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.
One thing most enthusiasts hate about hardware upgrades is the need to buy all new cooling gear. Historically this has been a problem since the days of the board mounted heatsink starting with the AthlonXP and Intel 478. While the length of time between socket changes has helped take the sting out of buying new gear the fact you have to do it is the issue.
Having used LN2 before we set out to refine our techniques and actually learn how to use it to our advantage. How better to learn than with friends and a leading LN2 expert.
There is a rather distinct line between enthusiast overclocker and extreme overclocker right at 0 Celcius. We took that line and shattered it back to -166c. How is that for extreme!
There weren't a whole lot of different motherboards to see during my visit but I did get to check out the new Pure Platinum Z68, the Pure Black 990FX and the Pure Black X79. By the looks of it all of the designs are complete and ready to go, minus a few heatsinks.
Computex 2011 - Taipei Taiwan, this is our final day of coverage showing the sights and hardware we looked at. Be sure to join us next year.
Computex 2011 - Taipei Taiwan, this is our day two coverage showing the sights and hardware we looked at during the second day of the show.
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