Home office PC build ideas?

Joshua Garcia3 said:So, I just put together this new PC using these parts:

- Intel Core i3 10105F 3.7/4.4GHz, 4C/8T, LGA 1200
- Gigabyte H410M S2H V3, s.1200 H410M S2H V3 G13
- G-Skill DDR4, 3000MHz, 16GB total (2x8GB)
- Nvidia T600 graphics card, 4GB GDDR6
- Kingston 500GB NV1 M.2 2280 NVMe SSD, up to 2100/1700MB/s,
- Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200rpm HDD, 64MB, Barracuda,
- EVGA SuperNOVA 500W 80 Plus Bronze, Low Noise 120mm Fan
- Zalman S3 Plus Mid Tower Case

We fired up "Fortnite" using the profile from the old machine—my grandson is absolutely thrilled with it—compared to his old setup and that old Radeon HD 6670, this new Nvidia T600 doesn't stutter at all; it runs smooth, and as my grandson puts it, the visuals are just way better than what he was used to...

We also tried out another game called "CRSED: F.O.A.D.," but since it’s new to him, he needs a little time to get the hang of things—get used to the mechanics—but the graphics look solid and everything is running normally...

https://crsed.net/en/play4free/?r=ad...e7f50014883605

How much cash am I looking at for all of this?

Tyler Jones46 said:So, what's the damage on all this?

- roughly $1567 (built it myself; parts came from AMD, Linksys, and Micro Center)

- the "Zalman S3 Plus" case actually has a slot for a DVD drive if you need one...

For about that much (maybe an extra $33 as mentioned above), you could probably just head over to Micro Center and have them build a similar rig for you...

Joshua Garcia3 said:- roughly $1567 (I put this together myself—grabbed all the parts from Micro Center, Linksys, and Best Buy)

- the Zalman S3 Plus case actually has a slot if you still need to install a DVD drive...

For about that much cash—maybe a bit more, like $33—you could probably head down to Micro Center and build something pretty similar with these specs...

thanks 👍

Joshua Garcia3 said:- roughly $1567 (I put this together myself; parts came from AMD, Linksys, and Micro Center)

- the "Zalman S3 Plus" case actually has a slot for a DVD drive...

For about that kind of money (maybe an extra $33 or so) with these components, you could probably head over to Micro Center and build a PC yourself...

Exactly. I built a brand new rig around a Be Quiet! setup! However, for purely sentimental reasons, I stuffed my old motherboard into a Zalman Z3 Plus and loaded that Zalman up with glowing fans (the top ones controlled by the case can be anything, so I grabbed some Corsair RGB ones), then filled out the rest with Lian Li fans—they come with their own ARGB controller and a PWM speed regulator. Now that case is glowing like Bethlehem; it looks great, and it’s running my old configuration perfectly.

I won't claim the materials or the build quality of Zalman are top-tier. They really aren't. But for the price point, it's a solid case. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone building a high-end workstation who demands premium craftsmanship. But I would definitely suggest it to someone looking for a compact case who has the patience to tackle cable management through tight channels, needs DVD bays or maybe even a small floppy slot, and doesn't mind having to tug at things behind the expansion slots or dealing with an acrylic window instead of tempered glass. The stock fans are decent too (not elite, but good). The most important thing about this case: there is plenty of room for large HDDs and a spot for a smaller drive like an SSD, all of which can be installed toollessly.
If you install glowing fans on top, you'll see the light through the vents (for instance, you won't see it with Be Quiet! fans, which is why I bought side-lit ones for it—Lian Li is the winner here).
So, if your budget and space are limited, but you have the patience and the knack for building PCs (the manufacturer explicitly states: "assembly instructions not included, as we assume this will be handled by qualified individuals"), go ahead. Once it's assembled, it'll look better than many cases that cost twice as much.

I'm still rocking my old 1060 🤦