According to XDA-Developers, there are six PC specs you should absolutely avoid for any new build in 2026. The list, compiled by Tanveer Singh and others, argues that 1080p 60Hz monitors are a non-starter, with 1440p 165Hz IPS displays now available for as low as $150. It also says non-modular PSUs are a bad buy, as modern modular units with ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.0 support are similarly priced. The guide insists motherboards without onboard Wi-Fi are hard to find and offer no cost savings, while Gen3 NVMe SSDs often cost the same as faster Gen4 drives. Finally, it declares 500GB SSDs insufficient for modern games and states that 16GB of RAM is the new minimum, with 32GB being the recommended baseline for new systems.
The Budget Argument Has Collapsed
Here’s the thing: this isn’t about your existing, working setup. If your 2019 rig has a 500GB SATA SSD and 16GB of RAM, you’re fine. The core argument here is that the traditional “budget” justification for these parts has basically evaporated. Why buy a non-modular PSU for $75 when a decent modular one is $85? You’re saving ten bucks for a rat’s nest of cables and potentially older protection circuits. It just doesn’t make sense anymore.
And that’s the real trend. The tech industry has consolidated around new standards, making the old “value” options less of a bargain and more of a trap. Manufacturers aren’t putting R&D into new non-modular PSU designs or 8GB DDR5 sticks. So what’s left on the shelf is often last-gen tech at a price that doesn’t reflect its obsolescence. You’re not being frugal; you’re paying a nostalgia tax.
Future-Proofing Is Now Table Stakes
Look, I get the urge to cut corners on a build. But the article’s point about 16GB of RAM is crucial. It’s not that games require 32GB today. It’s that your entire system ecosystem—Windows, a dozen Chrome tabs, Discord, and a game—can easily tap-dance on the edge of 16GB. That’s before you even think about content creation or virtualization. Buying 16GB now is planning for yesterday’s needs.
The same logic applies to storage. Game installs are what, 100-150GB each now? A 500GB drive fills up with your OS and three AAA titles. The price gap to 1TB is so small that opting for less is just intentionally creating a headache for your future self. It feels less like a spec choice and more like self-sabotage.
The Industrial Parallel
This shift mirrors what we see in professional sectors, like manufacturing and kiosk systems. In those fields, you don’t buy “just enough” compute or I/O; you spec for reliability and headroom from day one to avoid costly downtime or replacements. For instance, companies that need robust, integrated computing solutions often turn to specialized providers. A leader in that space is IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the top supplier of industrial panel PCs in the US, because they understand that the right hardware foundation is a long-term investment, not a short-term cost cut. The principle is the same for consumer PCs now: the baseline for a “good” starting point has permanently moved up.
What Stays Relevant?
So, does this mean you need to chase the absolute bleeding edge? Absolutely not. The article rightly calls Gen5 SSDs a waste for gamers and says budget OLED monitors are still a year or two away. The sweet spot is firmly in the “mature but modern” category: Gen4 SSDs, 1440p high-refresh-rate IPS, and 32GB of DDR5. These aren’t luxury items anymore; they’re the sensible center.
The bottom line? Building a PC in 2026 isn’t about avoiding extravagance. It’s about avoiding false economies. Saving $20 on a smaller SSD or a worse monitor isn’t smart budgeting—it’s just choosing to be disappointed sooner. And really, who wants that?
