kai-desktop-tower: evaluate RAM upgrade, 2 free DIMM slots, 32 to 64 or 128 GB #16

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opened 2026-05-23 20:54:27 +00:00 by coilysiren · 1 comment

coilysiren commented

2026-05-23 20:54:27 +00:00

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Originally filed by @coilysiren on 2026-05-22T11:30:17Z - https://github.com/coilysiren/infrastructure/issues/264

Context - kai-desktop-tower runs an i7-8700 on an ASUS PRIME Z390-A with 2x16 GB DDR4 = 32 GB today. The Z390-A has 4 DIMM slots and supports up to 128 GB, so 2 slots sit empty.

Why this matters now

k3s on the tower runs inside WSL2, which hands the guest VM only ~50 percent of host RAM by default (see infrastructure#262). More host RAM directly raises the usable k3s node capacity.
DDR4-2400/2666 is cheap in 2026. Going to 64 GB (2x32) or 128 GB (4x32) is the lowest-cost upgrade on the tower by a wide margin.
This upgrade is missing from the tracked path. infrastructure#73-#76 cover NVMe, PSU, and GPU but not RAM, even though RAM is the cheapest and lowest-risk of the set.

Decision needed

Target 64 GB or 128 GB.
Matched 2x32 kit alongside the existing 2x16 (mixed density, runs but may drop to slower timings), or a clean 4x32 / 2x64 replacement.
Confirm the existing kit's exact part for timing compatibility.

Sibling issues - infrastructure#73 (LLM stack umbrella), #74 (NVMe), #75 (GPU), #76 (PSU). Machine note: coilyco-vault machine-kai-desktop-tower.

_Originally filed by @coilysiren on 2026-05-22T11:30:17Z - [https://github.com/coilysiren/infrastructure/issues/264](https://github.com/coilysiren/infrastructure/issues/264)_ **Context** - kai-desktop-tower runs an i7-8700 on an ASUS PRIME Z390-A with 2x16 GB DDR4 = 32 GB today. The Z390-A has 4 DIMM slots and supports up to 128 GB, so 2 slots sit empty. **Why this matters now** - k3s on the tower runs inside WSL2, which hands the guest VM only ~50 percent of host RAM by default (see infrastructure#262). More host RAM directly raises the usable k3s node capacity. - DDR4-2400/2666 is cheap in 2026. Going to 64 GB (2x32) or 128 GB (4x32) is the lowest-cost upgrade on the tower by a wide margin. - This upgrade is missing from the tracked path. infrastructure#73-#76 cover NVMe, PSU, and GPU but not RAM, even though RAM is the cheapest and lowest-risk of the set. **Decision needed** - Target 64 GB or 128 GB. - Matched 2x32 kit alongside the existing 2x16 (mixed density, runs but may drop to slower timings), or a clean 4x32 / 2x64 replacement. - Confirm the existing kit's exact part for timing compatibility. **Sibling issues** - infrastructure#73 (LLM stack umbrella), #74 (NVMe), #75 (GPU), #76 (PSU). Machine note: `coilyco-vault` machine-kai-desktop-tower.

coilysiren commented

2026-05-30 05:43:29 +00:00

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Iceboxed in the 2026-05-29 backlog burn-down: evaluate tower RAM upgrade, hardware speculation. Reopen anytime if it becomes real.

coilysiren closed this issue

2026-05-30 05:43:29 +00:00

coilysiren referenced this issue

2026-06-18 02:52:56 +00:00

feat(ansible): full-auto Goose job to converge fleet agentic-os pre-commit pins #372

coilysiren referenced this issue

2026-07-04 10:38:26 +00:00