buying guide

7 articles · newest first

Compact AI mini PC on a desk next to a monitor

I priced a DIY local-AI PC against 3 prebuilt AI boxes — the GPU price spike changed the winner

Building around a single GPU used to be the obvious move. With cards jumping 39% in two months, the math on prebuilt AI appliances just got a lot more interesting.

Nadia Rahman · 1d ago · 8 min

Consumer graphics card used for local AI inference on a desk

GPU prices just jumped up to 39% in two months — here's what's actually worth buying for local AI now

The RTX 5060 Ti got hit hardest, the RTX 5080 barely moved, and that flipped the value math. Here's what actually makes sense, card by card, in August 2026.

Lena Fischer · 1d ago · 9 min

Budget graphics cards for local AI, including the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB

Hardware

I put three budget GPUs head-to-head for local AI — only one earns its higher price

Arc B580, RX 9060 XT 16GB, and RTX 5060 Ti 16GB are all fighting for the same budget local-AI buyer in 2026. Real prices and real bandwidth numbers settle it.

Ravi Malhotra · Aug 4 · 6 min

Nvidia RTX 5090 graphics card on a desk, representing the RTX 50 series price hikes

Hardware

nvidia's third GPU price hike of 2026 just landed — I ran the real $/GB math for local AI

GDDR7 modules and TSMC wafer costs just pushed every RTX 50 card higher this week — but the ugliest number isn't the one everyone's quoting.

Ravi Malhotra · Aug 4 · 6 min

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, the flagship of the RTX 50 series

Hardware

nvidia's about to hike GPU prices again — here's the actual buy-or-wait math for local AI

A third price hike in one year is reportedly coming for the RTX 50 series — and if you're buying VRAM for local AI, not frame rates, the calculation isn't the same as 'wait for a sale.'

Ravi Malhotra · Aug 4 · 7 min

An Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card standing upright against a dark background

Hardware

the RTX 5060 just jumped $75 overnight in China — and that's usually how it starts

A $299 budget GPU got $75 pricier in 72 hours flat. Here's the actual chain of events, and the honest call on buying now versus waiting.

Ravi Malhotra · Aug 1 · 7 min

buying a used RTX 3090 for local AI? the 5-minute check that saves you from a $1,000 mistake

A used 3090 is still the best VRAM-per-dollar card for local AI — but many were mining cards, and the memory runs hot. Here's exactly what to check before you hand over the cash.

Ravi Malhotra · Jul 28 · 9 min