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.
According to CES 2026 material there were over 4100 exhibitors registered to attend along with several unknowns looking to take advantage of CES by hosting their own events in area hotels. It is not practical to see everything but with a good pair of shoes and a crisp Pepsi I attempted to do the impossible.
Pro Gamers Group was available at CES showing of some of the latest products available in their catalog including a number of ultra light mice, a racing chair and some rather impressive GPU waterblocks.
After Computex I stopped by the Silverstone offices in New Taipei City to talk more about the new Raven 4 chassis and their cooling initiative. I was able to get some good photos of the new case at Computex but many people were confused as to how small it really was.
As hardware enthusiasts we strive to complete our "collection". Sometimes that collection leads to a closet full of old hardware while for others that is simply the perfect combo of components to build a monster machine. EVGA enthusiasts tend to exploit the second of these as can be seen within the EVGA community.
Computex is the largest trade show in Asia and is one of the few that focuses entirely on computer components and manufacturing. As you can imagine there are two shows going on at Computex, the primary show is the main trade show where companies can show off their latest creations and the second includes booth babes, showgirls, and other assorted models.
Contest rules were written to favor the early adopter and MSI hardware enthusiast. By the time MOA was announced the high-end X79 Big Bang and HD7970 Lightning were in short supply leaving many folks to assume this was done on purpose.
Server parts are no different than what you find in a desktop PC, you have moving parts and solid parts and both are susceptible to damage. Typically the solid parts are damaged by heat and/or power but every once in awhile you get a careless human helping speed things along.
The Consumer Electronics Show is a great event for anyone interested in technology and it doesn't matter if you are interested in existing tech or want to see the future, you can find it at CES. Of course locating exactly what you are after does take some work
ASRock Steel Legend 360 LCD Liquid CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputersASRock Radeon RX 9070 XT Taichi White OC @ TechPowerUpCORSAIR MAKR PRO 75 Hall Effect DIY Keyboard Review @ Funky Kit ReviewdarkFlash Explore DE360 @ TechPowerUpAorus X870E Elite X3D Ice Motherboard ReviewCrimson Desert Performance Benchmark ReviewHighPoint Announces Rocket 1604L: The World’s Most Compact PCIe Gen5 x16 Retimer AIC for AI and Industrial EdgeTurboQuant - the Pied Piper Technology for AITurboQuant: Revolutionizing AI Efficiency Through Extreme Compression – A Game Changer for Search and Large Language ModelsBuilding a Multi-GPU AI Workstation on a Budget