#custom-pc-makers

#custom-pc-makers

RAM prices are skyrocketing, driving up the cost of products that rely heavily on memory. The price of Raspberry Pi boards has now soared to the point where two 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 boards will cost you as much as a new laptop.

After Google released its TurboQuant compression algorithm, which can purportedly drastically reduce the amount of memory required for certain AI workflows, stock prices for memory manufacturers dropped significantly.

The PlayStation Hybrid from YouTuber Secret Hobbyist is an engineering marvel that combines the best parts of different model revisions while adding modern conveniences.

Really, though, the show just confirmed what was apparent since RAM prices skyrocketed over the last few months, driven by demand from AI datacenters. As Samsung's marketing leader, Wonjin Lee, told Bloomberg at CES: "There's going to be issues around semiconductor supplies, and it's going to affect everyone. Prices are going up even as we speak."

When Falcon initially debuted the FragBox in 2004, it was notable for being a genuinely small PC that used full-sized parts. That's still a main selling point today: It can still fit in large NVIDIA GPUs, including the beefy RTX 5090, as well as either Intel's latest Core Ultra chips or AMD's Ryzen 9000 CPUs. A huge 280mm radiator sits at the top pulling out hot air, and it also serves as an All-in-One (AIO) liquid cooler for the CPU.

If you're weighing your options, consider some Presidents Day offers on iBuyPower's pre-built desktops, including the $1,899 RDY Element 9 Pro R07 and the $2,099.99 Slate - both of which are stocked with high-end AMD processors and GPUs that can tear through most games at 1440p with fast frame rates. They also come with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and 2TB of storage, along with a mouse and keyboard.

According to IGN and TechCrunch, sources say Intel is going to compete by developing a custom Intel Core G3 "variant or variants" just for handhelds that could outperform the Arc B390 GPU on the chips it just announced. IGN reports that by using the new 18A process, Intel can cut different die slices, and "spec the chips to offer better performance on the GPU where you want it."

Like all nice things, the best gaming PCs on the market can cost a pretty penny, but that's not the case today. Amazon just dropped the 2025 ASUS TUF T500 PC by 11% which brings its $900 price to $800 - an impressive $100 discount. There are no complicated coupon codes to enter or long checkout steps to worry about, either. Just add the PC to your cart, and the discount applies automatically.

Thankfully, both the front and motherboard sides of the case support up to three fans each, with room for massive radiators. There are enough options that I actually spent quite a bit of time agonizing over how I wanted to configure my fans. I ended up mounting my giant cooler on the side of the case and installed three fans in the bottom for intake, which isn't my favorite setup as a dog owner, but the magnetic filter has been easy enough to keep clean.

"Many people in the PC industry said, well, if you want graphics, it's gotta be discrete graphics because otherwise people will think it's bad graphics," Macri said at last year's CES. "What Apple showed was consumers don't care what's inside the box. They actually care what the what the box looks like. They care about the screen, the keyboard, the mouse. They care about what it does."

The Ryzen 7 9850X3D features the same 8-core, 16-threads design as the 9800X3D, as well as the same 96MB L3 cache that makes these chips especially suited for gaming workloads. Thanks to the higher level of binning, the 9850X3D can now hit 5.6GHz clock speeds, up from the 9800X3D's 5.2GHz, at the same 120W TDP. This is an almost 8% increase in clock speed, and should make the 9850X3D the fastest gaming CPU in AMD's lineup, and consequently, on the market.

The Corsair Galleon 100 SD didn't just come out of the ether. The new full-size mechanical keyboard with a Stream Deck fused to its side is the result of a lot of things coming together over the years. Corsair's gaming business is more refined than ever, and Stream Deck's wide ecosystem of plug-ins makes the dedicated hardware useful to just about anyone, even if they have little interest in streaming. The fusion makes sense.

Lenovo has brought a slew of updates to its Legion and LOQ line of gaming laptops for CES 2026. The refreshed laptops are all built around Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs. The new Legion 7a is both thinner and lighter than the previous generation and is aimed at gamers, creators, and working professionals. Lenovo says the new 7a will be powered by AMD Ryzen AI 400 CPUs and RTX 50-series GPUs, delivering up to 125W of total system power.

Most high-end PC towers still shout for attention with exposed fans, RGB strips, and visible screws. That clashes with calmer, more considered interiors, especially when a tower lives on a desk next to a monitor and chair that look like real furniture. The MA-01 comes from the idea that performance hardware can grow up without losing its edge, treating a gaming rig as something you want to see every day instead of something you tolerate.