Shock! DDR3 isn’t lifeless—and it is perhaps the finances PC gaming reply you want

Return 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 programs—constructing newer configs round current DDR4 reminiscence kits. However the true champions? They’re kicking all of it the way in which again to DDR3.

After I first heard information about this final week, it appeared a novelty. One thing being achieved midway throughout the globe, in a market completely different than my very own. However because it seems, you’ll be able to really run Cyberpunk 2077 at about 60fps on an overclocked Core i7-4790K, RTX 2060 Tremendous, and 32GB DDR3-1866 RAM.

YouTuber RandomGaminginHD pulled Intel’s venerable Satan’s Canyon again into fee, simply to see the way it holds up in 2026. And surprisingly, it does fairly effectively—Group Blue’s 2014 flagship processor can nonetheless deal with fashionable 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 Pink Lifeless Redemption 2. Many of the video games have been examined with Excessive presets or textures, with another settings downgraded to Medium to coax out this stage of efficiency.

Does this imply I’ll instantly mud off my very own Satan’s Canyon system and put it again in service? Really, sure—for causes I believe many fellow fanatics 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 wish to remind myself how that feels earlier than I begin making deeper-cut suggestions to buddies, and even making a gift of my older programs.

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

However not all of us nonetheless have a full vary of older {hardware} to check out with newer video games. For that cause, I recognize this course of protection from the DIY constructing neighborhood—a pleasant option to make lemonade out of lemons.

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

As a result of you realize what? I’m utilizing this data proper now to assist others. But when my very own PC ever goes down and I can’t afford an improve for some time, this work will assist me, too.

On this episode of The Full Nerd

On this episode of The Full Nerd, Adam Patrick Murray, Brad Chacos, Alaina Yee, and Will Smith talk about the supposed loss of life 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 scorching and heavy.

Adam additionally checks the bounds of German Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum suggestions (analogous to our “Finest By” dates within the U.S.) by consuming a BiFi Roll XXL at some point after its “expiration.”

He additionally made everybody sitting close to him odor it. As you might need guessed.

Alex Esteves / Foundry

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And should you want extra {hardware} speak throughout the remainder of the week, come be part of our Discord neighborhood—it’s stuffed with cool, laid-back nerds.

This week’s diverse nerd information

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

DJI

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

• Talking 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 harm hitting round $1,300.

• Nope proper out of that: Use Starlink? You need 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 really advantages you very unexpectedly. Take pleasure in your free 5080, u/spaceman329.

Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry

• AMD’s 9850X3D hits quickly: Now we have a launch date and value for the upcoming X3D chip ultimately. Seems like we gained’t have to attend lengthy.

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

• “Rattling, it’s fairly”: So stated my colleague Michael Crider once I despatched him this hyperlink a few Alien-themed cyberdeck, constructed with a Raspberry Pi. It’s fairly cool. (I nonetheless refuse to observe that film as a result of I’m an enormous wussy child.)

• I’m not the particular person I used to be: Fortunately, Google acknowledges that as effectively. We will all now lastly revive previous 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: Players 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 realize 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. Keep heat and secure on the market, east coast U.S. people! (And anybody else affected by the polar vortex.)

Alaina

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