{
  "id": 17229166,
  "title": "7 PC building habits that were smart in 2016 but not anymore",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/7-pc-building-habits-that-were-smart-in-2016-but-not-anymore",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-30T13:30:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "XDA Developers",
    "slug": "xda-developers",
    "url": "https://www.xda-developers.com/pc-building-habits-that-were-smart-in-2016-but-not-anymore/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "PC building habits that were considered smart in 2016 have become less favorable over time. Previously, large cases with extensive drive cages were popular, but smaller mid-towers have now become the norm. Thermal paste quality was once crucial, as it could shave off several degrees of temperatures; however, modern thermal compounds focus more on longevity. Prebuilt systems, once frowned upon, now have their place due to convenience and sometimes limited component availability. BIOS updates, which used to be a daunting task due to potential bricking, are now safer with UEFI environments and dual-BIOS protection. In 2016, HDDs and SSDs were both common, with HDDs handling game storage and SSDs managing the OS and programs. While SSDs remain expensive, they have become much more affordable and are now essential for gaming rigs. Dedicated sound cards, like the Creative Sound Blaster Z, were once favored for superior audio quality. Nowadays, high-end motherboards provide comparable audio quality without the need for an external card. RAID setups, popular for their speed and redundancy, have lost prominence, with NVMe drives now outperforming RAID 0 HDD combinations. External NAS systems with ZFS offer a more reliable and efficient method for data redundancy.",
  "summary": "A decade makes a huge difference",
  "key_points": [
    "Smaller mid-towers have replaced large cases with extensive drive cages.",
    "Modern thermal compounds prioritize longevity over temperature reduction.",
    "UEFI environments and dual-BIOS protection have made BIOS updates safer."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}