I think most parts are geared towards gaming these days. When I've needed a server, I went for multi-CPU setups with older, cheaper CPUs.

That being said, for AI, HEDT is the obvious answer. Back in the day, it was much more affordable with my 9980XE only costing $2,000.

I just built a Threadripper 9980 system with 192GB of RAM and good lord it was expensive. I will actually benefit from it though and the company paid for it.

That being said, there is a glaring gap between "consumer" hardware meant for gaming and "workstation" hardware meant for real performance.

Have you looked into a 9960 Threadripper build? The CPU isn't TOO expensive, although the memory will be. But you'll get a significantly faster and better machine than something like a 9950X.

I also think besides the new Threadripper chips, there isn't much new out this year anyways to warrant upgrading.

I have looked into the Threadripper, but just can't justify it. The tension between all the options and the cost, power usage, size (EATX) is too much, and I don't think such a system, especially with 2025 era DDR5 in the 6000mt range, will hold its value well. If I were directly earning money with it, sure, but as a hobby/augmentation to my work, I will wait out a generation or lose interest in the pursuit.

Competitors to NVidia really need to figure things out, even for gaming with AI being used more I think a high end APU would be compelling with fast shared memory.