Gear farming: where to spend energy

Spent most of the weekend on this and I am still not sure I understand it. Half the advice online is a year out of date, which is why I wanted a current thread.

Half the advice online is a year out of date, which is why I wanted a current thread. Any pointers appreciated, even partial ones.

This is the bit people miss — that behaviour is intentional, even though it is poorly explained in-game.

Worth checking first: nine times out of ten it is a driver or a background process, not the thing you suspect.