07/21/2020 $500 Black APU Build List

Today's $500ish Black Build is another strong workstation/Home PC. THIS IS NOT A GAMING PC! This PC is perfect for families looking for a home PC for homework, E-mail, web browsing, watching YouTube…. Yes, you could meet those goals for $400 or less but the high specs on this build ensure it runs as fast as possible for years to come.


CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.90 @ Amazon*)

Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO-VDH MAX Micro ATX AM4 ($99.91 @ Amazon*)

Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL16 Memory ($56.99 @ Amazon*)

Storage: Patriot VPN100 256 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon*)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon*)

Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($52.88 @ Amazon*)

Power Supply: Corsair CV 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX ($59.99 @ Amazon*)

Case Fan: Noctua NF-A9 PWM 46.44 CFM 92 mm Fan ($16.95 @ Amazon*)

Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x15 PWM 55.44 CFM 120 mm Fan ($19.95 @ Amazon*)

Custom: 120mm Computer Fan Filter ($14.99 @ Amazon*)

Custom: Fan Splitter, 1 to 4 Converter 10 inches (2 Pack) ($9.99 @ Amazon*)

Total: $589.61**

Write up:


CPU: I went with the 3400g because it is one of the best CPUs with integrated graphics on the market. This is meant to be an APU list and not for Gaming. If you are looking for dedicated graphics look at the $800 entry gaming build.


Motherboard: I went with the MSI because it is a premium mATX board for under $100..


Memory: A fox list wouldn’t be complete without at least 16GB of memory and the G skill is a great deal.


Storage: As always for this price point I am pairing a 256 NVME with a 2TB HDD. Put your system and programs on the NVME and put your files and games on the HDD. And yes, The NVME SSD had DRAM.


Case: Going with the Fractal case today. This is a nice little case with plenty of room when you use the upper drive bays to stash your extra cables. I included a 92mm fan for the rear and a 120mm fan for the side as an intake. With the 92mm and the PSU acting as exhausts and the included 120mm in the front and the 120mm on the side, this will give you a positive pressure case. I also included a screw-on filter for the side. I have used it with this case many times and it works well to keep the case dust free.


Power Supply: Went with the budget option here. But with the solid side panel, you won't see the ketchup and mustard.

Case Fans: I went with Noctua fans because they are some of the best.


Conclusion: This is a solid little workhorse for Home PC or Light Shop Work. A $550 option for those who are tired of the big box stores $300 builds crapping out after a few months. Note that this build does not have a separate graphics card. The 3400g has Vega 11 graphics which is enough to get your foot in the door on PC gaming and strong enough of a CPU that once you add a dedicated graphics card down the line that you won’t feel like you compromised.

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