and RAM (if they were not faulty to begin with). If user pushes them beyond safe margins (heavy overcloking which requires higher voltages ) the load the the resulting heat will kill them sooner than the MTBF.

On the same note, one of the things that age sooner and under load and lose some of their juice with every passing year is the PSU. Their deterioration is faster and worse if their not very good quality to begin with.

I'm not quite sure about your model but Chieftec has been known to make some low quality and some abysmal models throughout the years. Yes they have some good models like PowerPlay and Polaris.

I would replace that PSU with a good quality one soon and as you plan to keep the PC for a few years I would get a good quality unit with a 7-10 year warranty. You can also consider the headroom you might need later now and get a 750-850W unit that you can use when you upgrade to a new platform. If it is ATX 3.0 compatible it's a bonus as far as 'future-proofing' is concered.

Thank you for your advice. I am aware of that, but changing the PSU in my PC is a big inconvenience because of the cable work...although I guess it is better than losing everything. Taking the same line of thinking, should I replace the motherboard or wait until it goes belly up? I am asking because I can do it for a difference of 50€ish, once I sell mine.

 

[Zograf]

I would probably go ahead and get a 5700X since that is likely the last upgrade you are going to do with that board. You probably don't need the 12 or 16 cores of the bigger chips, but 8 cores isn't priced out of reach.

Chieftec makes both good and terrible power supplies. That one is a 550W (realistically) Bronze unit. Single rail with a two year warranty. Probably not the best, but okay with a relatively light system. Might be worth pre-emptively replacing it for something with a 7-10 year warranty and a gold rating.

Thank you for your reply. Can PSU fry the whole system?

 

[Zograf]

Yeah, this is a pretty cheap group-regulated PSU. I'd only think about putting more money into this rig if at least an upgrade to a decent budget PSU was going to happen.

Thank you for your reply. What would be good budget PSUs in your opinion?

 

[Zograf]

I concur. Replace the power supply with a good unit, then do a bios update on your system and grab the 5700x, pick up a 5700x3d or 5800x3d if you have the cash, but the 5700x is relatively inexpensive and is probably the last cpu you’ll be putting in that board.

From there you can swap the gpu. You may not be getting a 4090 or something but a 7900gre or similar card would probably pair nicely with that new cpu to give a few more years.

Thank you for your reply. What would you recommended PSU be?
Honestly, I have never even thought of putting something that beefy as GPU. I was thinking about 4070 and its variants or 7800XT.

 

[CelicaGT]

Thank you for your reply. Can PSU fry the whole system?

In my experience it's typically the motherboard, sometimes the GPU. I've haven't yet seen a CPU or RAM failed but I have seen some HDDs and SSD that need to be recovered.

 

[Zograf]

The PSU is the single most important piece of hardware in your build, but never gets the respect it deserves. Why? Because generally it has no visible impact on performance. Why is it so important? It can fail, sometimes in a spectacular fashion, but often just snuffs out. Often times it takes some other, very expensive hardware with it. Get a good one, replace it when it gets old.

Okay, you've got me properly paranoid now. What would you recommend as PSU? Are they generally built in standard sizes? Asking, because if I would buy a really good one now, I would probably want to transfer it to the new PC that I am going to build sometime in the next 5 years.

 

[Zograf]

In my experience it's typically the motherboard, sometimes the GPU. I've haven't yet seen a CPU or RAM failed but I have seen some HDDs and SSD that need to be recovered.

Thank you very much!

 

[CelicaGT]

Okay, you've got me properly paranoid now. What would you recommend as PSU? Are they generally built in standard sizes? Asking, because if I would buy a really good one now, I would probably want to transfer it to the new PC that I am going to build sometime in the next 5 years.

Standard sizes yes, capacity is based on your systems power requirements. Tom's has a good list here. Myself, I use a Corsair RM750x which is quite well regarded.

Tom's Hardware guide:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-psus,4229.html

 

[ohio_buckeye]

I’ve got the Corsair rmx 850. Good unit. A bit pricey but it’s been a solid unit so far.

 

[Zograf]

Standard sizes yes, capacity is based on your systems power requirements. Tom's has a good list here. Myself, I use a Corsair RM750x which is quite well regarded.

Tom's Hardware guide:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-psus,4229.html

Yeah, I have seen that guide. Thank you, but let me ask you one more thing. Those PSU's that have 7 year+ warranty, are they really going to be as strong 7 years in as in the beginning?

 

[Zograf]

I’ve got the Corsair rmx 850. Good unit. A bit pricey but it’s been a solid unit so far.

Well, for the price of a CPU, it better be. Jokes aside, if power consumption does not increase significantly you should be able to use it for a really long time. Thank you.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Yeah it’s just about the right size in my build I think. I5 12600kf, z690 board 32gb ddr4 abs a 6800xt. I think I’d be a little afraid to ask much more of that psu just because I’ve probably got it close to loaded and considering that it’s now around 3 years old.

 

[35below0]

Most of your questions have been answered. I'll just add this:

Your decision on whether to stick with DDR4 ram or use DDR5 comes down largely to gaming needs. DDR5 is faster but it does come with higher latency, and that can be a dealbreaker when gaming.

Building a new PC today, i would say it almost makes no difference which generation of RAM you use, with a few exceptions like latency. You'll probably find more modern motherboards with DDR5, but there are still good options when buying DDR4 motherboards.


As for longevity, i have a 12 year old DDR3 kit still ticking over nicely. And that PC was almost never turned off.
RAM and CPUs will tend to last foerever unless overclocked!