Well, dear readers, it finally happened. I spent the money to invest in an actual gaming desktop. My gaming laptop was starting to run hot while I was playing Palworld and 7 Days to Die on Steam, so I thought it was time to finally upgrade. It just so happened that I was also moving into a new home, which provided me the opportunity to get a new computer desk as well. I worked with Save State columnist Vincent Mahoney to build out a powerful and economical system so that I could get the best bang for the buck. The process of building out a new system was part of the fun.
In fact, everything was going great until I went to buy some system RAM, which we all know that gaming rigs really need. Now, the last time I bought RAM, it was $50 for 16GB. I was blindsided by the new price tag of $250 for 32GB of Skill Flare RAM. I had to buy it in stages as I got enough funding, but I finally got all the parts that were needed. My good friend Ernesto even volunteered to help me put it all together as I have never built a computer from the ground up before. I am actually bad with technology and should not be allowed to touch expensive computer parts.
But it was a success. My full and final build is as follows: 
- Corsair 4000D RGB Case
- AMD Ryzon 7 7800X3D Processor
- Asus Tuff Gaming B650-E Motherboard
- PNY Nvidia 5070 GPU
- Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB Heat Sync
- 32GB (2X16) Skill Flare DDR5 4800Hertz RAM
- 1TB SK Hynix SSD Nvme
- 1TB Western Digital Blue SSD
- MSI 750W Power Supply
- Red Dragon Anvil Speakers
- AOC 27-inch Curved Gaming Monitor
Ernesto and I loved the built-in wire management system inside the case. It made the final project look so much nicer. One issue we ran into was the sheer size of the heat sync making it pretty intimidating to figure out how to wire the fans. Since a heat sync on a gaming rig is absolutely necessary, we eventually figured it out and even decided to daisy chain the fan connectors. It booted up without an issue and, of course, the first game I played was Palworld.
The difference in how it looked and felt compared with my gaming laptop was astonishing. In fact, the difference was so pronounced that I was speechless and couldn’t move at first. The color was so crisp with the new system that it was like a whole new game. But I got to give the new system a full test when Vincent and I played Monster Hunter Wilds together. It was a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to enjoying a whole new level of gaming during what will very likely be a very cold Ohio winter.
Having a brand new gaming PC is amazing, even if the cost of the RAM makes it kind of bittersweet. Had it not been for the cost of the RAM, my system would have truly been economical.
I do get why the RAM was so expensive. AI has approached the ad absurdum phase of the tech bro “move fast, break things” development cycle. I can understand that everyone wants to make this technology work, but it has upended budgets for building gamer PCs. It has gotten to the point where brands like Crucial have stopped selling RAM in the consumer sector. I am also reminded of when GPUs were ungodly expensive due to chip shortages and high demand from crypto miners, both of which probably still have some impact on pricing.
Hopefully, this issue will get better so that gamers can update their rigs in 2026, especially with so many great titles that are supposed to be released next year. I know I can expect a pile of reviews to come my way in 2026, which is good. I haven’t been able to write many reviews for you all, and I want to give you my best impressions of new titles.
Happy holidays to you all! I hope that your winter gaming season is a fun one. Mine should be with this new system, which is more than enough to get through the long winter nights ahead.