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You probably don't need me to tell you that buying gaming PCs or their components right now is not so fun. Thanks to RAM going through an AI-induced pricing apocalypse and that having knock-on effects for the rest of the tech world, prices of the best gaming PCs are through the roof.
But while most gaming PC configurators have sneakily stuffed DDR4 RAM inside their current-gen entry-level builds, a few machines are staying true to consumers and offering actually good bargains. Newegg is my favorite place to look for gaming PC deals, and it has some prime examples in its May The Fourth Sale.
Meanwhile, other gaming PCs that are under or around a grand are all pushing ahead with DDR4 RAM that's not just going to give you worse gaming performance, but it's actively going to cripple the futureproofing of the PCs you're buying. For those who don't know (first-time PC buyers, ie, the ones looking for this sort of machine), you can't buy DDR5 RAM and install it on a DDR4 motherboard. The physical dimensions of the sticks are different, and so if you buy a DDR4 motherboard, you're stuck with older, slower memory.
You'll also be stuck on an older motherboard socket in the form of the Raptor Lake LGA 1700 Intel platform. That may or may not be getting refreshed CPUs again at some point in the future, but I'm asking what the point of adopting that platform is at the moment if you'd be stuck on a motherboard that wouldn't be able to pair the best RAM for gaming with it that can truly make the most of current-gen processing power.
Most of these PCs can be easily distinguished on their retailer listings by looking for the finer details. Newegg helpfully makes it pretty clear whether you're looking at a DDR5 or DDR4 system, but on other retailers, it might be harder to spot. If you're new to PC shopping, this is something that would be very easy to miss since you'll be looking for the graphics card and processor first and foremost.
I, for one, think every prebuilt listed should be required to detail its specific motherboard in the machine before someone buys it, because arguably it's just as important to know as the CPU and GPU. That's me on a soapbox though, so I digress.
Of course, opting for one of these DDR4 systems is cheaper than the DDR5 builds I've highlighted above, but that extra couple of hundred dollars will be so worth it in the long run. It's the difference of being able to upgrade your RAM and CPU if there's a fault or you find a deal on something that can unleash better performance, and having to buy an entirely new motherboard and start again, rebuilding from scratch. I know which one I'd prefer, even while shopping on a budget.
The only time I'd be hesitantly okay with recommending you a DDR4 system at the moment is if it comes on a hybrid motherboard that has both last-gen and current-gen DIMM slots. Yes, these do exist now. The thing is, they're so rare that there's almost no chance that these prebuilt brands are using them in their machines. I have heard whispers that there are going to be more hybrid motherboards like these hitting the shelves in the years to come, mainly because of the depressing projections that say the current RAM shortages aren't going to begin settling down until at least 2028.
If you are shopping for a new, or even your first gaming PC at the moment, you don't even need to go for the ones I've highlighted above. I do think these are good deals that I'd recommend to you, but they can also just serve as examples that you don't need to limit yourself to a DDR4 system at the moment, simply because you're working with a lesser budget. DDR5 PC deals are still out there, and even if you need to pay a little more for them, they're worth saving an extra month or two for.
Want to learn more about PC parts before you buy? Read up on the best CPU for gaming, the best graphics card, and the best SSD for gaming.
