Admit it: You can’t afford high-end DDR5 RAM or that new GPU that would help you create the future-proofed PC of your dreams. Instead, some of the large makers of PC components would rather sell you new versions of already outdated motherboards, CPUs, and memory—almost ensuring you won’t actually be upgrading your PC for a long, long time.
Late last week, Gigabyte—one of the most prolific names in PC components—unveiled its new Aorus B550 X series motherboards built around AMD’s older AM4 socket. That means it supports the older DDR4 memory standard, rather than the newer, faster, and entirely too expensive DDR5. At the very least, the Aorus B550X series will support the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard and 160MHz channels for faster wireless speeds. It’s a motherboard built on a 10-phase, 60A DrMOS VRM design, all of which means Gigabyte promises it can power all your last-gen components with as much as they will take.
Even with a few modern accoutrements, no AM4 motherboard will offer the equivalent of what you can get with the latest sockets and DDR5 memory. AMD’s AM5 socket was built for current-gen CPUs, like the latest gaming-focused Ryzen 7 7700X3D and Ryzen 7 9850X3D or the ultimate productivity chip, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition. AM5 supports the faster connectivity standards of PCIe 5.0 and speedier DDR5 memory. No AM4 motherboard will support all the same standards.
There are two big reasons Gigabyte decided to launch this motherboard this year. One, DDR4 RAM isn’t nearly as inflated as DDR5 (it still costs too much). Two, at Computex 2026, AMD re-released its older top-end AM4 gaming CPU, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. Some PC builders were miffed that Team Red would pump out a four-year-old chip at $350, a higher price than what better-performing AM5 chips sell for today. However, the 5800X3D had been running for $400 or more on eBay before AMD rereleased its CPU, and at the very least the new CPU may help deflate aftermarket prices.
The latest PC components are all experiencing price hikes, and it’s not just DDR5 RAM. Nvidia is reportedly hiking prices of its RTX 50-series GPUs… again, starting in South Korea, but DIY builders in the U.S. may see even higher prices as well. AMD may also spike the costs of its Radeon RX 9000 series GPUs. And as if that weren’t bad enough, AM5 motherboards may also see incredible price increases, and soon.
Videocardz first reported, based on rumors from Chinese discussion site Board Channels, that companies like Gigabyte, MSI, and Asus may bump up motherboard costs. This is due to the rising price of PCBs (printed circuit boards) and the spiking cost of raw materials to make them. At the same time, demand for new motherboards has also slackened due to the obscene cost of DIY PC parts. Simply put, the margins for motherboards no longer make as much sense as they used to.
You can make a powerful PC with these components. I even bought a new Ryzen 7 5800X3D for my AM4 test build, just to eke out a few more frames on my “budget” DIY PC project that I recently turned into a homemade Steam Machine. But let’s be frank: There is a ceiling to the performance you can get from older components. Buying old parts, even ostensibly “new” ones, is like hobbling yourself with a ball-peen hammer before the start of your marathon.
