What fun is having an AI workstation if you don’t dive deeply into what makes AI work. Inference is maybe 98% of AI tasks from image generation to machine learning and even basic chats and summaries. We rely on model makers to do the heavy lifting and provide models that we can use, either in the cloud or locally.
In my previous articles I discussed the balance between model quality and hardware requirements for running AI models locally. For this article I wanted to discuss software and how my AI Workstation build was designed to work with the software packages and how I can switch between them to complete certain tasks.
Building an AI workstation is rarely about buying the single fastest component on the market; it is about finding the specific "sweet spot" that fits your workload. Whether you are prioritizing VRAM capacity, PCIe lane availability, or thermal management, the right build depends entirely on how you plan to use your machine. The goal isn't just raw power, but the ability to run the tools you need efficiently.
This is the first article in a new AI Hardware series talking about the requirements for running AI Models and why paying attention to these things can help you build a better AI Workstation. If anything learning why a DGX Spark or Mac Mini work but, can also be really slow.
2026 marks the 30th year for Lexar and they started CES off with an announcement that they were going to be the global storage partner for the Argentina National Football (Soccer) Team and launched a number of AI focused storage devices.
Of course they had RGB mousepads on display along with a new RGB keyboard and RGB palm rest just to complete the package and ensure that your RGB game is taken to 11.
a new generation of RGB LED fans called the T.B. RGB. These fans feature a familiar outer RGB ring of light that is now duplicated down the entire frame of the fan
For those of you who remember the X99 and the performance of the Haswell-E you will have undoubtedly heard of the Gigabyte Designare EX. If not, then shame on you because that motherboard is one of those fabled genesis boards that changes things.
Phanteks had a number of good products on display that all handle different aspects of the PC industry.
Unlike some companies EVGA is rather humble in what they show. Like most companies the majority of their product line is already available however, there were a couple of new items like their gaming keyboard experiment and a new version of their gaming laptop, now with more GPU.
One thing about Zotac, they aren’t afraid to try something new and given their track record for creating some pretty amazing small form factor computers it is only fair they continue.
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