- A YouTuber built a DDR3 system that runs titles like Cyberpunk and RDR2 at 60+ FPS.
- The PC uses a Core i7-4790K, an RTX 2060 Super, an Asus Z97 motherboard, and only $40 worth of 32 GB of DDR3 RAM.
- It ran games at 1080p resolution using DLAA, with medium to high presets depending on the game.
Even most current-gen consoles have become cheaper than high-end 64 GB DDR5 kits these days. And with PC component pricing getting absurd amid the DRAM crisis, gamers are being forced to secure hardware that supports older memory types.
A PC enthusiast has now built a compelling 32 GB DDR3 system that uses the decade-old Core i7-4790K overclocked to 4.6 GHz, RTX 2060 Super, and Asus Z97 motherboard. It runs most AAA games smoothly at 60+ FPS at 1080p.
Why it matters: A 12-year-old gaming PC with a cheap 32 GB DDR3 kit is still capable of satisfying 1080p gaming, which is good news for gamers returning to older systems.
The YouTuber RandomGaminginHD secured the DDR3 kit running at 1866 MHz for only $40 and tested multiple popular AAA titles—at medium to high presets depending on scale—to see how well such a system would perform in 2026.
The ancient quad-core held up well enough in every test, provided DLAA was enabled to utilize excess GPU headroom since the processor was bottlenecking the 2060 Super.
Cyberpunk 2077 ran at nearly 60 FPS with high preset, high textures, and medium crowds at 1080p using DLAA. The 1% lows were not great but manageable, standing at 35.4 FPS. Similarly, KCD2 hit 72.2 FPS with 43.4 lows at high settings, 1080p, and SMAA 2TX.
Some of the following games were also tested with their benchmarks below:
- GTA 5 Enhanced Edition with 69.6 FPS and 1% lows of 50 at very high RT, 1080p, DLAA.
- Baldur’s Gate 3 with 57.9 FPS and 1% lows of 31.7 at high preset, 1080p, DLAA.
- RDR2 at 72.3 FPS and 1% lows of 51.7 at ultra textures, other settings, and TAA at medium, and 1080p.
These benchmarks were achievable on a DDR3 system thanks to the 2060 Super’s 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM.
You can build a similar PC for about $500 by buying used parts, including DDR3 sticks for about $40 to $60, an RTX 2060 Super for $150 to $200, and a Core i7-4790K for about $50 to $70, with the rest being spent on remaining parts like a cheap motherboard and SSD.
Do you think using 12-year-old hardware for light 1080p gaming is worth it in 2026? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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