I’m in a dilemma, to buy now or hold off first?

Seeing now how the price of RAM has hiked up, which is the same for SSD too & GPU soon.
Is it a better move to buy now? Instead of waiting longer for the uncertain price situation.

Initially, I was planning to buy my new PC at the end of Q1 2026, replacing my 15-year-old rig (at my sign), which was recommended by the Otai-Otai here.
I still see some familiar Otai that are still active, i.e., TristanX & kingkingyyk from back then.

Currently, my PC is facing these 3 problems below;

1. Certain Youtube videos in 1080p 60FPS or higher, it will be buffering. CPU usage is running at 99-100%.
   
2. Have to manually press F1 / F2 to enter Windows at each start-up. The mainboard CMOS cannot recharge the 3V battery. Had it replaced with multiple batteries.
   
3. Cannot upgrade to Windows 11, which means no security updates on Windows 10 after October 2026.

(P/S: The 15-years old Arctic Cooling F12 fans are still operating perfectly )

Seeing I’ve been absent in the PC hardware community, I would like to seek advice from the members here.

Should I go with the purchase this month, and if so, what’s the recommended specs that can last me for another 10-year-plus period?
Good enough for max 1080p or solid 1440p gaming, while most of them are for general computing usage & watching/streaming >1440p video.

Budget-wise, let’s say about ~RM6-7k? Previously, my rig was bought at RM2k.
Crazy seeing the current price differences now.

This post has been edited by Kr0ll3R: Dec 12 2025, 11:25 PM

I just drafted a RM7.5k build here if you cannot wait. You can downgrade the graphic card to RX 9070 XT to fit RM7k if you need.

https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...ost&p=112485424

Yeah, RAM prices are crazy. SSD prices are going up until those overpriced brands looks cheaper. Expecting 1-2 years of wait at least.

What is your current PC specification?

1. Easy fix depends on your PC hardware.
2. No big deal.
3. Just don't install unknown software, it should be safe as long as web browser is still supported.

That pricing from C-Zone is so attractive, I survey my area here (JB), Ryzen 7 8700F is around +/- RM1k.
Any Ryzen line-up that close to the performance to look into?

Previously saw the SSD recommendation is Kingston KC3000, for now the Samsung 990 PRO is a better selection?

I had a though, thinking can reuse some parts of my old rig for temporary upgrade but then the core components (CPU, RAM, GPU) upgrade already cost over half, might as well upgrade a new rig, right?

It's on my sign.
I doing a lot of online banking / credential login, so preferable a safer option for peace of mind.

Its only RM150 more for additional 2 cores compare to 7500F. B850 is also more future proof. You can swap the CPU to 9800X3D or 9850X3D in the future.

KC3000 currently more expensive than Samsung 990 Pro. Samsung has better quality hardware and price did not go up much. KC3000 also have reports of switching to weaker components. It has a risk today.

1. To solve this particular youtube problem, you only need a GPU that supports VP9 hardware decode. Nothing else. Your CPU usage hit 100% is because your existing GPU does not support hardware acceleration, thus the entire video decoding load goes to your CPU. What you need is a GT1030, GTX1050 and newer Nvidia GPU.

2. This one no big deal.

3. That is not true. There are ways to circumvent microsoft windows 11 TPM and secure boot requirements. You just need to do some homework to find out how.

Don't buy the R7 8700F. There are reasons why it is so cheap for an AM5 8 core CPU .
1. The temps are bad because the silicon crystal is not soldered onto the Integrated Heat spreader (IHS). AMD use thermal paste here. Likely because this is originally a laptop APU that has been repackaged to use on desktop AM5 motherboard. Laptop CPUs do not come with IHS at all.
2. This SKU only has half the L3 cache of the proper desktop AM5 CPU like the R5 7500F. For gaming use case ,cache capacity is more important than core count once core count is at least 6.



The R5 7500F is a better part.

This post has been edited by k!nex: Yesterday, 05:10 PM

Now isnt really a good time to buy (when has it ever been really?) but looking at how old your PC is, coming to 15 yo, its time to replace moreso when WIN11 isnt supported and your system is failing.

Can try the other parts:
7500F
MSI B650/B850 Gaming PLUS Wifi
Cooler, PA120/ SE or Frozn 620 whichever you can get cheaper
Any RTX 5070/ RX 9070 (nonXT)
WD 850X/ Sammie 990pro 1TB (ideally 2TB but these prices going up too!)
Any decent airflow case ie Corsair 4000D or Techware Nexus Air or Montech Air 1000

RAM is the big question, grab any 2x16GB 6000MHZ CL32 or below if you can afford it into your budget. Otherwise I would reco super budget method of getting used 16GB pisspoor valueRAM DDR5 at the lowest price and hang on to it until RAM prices stabilise in a year or 2, then replace it with 6000MHZ CL30 dual RAM kits.

Already see this coming. As an owner of this CPU, its not as bad as people think. I bought this to play around before jumping into 9800X3D or 9850X3D. Its RM100 more for extra 2 cores. It can handle CPU heavy games better than 7500F.



i9-13900K numbers that cost almost triple the price.

FF14 Dawntrail:
RTX 4080 - 28431 / 198 FPS avg / 96 FPS min
RX 9070 XT - 24460 / 168 FPS avg / 104 FPS min

Forza Horizon 5:
RTX 4080 - 175 FPS avg
RX 9070 XT - 206 FPS avg

Shadow of the Tomb Raider:
RTX 4080 - 219 FPS
RX 9070 XT - 228 FPS

Monster Hunter Wilds:
RTX 4080 - 30299 / 89.73 FPS
RX 9070 XT - 40691 / 119.88 FPS


If you want more numbers, I can do it for you.

This post has been edited by TristanX: Yesterday, 07:20 PM