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News, analysis, and deals worth knowing about in the PC hardware space.
M5 Ultra Mac Studio Is Official: Specs, Pricing, and Pre-Orders
Apple made it official — M5 Ultra Mac Studio starts at $5,499, ships September 22, and tops out at 512GB of unified memory (though that top tier won't actually ship until late October). Here's how the real specs stack up against what we predicted, plus: we ordered one.
GPU Prices Right Now: What Actually Ships at MSRP (and What Doesn't)
The RTX 5090 is listing for $4,288 against a $1,999 MSRP — more than double. Here's an honest look at what's actually available near sticker price right now, and what to buy instead if you're not willing to pay the premium.
Is a Local AI Workstation Actually Worth It for Real Dev Work?
Running agentic coding tools and real development work locally — not just chatting with a small model — currently means an $8,000-10,000 machine, whether you build a dual-GPU Linux box or buy Apple Silicon. We ran the actual numbers on both, and looked at whether waiting for October makes sense.
The M5 Ultra Mac Studio Was Tested at 768GB of RAM. Will It Actually Ship That Way?
Apple has reportedly tested M5 Ultra configurations up to 768GB of unified memory — well beyond the 512GB the M3 Ultra originally offered before supply constraints cut it to 96GB. Here's what's technically possible versus what's actually likely to ship in October.
The RAM Shortage Isn't Ending Soon — Should You Buy Now or Wait?
DDR5 prices didn't just spike — they've stayed up, and every serious forecast now points past 2027 before anything resembling normal pricing returns. Here's the actual analyst timeline, and a straight answer on whether waiting will save you money.
The Self-Hosting Boom: What Actually Belongs on Your NAS Right Now
Cloud subscriptions keep climbing and self-hosting keeps getting easier. Here's what's actually worth running on a home NAS in 2026 — from the obvious cloud-bill killers to running your own lightweight AI agent.
GPU Mining Profitability: Real Numbers for Every Electricity Rate
We ran the numbers on GPU mining profitability in 2026 — RTX 5090, RX 7900 XTX, and every US electricity rate from $0.10 to $0.32/kWh. Plus: does free solar power finally change the math?
TerraMaster F4-423 Review: A Year In — The NAS That Changed How I Think About Home Infrastructure
I bought a TerraMaster F4-423 to consolidate family data and get off Google Photos. A year later, it's running a full Docker stack, serving offline AI, and it's the most reliable machine I own. Here's the honest year-in assessment.
Running Project N.O.M.A.D. on a TerraMaster F4-423 (TOS 7): The Config That Actually Works
After fighting TerraMaster's ACL system and non-root Docker setup, here is the battle-tested docker-compose config that gets every Project N.O.M.A.D. service running reliably on TOS 7. Plus — why a NAS like this is the ideal SHTF offline knowledge machine.
ASIC Mining: Is a Minimal Rig Worth It?
We ran the numbers on ASIC mining profitability in 2026 — Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Kaspa across US electricity rates. Does solar change the math, and which machines are actually worth buying?
M5 Mac Mini Rumors: Leaked Specs & Pricing
M5 Mac Mini rumor roundup: leaked specs suggest a 10-core CPU and 40-core GPU at the same $699 starting price. We break down the performance jump from M4 and what to expect from Apple's neural engine upgrades.
M5 Mac Studio Rumors: Leaked Specs & Performance
Breaking M5 Mac Studio rumors 2026: Leaked details on M5 Pro/Max/Ultra chips, performance benchmarks vs M1-M4, pricing starting at $1,999, and pro features like advanced AI. Apple's workstation refresh incoming.
M5 MacBook Pro Rumors: Leaked Specs & Release Date
Leaked M5 MacBook Pro specs for 2026: upgraded CPU and GPU core counts, on-device AI acceleration, and estimated pricing for 14-inch and 16-inch models. How big is the jump from M4?
M6 MacBook Ultra Rumors: Leaked Specs & Redesign
M6 MacBook Ultra rumors point to the first major redesign in years: OLED display, touch support, and an M6 chip that outpaces the M5 Max. We break down the leaked specs and what $3,499 gets you.
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