I'm not going to sugarcoat it: 2026 has been a terrible time to be a PC gamer. As someone who's been covering computing tech for over a decade and building machines for longer than that, the future looks bleak.
The biggest tech companies in the world are buying up vital components such as RAM and graphics cards to build data centers. Prices for these parts are soaring as demand drastically outpaces supply. Many expect things won't stabilize until at least 2030, so what can we do to get through the worst of it?
While the best graphics cards, NVMe SSDs, and the best DDR5 RAM modules have become expensive and elusive, that's not the case across the board for other computing components, as there are plenty of other essential upgrades you can make to weather the storm and ensure you've got one of the best gaming PCs ready for the flagship releases of the future… provided you keep your expectations in check.
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I'm going through the five biggest ways you can maximize your PC gaming experience through this dark and uncertain time. My best advice without spending any additional money is to hold onto what you've got and be smart with your graphics settings and target resolution.
Today's best PC games are optimized with console parity in mind, meaning they have to be able to run on the Xbox Series X/S and PS5, so as long as your GPU is from 2020/2021 or later, you should be okay. If you're looking to spend a little money, though, here's what I recommend doing next.
1. Replace your keyboard and mouse
The average PC gamer replaces their peripherals, such as keyboards, mice, and headsets, every four to five years. If you're reading this at your desk, there's a high chance you're typing on an old deck…