PC Building Is a Nightmare Right Now—Here’s How to Survive the Crisis

If you’ve tried building a PC lately, you know the brutal truth: PC building absolutely sucks right now, especially if you’re working with anything resembling a normal budget.

My colleague Mike Crider recently attempted to build a decent gaming rig for under $1,000—nothing extravagant, just a six-core, 12-thread CPU, RTX 5060 8GB GPU, 1TB SSD, 32GB DDR5 memory, plus basic cooler, case, and PSU. The result? A staggering $1,250 with sales tax. That’s $450 more than what the same build would have cost in the “before times” when you could snag similar specs for around $800—sometimes even less with good deals.

And don’t think pre-built computers are your salvation. As Mike also discovered, you might save a couple hundred bucks, but you’re compromising on unknown power supplies and potentially proprietary configurations. Plus, you may need to live near specific retailers for the best deals. He found a Dell pre-built with similar specs but upgraded to a 5060 Ti 8GB GPU for $1,000—but only if you’re near a Micro Center. All hail PC building mecca!

Your Survival Guide: Three Strategies That Actually Work

First: Hunt for Bundles Like Your Build Depends on It (Because It Does)

This strategy works whether you’re upgrading or building from scratch. In recent weeks, I’ve spotted several excellent motherboard and RAM bundles—some priced the same as the RAM alone if purchased separately. You don’t have to settle for single DIMM kits either. The bundles I’ve seen all came with two DIMMs and decent speeds. (The latest one I spotted was DDR5-6000.)

Can’t afford RAM on its own? Consider buying it in a bundle.

Second: Embrace the Slow Shopping Schedule

This advice flies in the face of conventional wisdom, but we are no longer operating in normal times. Hardware releases have slowed to a crawl, and depreciation isn’t the major factor it used to be. Buy components when you spot good deals—use crowdsourced deal sites like Slickdeals and monitor /r/buildapcsales on Reddit.

Third: Look Backward for Performance

Intel’s Alder Lake, Raptor Lake, and Raptor Lake Refresh parts (12th to 14th gen) can be used in motherboards that support both DDR4 and DDR5, giving you flexibility to upgrade memory later if you feel particularly strong about it. You can go new or used—just hunt for the best prices and most reputable sellers.

The Uncomfortable Truth We’re All Facing

We’ve returned to a time where most of us can’t buy a ton of performance. No more throwing everything into a build for funsies or “just in case.” The RAMpocalypse has forced us back to purpose-driven builds. Gaming PC? You don’t need as much memory as you thought. Mostly web browsing with occasional gaming? You don’t need that powerful a GPU.

I’m glad a sliver of breathing room at least exists, though. #teambundle

This Week’s Packed Nerd News

I expected a slower news period, but this past week proved me utterly wrong. Security alerts, major anniversaries, possible Xbox hints, cool science stuff—so much popped up in my feed!

Update Notepad++ ASAP

This popular alternative to Windows Notepad was compromised between June and December 2025. The creator says the issue is now fixed, but advises manual reinstallation.

MIT’s Rad Waste Heat Innovation

Researchers outlined a process for converting heat generated by computer components into more performance. Okay, this is pretty rad.

Large Hadron Collider Warms Homes

The LHC’s excess heat is being used to warm nearby homes in France. Magnifique.

New Xbox in 2027?

AMD’s wording suggests a launch could be next year—but doesn’t definitively confirm it. (Seems like when you’re ready to leave for a party, but are still waiting on other people you’re traveling with.)

Wikipedia’s Addictive New Face

Wikitok serves random Wikipedia articles in a TikTok-style feed. Sounds dangerously addicting—but also kind of irresistible.

Duke Nukem 3D Turns 30

My first multiplayer game just turned 30. I remember struggling to establish a peer-to-peer connection with a 14.4 modem and still thinking how cool it was. (Also, you haven’t experienced lag until you try that.)

NASA’s Artemis II Moon Mission

NASA is sending Artemis II to explore the dark side of the Moon—and this beautifully glossy NatGeo coverage digs into the details.

Tokyo Metro PCB Bookmarks

Japanese art museum introduces $15 bookmarks made from PCBs, with traces forming a miniature Tokyo Metro map. Oooh.

Update Your Bluetooth Devices Now

A vulnerability can allow hackers to track your location through Bluetooth accessories. Given how many BT headphones, mice, etc., I manage for myself and family, seems like my weekend plans are set…

Computer Chip Thinner Than Human Hair

Chinese scientists have invented a computer chip as thin as a strand of hair. Truly can’t wait to see if this ever crosses over to medical applications.

8K TVs Are Officially Dead

Vindication: I never was onboard with 8K—but couldn’t openly admit this during its buzz. Consumers sided with me on this one.

Second Windows Taskbar for Power Users

Would you use a second Windows taskbar? I like the power user angle, but I’m also weird about clutter in my user interfaces.

Power Supply Warning

A sad (and cautionary) tale: If you’re still using or redeploying an older PC during today’s RAM crisis, a new power supply could save you from an insane repair bill.

ChromeOS’s Uncertain Future

During this week’s show, we touched briefly on ChromeOS’s coming fate, given Google’s focus on AluminumOS.

Nvidia Shield TV’s 10-Year Journey

A lovely love letter: The Nvidia Shield is still kicking on, much to my astonishment—and this piece from Ars Technica does a fantastic job of chronicling its endurance.

The Sweetest Birthday Gift Ever

Sometimes, it really is the thought that counts. Especially when the result is so cute—and the reason for the creativity painfully relatable.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, which means I’m eagerly anticipating Feb. 15—aka discounted candy sales day. Perhaps not coincidentally, I have started looking more seriously into workout apps.

Catch you all next week!

Alaina

Tags & Viral Phrases:

• PC building sucks right now
• RAMpocalypse
• All hail PC building mecca

• teambundle

• Can’t afford RAM on its own? Consider buying it in a bundle
• Okay, this is pretty rad
• Magnifique
• Sounds dangerously addicting
• Vindication
• A keeper
• A lovely love letter
• The Sweetest Birthday Gift Ever
• The brutal truth
• Your Survival Guide
• Embrace the Slow Shopping Schedule
• The Uncomfortable Truth We’re All Facing
• The RAMpocalypse has forced us back to purpose-driven builds
• We are no longer operating in normal times
• Staggering $1,250
• A sad (and cautionary) tale
• Update Notepad++ ASAP
• Update your Bluetooth devices now
• New Xbox in 2027?

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