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Paul1977

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#324753 20-May-2026 14:33

I've been out of the loop for PC components for quite some time, but my ailing home PC desperately needs an upgrade.

Current specs:

CPU - Intel Core i7 6700k
Mainboard - Asus Z170-AR
Memory - 16GB DDR4-2800 (1400 MHz) Dual Channel
Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030
OS Drive - 256 GB NVMe SSD (16% life remaining)
Storage - HP Smart Array P420 with 7 HHDs in two RAID 5 arrays

I currently run this headless and RDP to it when I need to use it actively.

Reason for upgrade:

No Windows 11 support
Frequent app crashes when slicing complex models in Bambu Studio, or when using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
Semi regular app crashes when using web browser after too many tabs have been opened, often requiring a reboot

Requirements:

Use Bambu Studio and other slicers for complex models without crashing
Use Photoshop, Illustrator, and similar apps without freezing or crashing
May get into CAD type stuff related to creating 3D models for printing etc
Ideally still run headless, but I'm not sure if this could be part of the current issues with Bambu and Adobe crashing (do these rely on local GPU?)
Keep HP P420 RAID controller and HDDs to function as media server (no transcoding required)
Re-use current case (and possibly PSU)

As stated, I'm really out of the loop on PC components, so hoping for some advice on what I should be looking at.

Thanks

Paul

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#3494042 20-May-2026 14:36

Advice: prepare your wallet. RAM prices up 5x since last year... SSD prices up 2x... GPU prices up...

Paul1977

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#3494054 20-May-2026 15:09

cddt:

Advice: prepare your wallet. RAM prices up 5x since last year... SSD prices up 2x... GPU prices up...

Just had a look. Yep, I don't member RAM costing that much!

vexxxboy

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#3494067 20-May-2026 15:30

an example my sons PC that he built for just over $2000 would now cost him $4,500 to build it now with the same parts

Common sense is not as common as you think.

wellygary

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#3494069 20-May-2026 15:33

Paul1977:

cddt:

Advice: prepare your wallet. RAM prices up 5x since last year... SSD prices up 2x... GPU prices up...

Just had a look. Yep, I don't member RAM costing that much!

Yip, its ugly out there....

Until the AI boom goes bust, or a whole lot more Fabs come on line its not getting any better....

Its getting so bad that bedrock suppliers like Crucial are closing down because their parent, Micron, can make more money selling the RAM to Data centre builders rather than retail customers.

If you can hold off for 18 months I would..

Paul1977

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#3494070 20-May-2026 15:39

wellygary:

If you can hold off for 18 months I would..

18 months is a long time, and there's no guarantee pricing will be any better by then is there?

I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet, and perhaps do it quickly if prices are likely to continue to increase?

Handle9

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#3494092 20-May-2026 16:37

For what you are saying you use your computer for have a good look at the current Mac Mini. You’ll get significantly better bang for buck for your use cases than a PC.

Keep your current setup as a NAS.

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Paul1977

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#3494098 20-May-2026 16:58

Handle9:

For what you are saying you use your computer for have a good look at the current Mac Mini. You’ll get significantly better bang for buck for your use cases than a PC.

Keep your current setup as a NAS.

Hmmm.... not sure about that. I'm a windows guy, and don't really want to go Mac.

Really just wanting advice on what I should realistically look at, and what is overkill. How much RAM, what GPU, what CPU, etc?

Handle9

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#3494099 20-May-2026 17:06

Paul1977:

Handle9:

For what you are saying you use your computer for have a good look at the current Mac Mini. You’ll get significantly better bang for buck for your use cases than a PC.

Keep your current setup as a NAS.

Hmmm.... not sure about that. I'm a windows guy, and don't really want to go Mac.

Really just wanting advice on what I should realistically look at, and what is overkill. How much RAM, what GPU, what CPU, etc?

Up to you but the value point for Macs and PCs have flipped. Macs are significantly cheaper than an PC of equivalent performance at the moment.

ezbee

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#3494228 20-May-2026 20:23

Samsung CEO is expecting that large volumes of China MFG capacity will dampen DRAM prices in second half Y2027.
https://wccftech.com/ex-samsung-chip-boss-says-chinas-dram-blitz-could-crush-the-414-ddr5-price-spike-within-a-year/

SK Hynix astronomical windfall profit share deal to secure workers, causing absolute chaos for Samsung.

Samsung hosts last-ditch talks to avert major workers’ strike as South Korea piles pressure on tech giant
Any disruption to Samsung's production could also impact global supply chains
https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/east-asia/samsung-strike-workers-south-korea-b2979345.html

""
The two parties are racing against the clock to finalise a deal on bonus payments before nearly 48,000 workers are set to walk out for 18 days starting on Thursday.

Such a significant and prolonged industrial action could inflict considerable damage on South Korea's economy, given that Samsung alone accounts for almost a quarter of the nation's exports.
""
SK Hynix overhauled its pay structure last year. Samsung's union says SK Hynix workers last year received bonuses more than three times higher than those of Samsung workers, resulting in an exodus of Samsung employees to SK Hynix and a surge in union membership.
""

If the exponential march of Ai investment stumbles it could all be over very quickly.

mentalinc

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#3494232 20-May-2026 20:37

Could you update just the SSD & GPU?

I assume you've done some file integrity checks?
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cddt

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#3494323 21-May-2026 08:03

Paul1977:

18 months is a long time, and there's no guarantee pricing will be any better by then is there?

I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet, and perhaps do it quickly if prices are likely to continue to increase?

https://pcpartpicker.com/trends/price/memory/

After a steep rise between October and February, prices have flattened out since then. But you're right - there's no guarantee prices won't be even higher in the future. Depends how long the hype around AI runs for, how deep the correction is, what kind of capacity the manufacturers bring online (China to the rescue?)

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SpartanVXL

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#3494341 21-May-2026 09:04

I think any modern offering will be much faster than what you have.

I’d suggest a strong platform first and GPU second. See if the Intel ultras or multi-ccd Ryzens are in your price range, you can get some examples from pre-builts at pbtech, computerlounge etc.

Memory is going to be expensive, i’d say start with 32GB if you can unless you really need more for something specific.

I wouldn’t reuse the PSU if it is too old. Grab a new one with compatibility for the modern stuff like 12vhpwr.

Your alternative is to build around DDR4 and stick with last generation kit, secondhand high end is still relevant now given the massive price hike for new stuff.

toejam316

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#3494346 21-May-2026 09:27

Grab a $1000 mini PC or Mac Mini and turn the old system into a NAS for your storage.

Join Quic Broadband with my referral - no sign up fee and gives me account credit

Anything I say is the ramblings of an ill informed, opinionated so-and-so, and not representative of any of my past, present or future employers, and is also probably best disregarded.

Paul1977

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#3494417 21-May-2026 10:37

Here's what I've put together based on ChatGPT recommendations, which I imagine I need to take with a huge grain of salt. The dollar signs ain't pretty (especially for the RAM, which accounts for almost half the cost):

Mainboard – Asus TUF GAMING B650E-PLUS WIFI
CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 9700X
CPU Cooler – DEEPCOOL AK400 Black CPU Cooler 1x 120mm Fan
RAM – Corsair 64GB (2x 32GB) DDR5 6000Mhz CL30
GPU – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB
SSD (OS & Apps) – Crucial P310 1TB NVM3 M.2 Gen4

This is assuming my HP P420 RAID card will work on a PCIe x4 slot. Specs say x8, and is currently connected to a x8, so will test in weekend as current mainboard has an unused x4.

Is the above overkill in some areas? Underkill in others? I can afford the above if it will actually benefit me, but not wanting to throw money away with specs way higher than I need.

ChatGPT seemed to think if I did 2x 16GB DDR5 and then added an additional 2x 16GB later that I might need to slow the speed down from 6000Mhz? That's why I went straight to 64GB, but I don't really understand why I'd have to run it slower using 4 slots compared to 2?

@toejam316 a $1000 mini PC I'd still need to buy RAM though and SSD, so not sure this would be any more affordable and would be stuck with onboard graphics? And I just don't want to go Mac.

@SpartanVXL not sure how old the PSU is, I have a feeling I got a new one when it shifted the internals to a new case. But this is probably much longer ago than it seems, so maybe need to add a PSU to the list.

@mentalinc to be honest I haven't done any integrity checks in a while. I'll do them, but with the age of the PC it's time for retirement regardless I think. Just upgrading SSD and GPU probably not a great solution as still wouldn't be W11 compatible and the free extended security updates end in a few months for W10.

SpartanVXL

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#3494435 21-May-2026 11:41

I’d suggest the Intel 270k plus for your use cases, you get additional e-cores which would be useful for multi-threaded apps. You’d need to step up to AMD’s 9900x/9950x to get more cores. Or move down to Intel Ultra 5.

Intel ultra is not as bad as 13/14th gen for power/cooling, you can get away with a decent 240mm aio water cooler or a phantom spirit air cooler.

I take it you aren’t gaming? I’d recommend not running XMP/DOCP profiles on your memory if you are wanting stability. The chatgpt bit about 4x16GB or 2x32GB is possible, but you would need to understand ram settings regardless as 6000MHz CL30 is not always stable on AMD AM5. I’d recommend buying a kit that is able to do JEDEC speeds at least but is not more expensive e.g. 5600MHz for AMD or 6400MHz for Intel. Just FYI that the XMP speeds on the box is technically overclocking and is not guaranteed as your CPU/mobo can affect it.

For GPU how much cad/adobe stuff are you doing? Need CUDA? Depending on what you are doing you could step down to 5050 or go up to 5060ti 16GB.

If the SSD is going to be your primary drive I would suggest a better non-qlc model. Possibly the SN5000, MP44L or a WD SN850X depending on price.

Edit: for small stuff like nvme SSD you can browse amazon AU and find models that aren’t stocked here. They do returns but just takes a while for postage.

Your raid card will support 4x just at lower bandwidth. The only thing to check is if itwill boot in uefi, your skylake platform was just at the point of uefi becoming commonplace. If you’re running CSM/legacy at the moment you may want to check it works in uefi mode.

Also FYI you can just upgrade to win11 if you want. Use the bypass and your cpu is fine to run win11, as residential home user you won’t get in trouble.

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