AM4 vs AM5: Should You Still Buy an AM4 Motherboard in Uganda?

The case for AM4 in 2026

• Meaningfully cheaper -- both motherboards and CPUs (Ryzen 5000-series, including the excellent 5700X3D and 5800X3D) have come down in price as the platform matures
• DDR4 RAM is cheaper than DDR5, compounding the savings across the whole build
• Still genuinely capable -- a Ryzen 7 5800X3D remains a strong gaming CPU even against newer competition, largely thanks to its 3D V-Cache

The case for AM5

• A real upgrade path -- AMD has committed to supporting AM5 through multiple CPU generations, so a board bought today can accept a stronger CPU later without a full platform change
• DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support -- relevant if you want the newest RAM speeds or the fastest upcoming storage and GPU standards
• Access to the newest CPUs, including the latest X3D chips, which currently lead in gaming performance

Our honest recommendation

• Choose AM4 if budget is the primary constraint, or if you are building a capable machine now and do not plan to upgrade the CPU later -- it is excellent value for a complete, one-time build
• Choose AM5 if you want a platform that can grow with you over several years, or if you are building a new system from scratch with no existing AM4 parts to carry over

One thing to avoid

Do not buy a new AM4 board today if you already own no AM4 parts and have no budget constraint pushing you there -- at that point AM5's upgrade path is worth the premium, since AM4 is not receiving further CPU generations.