The comparison
BGR sets a roughly $3,000 flagship PC from 2006 against a 2026 MAINGEAR Zero MK. II. The modern machine has an RTX 5090 Founders Edition, a Ryzen 7 9850X3D, 32GB of DDR5 and 2TB of NVMe storage. BGR estimates it at $8,000–$8,500, depending on options such as the AIO cooler and power supply.
For 2006, BGR cites these parts:
| Component | 2006 figure (per BGR) |
|---|---|
| Core 2 Extreme QX6700 | $999 |
| 4GB DDR2 | about $400 |
| GeForce 8800 GTX | $599 |
| Whole PC | about $3,000 |
BGR converts that $3,000 to "just over $5,000" in 2026 dollars. It concludes that the modern example is about $3,500 more expensive, or that two 2006 flagships cost roughly one 2026 machine.
Checking the 2006 numbers
The CPU and GPU prices hold up. The 2006 total and the memory price are BGR's own estimates.
- The QX6700 price is right. PC Perspective reported a $999 MSRP for the QX6700. Wikipedia lists its release as November 2, 2006 at $999.
- The timing needs a caveat. Intel's July 27, 2006 launch release listed the dual-core Core 2 Extreme X6800 at $999, not the QX6700. The quad-core chip arrived about three months later. This is therefore a late-2006 flagship, not what a top-end PC cost all year. Techgage's table shows both chips at $999, so the CPU budget barely changes either way.
- The GPU price is a reference point, not a universal one. The 8800 GTX shipped on November 8, 2006 is not what the sources say, so I'll say it plainly: EVGA's launch announcement for the card gave a range. EVGA's announcement said its 8800 GTX would be priced from $599.99 to $649.99, depending on retailer. "$599" is a fair MSRP, but board partners and stores varied.
- The memory and total are unverified. I found no primary source for "$400 for 4GB of DDR2". BGR also doesn't publish a full 2006 parts list. Treat $3,000 as a reasonable estimate, not a reproducible bill of materials.
The inflation maths
BGR adjusts $3,000 to just over $5,000. The BLS says its CPI calculator uses annual average CPI, with the latest monthly value for the current year. That is the right method, but the exact figure is BGR's calculation.
A cross-check on the CPU alone: one CPI-based calculator site puts the $999 QX6700 at about $1,640 in 2026 dollars, a 64% rise. That implies a 2006 $3,000 build lands near $4,900. That is the same ballpark as BGR's "just over $5,000", though the calculators' inputs differ.
The gap is also easy to misstate:
- Nominal gap: $8,000–$8,500 minus $3,000 is $5,000–$5,500.
- Inflation-adjusted gap: against about $5,000, the premium is roughly $3,000–$3,500. BGR's $3,500 figure uses the top of its range.
The modern machine is still about 60–70% more expensive in real terms. It is not "two PCs for one" in real terms, though. Two 2006 builds would cost about $10,000 in today's money, more than the modern one.
Where the GPU fits
The GPU is the biggest shift. BGR points out that the RTX 5090 Founders Edition has an MSRP of $1,999. That is more than three times the 8800 GTX's $599. BGR also says the card can cost up to $7,000 on the secondary market.
MAINGEAR's own page backs up the scarcity. It says standalone RTX 5090 cards are scarce as of October 2026. It also limits RTX 5090 purchases to one per customer and bars purchases for resale or for dismantling systems to sell the parts.
MAINGEAR's page lists these RTX 5090 systems:
- Zero Champion: Ryzen 7 9850X3D, 32GB DDR5, 2TB Gen4 NVMe, $7,599.
- MG-1 Champion: the same spec, $7,699.
- Zero Amethyst: $7,299, with an Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus.
- MG-1 Ultimate: $9,499, with a Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition, 64GB and 4TB.
All of these were marked sold out when the page was captured. Prices and stock change, and they are not the exact configuration BGR priced.
Is a prebuilt now cheaper than building?
BGR argues it is, in this case. It prices the non-GPU parts of a DIY build:
- MSI PRO B850M-A WIFI PZ motherboard: $219.99
- Ryzen 7 9850X3D: $499.99
- XPG DDR5 memory: $409.90 per 16GB stick
- MSI MAG A1250GL PSU: $236.92
- TRYX Panorama SE 360 AIO cooler: $279.99
- Kingston KC3000 2TB SSD: $495
BGR says the total is $9,551.69 without a case. That sum appears to include a $7,000 RTX 5090 bought on the secondary market. The six listed parts alone come to about $2,552 at two sticks of RAM. So the GPU is what drives the total.
Read that carefully. The $9,551.69 figure depends on a scalper-market GPU price BGR doesn't date. It is a snapshot of one scarce card, not proof that building is generally dearer than buying. The mid-range tells a different story: BGR says a dependable mid-range GPU now costs $600–$750, and that many builders have moved to DDR4 and AM4 to save money. That is BGR's claim, and I didn't independently verify it.
Takeaways
- The late-2006 flagship was roughly $3,000 (BGR's estimate), or about $5,000 in 2026 dollars.
- The 2026 MAINGEAR example is $8,000–$8,500, so it is more expensive in real terms.
- The GPU explains most of that: the 8800 GTX launched at $599, and the RTX 5090 FE has a $1,999 MSRP and trades far higher when scarce.
- It is a comparison of two extreme examples. It says little about what an ordinary gaming PC costs now versus then.
BGR's broader point about component prices stands, but this pair of machines is a fair snapshot only of the very top end.