$500 Workstation/Home PC
Starting today’s lists is this $500 workstation. We did go closer to $600 today. This is not a gaming PC. It does not have dedicated graphics. This PC is for home or office use. This PC will run wicked fast for years to come and not slow down after a single month of use like those cheap $300 PCs you get at the big box stores.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.00 @ Amazon*)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX ($95.11 @ Amazon*)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB DDR4-3000 CL16 ($55.99 @ Amazon*)
Storage (SSD): HP EX920 256 GB M.2-2280 NVME ($52.95 @ Amazon*)
Storage (HDD): Seagate Barracuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM ($58.25 @ Amazon*)
Case: darkFlash DLM 21 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($65.98 @ Amazon*)
Power Supply: EVGA BQ 500 W 80+ Bronze Semi-modular ATX ($78.48 @ Amazon*)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fans 5-Pack ($20.99 @ Amazon*)
Custom: 4 Pin PWM Fan Hub Cable Splitter 1 to 5 Fans ($12.88 @ Amazon*)
Total: $589.63**
Optional WIFI: EDUP WiF Wireless WiFi Card with Bluetooth 5.0 ($29.99 @ Amazon*)
Total with WIFI: $619.62**
Write Up:
CPU:
The R5 3400G is a 4-core 8-thread CPU with integrated Vega 11 graphics. This is more than enough for the average PC user.
Motherboard:
This B450 motherboard from Gigabyte fills our need for a small board with significant features. All while not breaking the bank.
Memory:
This 16GB DDR4-3000 kit from G.Skill is a great pairing for Ryzen CPUs to ensure the CPU is speeding right through all the Chrome Tabs you can throw at it (within reason lol)
Storage (SSD):
This 256GB NVME SSD drive from HP has 256MB of cache (DRAM). This is the drive to install your system to ensure the pc is speeding along for years to come.
Storage (HDD):
The Seagate Barracuda 2TB is a mainstay on my lists. This is the drive to put everything you don’t want clogging up your NVME. Games, songs, stream sources…. Any files that aren’t as demanding. HDDs get a lot of flak—a lot of builders switching to a single 1TB NVME. But the price to performance and storage of the Barracuda HDD is unbeatable. HDDs are great at one program at a time. If all you’re doing is loading a game, just playing a song, only loading a stream source… HDDs are fantastic for single tasks.
Case:
This case from darkFlash reminds me a lot of a case from Fractal Design. This case I have selected offers a tempered glass side panel, cable management, and some great fan mounting options. Even new builders can get a clean and professional-looking build. With the smaller form factor, it will take less room on your desk.
Power Supply:
EVGA has a dependable 500W semi-modular power supply here. It has enough power for today and upgrades tomorrow.
Case Fans:
This case has room for up to 5 fans, so I figured this 5-pack from Artic would be a good fit. Don’t forget to grab the splitter and plug the splitter into the sys fan port on the motherboard and then all the case fans into the splitter.
Optional WIFI Card:
This little card is fantastic. I have one in all of my personal builds. The Bluetooth connectivity is impressive. I have had uninterrupted connectivity throughout my house. So if I am working in the office and then go to the kitchen to grab a snack, my music is still playing through my headphones.
Bible Verse of the day:
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
*Blog Includes Amazon Associate Links
**Price at the time of writing. Prices may change minute to minute and may not be the same as listed.
Comments
Post a Comment