PC Building NOW is Unaffordable.

PhilB · 2026-08-20T22:47:19-0400

If/when should the AI bubble burst, there may be a lot of used stuff on the market. How much of it still has life, who knows? When will this happen? I sure don't know. But if/when the AI bubble bursts,that will also tank my 401(k) and the stock market in general.

Lance1 · 2026-08-20T22:56:30-0400

PhilB said:
If/when should the AI bubble burst, there may be a lot of used stuff on the market. How much of it still has life, who knows? When will this happen? I sure don't know. But if/when the AI bubble bursts,that will also tank my 401(k) and the stock market in general.

That is a very good question...I think things are going to get worse.

Lance1 · 2026-08-20T23:15:10-0400

My CORSAIR Vengeance 32GB kit Was $105.00 in 2024 And now it is from Newegg at $738.00. What the Hell...

PhilB · 2026-08-20T23:18:20-0400

Lance1 said:
That is a very good question...I think things are going to get worse.

A lot worse and probably until 2030 or later.

So given the impacts on guys like us, what development strategies should AMD and even Intel adopt? What good is real advances in the next generation of AMD Ryzen CPUs if no one can afford the RAM (DDR 6?)

Geez. I so hate the AI moguls.

XxXxX · 2026-08-20T23:42:44-0400

this not only affects people building their own systems but the big boys too because the price increases and shortages of system components are going to hit them where it hurts as well. they can only pass on increases so much before they price themselves out of a market.
AI and mega data centres wont keep the computer and component market going, in fact its doing the complete reverse and killing the computer market. i wonder what they will do when the average person then lives without a computer because its way out of their price range and becomes completely unaffordable.
the knock on effect is also hitting the used computer and system component market eventually the prices become too much and the market folds, so they will have all these mega data centres and no one to use them. when it does blow it will make the dot com bubble look like a walk in the park. even the companies that think themselves to big too go bust will go bust and it couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of companies. im looking forward to that day ..

best of luck Steve ..

pparks1 · 2026-08-21T00:10:53-0400

Lance1 said:
My 2TB NVME that I purchase from Newegg at 2024 and Now. It's becoming criminal OMG!

View attachment 180462

Yeah, that is insane. About 2 weeks ago we purchased a WD Black 2TB 8100 PCI Gen 5 for $399.

edit: actually it's still $399. unsure why the gen4 you linked above is so expensive.
amazon.com/WD_BLACK-SN8100-Internal-Solid-State/dp/B0F3BD1W6R/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3UZRF7PU2I68Q&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.lXJ-BnYN-OkMVLKWLn5Dx5XGZdEHwikG3TlTrDk8kBvLmMvGJTlxFr3EQL46raBKv0NkzuwW3Ff0xSsjVfTKMl3CL5MJ9f_OiCJLNYNIvUZPCZ_oHO9zqAMwhBVRAbxxX-9yupm22GHqR7oarOk-8PsCmxay2-pZjR5DXveqa9Z9e9lv8AQzkFM9IguKBNeR-3KJOQY79G8s27GUBETA0iBgROvTMZMhK6lJX_MuTuQ.7O5xWpJHHls_pIvgaSWD7eOsy-YSnh8-upEbPxfk79Y&dib_tag=se&keywords=WD+8100+2GB&qid=1787285420&sprefix=wd+8100+2g%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-1

dalchina · 2026-08-21T02:59:57-0400

Looks like 2nd hand could be the way to go. Bought a Lenovo t480s with Win 11 Pro a few months ago (I read Windows' pricing has taken a leap too for manufacturers) - 512GB nVME 16GB RAM for £200. Exc. condition, new keyboard.

Really nippy.

Here in the UK, it seems they are building gas-fired power stations next to some of the new data centres (majority around London, apparently) as wind and sun aren't sufficiently reliable. And we know about the international issues with gas. Then there's the cooling requirement.. some designs using lots of water, which seems to be a bit of an issue, presently... but we must have AI, so we can ask it how to solve our problems. I tried asking Chat GPT how the impact of data centres on water and energy demand could be managed. It gave a remarkably cogent answer.

cereberus · 2026-08-21T04:06:49-0400

Lance1 said:
My PC build is the last PC build for me. Who can you afford the costs of RAM Storage GPU PSU CPU and the list gos on. I built my PC in 2024 and the total coste for my build was $2,500.00. And I Most Likely overspent at that too. Look at my specs! Yesterday I looked up all my PC parts and to build my PC with all that I have now would coste me $4,500.00!!! OMG! Did I pick the right time to build my PC or not? So is anyone out there planning a new build??? I bet not...

It is all perspective. The first IBM PC cost $1,565 in 1981 worth approximately $5,748.97 today.

So whilst your costs for a pc vastly more powerful than the original IBM PC may be higher for whatever reason, in real terms it is not mega expensive.

Anyway how much of that price increase is due the insane Trump tariffs? I bet most parts are imported.

PhilB · 2026-08-21T15:27:13-0400

dalchina said:
Looks like 2nd hand could be the way to go. Bought a Lenovo t480s with Win 11 Pro a few months ago (I read Windows' pricing has taken a leap too for manufacturers) - 512GB nVME 16GB RAM for £200. Exc. condition, new keyboard.

Really nippy.

Here if the UK, it seems they are building gas-fired power stations next to some of the new data centres (majority around London, apparently) as wind and sun aren't sufficiently reliable. And we know about the international issues with gas. Then there's the cooling requirement.. some designs using lots of water, which seems to be a bit of an issue, presently... but we must have AI, so we can ask it how to solve our problems. I tried asking Chat GPT how the impact of data centres on water and energy demand could be managed. It gave a remarkably cogent answer.

What was the answer???

PhilB · 2026-08-21T15:28:25-0400

cereberus said:
Anyway how much of that price increase is due the insane Trump tariffs? I bet most parts are imported.

That might explain the increase in US costs. How does that affect the rest of the world? Aren't they also experiencing vast price increases?

HTA · 2026-08-21T16:58:53-0400

cereberus said:
It is all perspective. The first IBM PC cost $1,565 in 1981 worth approximately $5,748.97 today.

So whilst your costs for a pc vastly more powerful than the original IBM PC may be higher for whatever reason, in real terms it is not mega expensive.

Anyway how much of that price increase is due the insane Trump tariffs? I bet most parts are imported.

Here's a couple of oldie setups on sale for $5195 and $5995.

Lance1 · 2026-08-21T17:33:04-0400

Remember this one. I do.

RD Mercer · 2026-08-21T17:34:42-0400

cereberus said:
Anyway how much of that price increase is due the insane Trump tariffs? I bet most parts are imported.

If these price increases are due to Trump's tariffs, does this mean other countries are not experiencing these same price increases?

cereberus · 2026-08-21T17:39:10-0400

RD Mercer said:
If these price increases are due to Trump's tariffs, does this mean other countries are not experiencing these same price increases?

Not really because tarrifs reduce sales to a major market forcing increased prices within any local market to remain profitable.

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