Surprise! DDR3 isn’t dead—and it might be the budget PC gaming answer you need

Go again to DDR4 due to reminiscence shortages? Nah. That’s too new.

DIY builders are already making do with older {hardware}. Many are squeezing extra life out of AM4 techniques—constructing newer configs round present DDR4 reminiscence kits. But the true champions? They’re kicking all of it the way in which again to DDR3.

When I first heard news about this final week, it appeared a novelty. Something being completed midway throughout the globe, in a market totally different than my very own. But because it seems, you’ll be able to really run Cyberpunk 2077 at about 60fps on an overclocked Core i7-4790Ok, RTX 2060 Super, and 32GB DDR3-1866 RAM.

YouTuber RandomGaminginHD pulled Intel’s venerable Devil’s Canyon again into fee, simply to see the way it holds up in 2026. And surprisingly, it does fairly nicely—Team Blue’s 2014 flagship processor can nonetheless deal with trendy AAA video games, with common benchmark outcomes hovering close to or exceeding 60 fps in Balder’s Gate 3, Battlefield 6, Counter-Strike 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Fortnite, GTA 5, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, and Red Dead Redemption 2. Most of the video games had been examined with High presets or textures, with another settings downgraded to Medium to coax out this degree of efficiency.

Does this imply I’ll instantly mud off my very own Devil’s Canyon system and put it again in service? Actually, sure—for causes I feel many fellow fans will perceive. RandomGaminginHD’s findings present positives, but additionally 1 p.c and 0.1 p.c lows that considerably drop from the common. (Fortnite posted 115.2 fps on common, however 1 p.c and 0.1 p.c lows of 40 fps and 20.1 fps, respectively.) I’d prefer to remind myself how that feels earlier than I begin making deeper-cut suggestions to buddies, and even gifting away my older techniques.

I’ve already been fielding questions on what to improve and when to improve. Some have hunkered down. Others need to assist get their children into PC gaming however aren’t certain the place to begin or if they’ll afford it. Many of you doing casual tech help will most likely find yourself doling out recommendation within the coming months, too. 

But not all of us nonetheless have a full vary of older {hardware} to check out with newer video games. For that motive, I admire this route of protection from the DIY constructing neighborhood—a pleasant approach to make lemonade out of lemons.

The people who will maintain placing within the work to dig out outdated {hardware}, they’re going to be amongst our DIY heroes for the close to future. Letting us know which trendy video games we will play on varied old-school configurations, what settings to tune to cut back spikey body charges, and the way far again we will go if somebody is focusing on their backlog as a substitute of the most recent and biggest. (A really reasonable possibility, given what number of nice video games have launched over the past decade alone.)

Because you recognize what? I’m utilizing this information proper now to assist others. But if my very own PC ever goes down and I can’t afford an improve for some time, this work will assist me, too.

In this episode of The Full Nerd

In this episode of The Full Nerd, Adam Patrick Murray, Brad Chacos, Alaina Yee, and Will Smith talk about the supposed demise of the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5060 Ti (and the precise chance of survival of these playing cards), plus the stories of fried 9800X3D CPUs. We additionally reply a boatload of viewers questions, with some coming in sizzling and heavy.

Adam additionally checks the boundaries of German Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum suggestions (analogous to our “Best By” dates within the U.S.) by consuming a BiFi Roll XXL sooner or later after its “expiration.”

He additionally made everybody sitting close to him scent it. As you may need guessed.

Alex Esteves / Foundry

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Don’t miss out on our NEW reveals too—you’ll be able to catch episodes of Dual Boot Diaries and The Full Nerd: Extra Edition now!

And for those who want extra {hardware} discuss throughout the remainder of the week, come be part of our Discord community—it’s filled with cool, laid-back nerds.

This week’s diverse nerd information

Sure, loads of information this week emphasised issues we already knew about AI, together with SSD and reminiscence pricing. But across the edges of that was extra typical January quietness—and a few surprising stories, like deploying drones to take care of bears. Yeah.

DJI

• Uh, what? I actually mentioned this after I learn the headline a couple of Japanese metropolis having to make use of drone warfare on bears. I had no thought going 4 hours north of Tokyo would land you in the course of bear nation.

• It’s not your imagination: Yes, a current Windows 11 replace is breaking stuff. (Quelle shock.)

• Speaking of DDR4 builds: Curious how a lot it prices for a DDR4 construct proper now? Tom’s Hardware did a fast set of Intel and AMD pattern builds with an RTX 5060 Ti, with the injury hitting round $1,300.

• Nope right out of that: Use Starlink? You ought to most likely choose out of permitting the corporate to make use of your information to coach AI.

• When capitalism works in your favor: A uncommon second when an organization with an excessive amount of cash comes to a decision that truly advantages you very unexpectedly. Enjoy your free 5080, u/spaceman329.

Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry

• AMD’s 9850X3D hits soon: We have a launch date and worth for the upcoming X3D chip eventually. Looks like we received’t have to attend lengthy.

• Space-brain is real: Apparently, hurtling your self into house reorients your mind inside your cranium. Yeah.

• “Damn, it’s pretty”: So mentioned my colleague Michael Crider after I despatched him this hyperlink a couple of Alien-themed cyberdeck, constructed with a Raspberry Pi. It is fairly cool. (I nonetheless refuse to look at that film as a result of I’m an enormous wussy child.)

• I am not the person I was: Thankfully, Google acknowledges that as nicely. We can all now lastly revive outdated accounts we needed to retire as a result of addresses like [email protected] weren’t precisely a factor to placed on a resume.

• Why? Why not: In case you missed it: Gamers Nexus frolicked with a restore store proprietor who made an RTX 4090 with 48GB reminiscence. Yep.

I’ve been feeling barely chilly in my nook of the world, however you recognize what? After listening to from Brad in regards to the coming snowpocalypse, I’m simply gonna keep quiet over right here. And be grateful I can go outdoors with out freezing my face off. Stay heat and protected on the market, east coast U.S. people! (And anybody else affected by the polar vortex.)

Alaina

This publication is devoted to the reminiscence of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and govt editor of {hardware} at PCWorld.