i just checked: i have just under 400 parts total. i too remember once having 3,000+, and then HoW brought reforging. i literally burned through every last part i had at some point, but then i started to recoop my losses. a while ago i decimated those gains getting my hunter to rank 25 in DO (for that sweet sweet exotic cloak!), but now im starting to go back up again. point is: they're needed for guns less but can be used more in other ways.