Reliable and fast office PC recommendations?

Happy New Year, everyone!

I need a dedicated office PC for a spare room—something separate from my main gaming rig.
The goal is speed—fast Windows boot times, quick file access for 5MB images/albums, presentations, and heavy 400-page Adobe manuals.
It’ll just sit in the corner of a desk in an extra workspace.

After digging through various threads, I’ve landed on the idea that an AMD processor with integrated graphics should do the trick.
I want decent, quality components—not cheap junk—but nothing crazy, since I might want to swap in a better CPU during the summer. I have an SSD 120.0 GB OCZ Vertex 4 lying around; I swapped it out for a Samsung 256 in my gaming machine, so I'd like to repurpose it here. For storage, I’m using a 1TB HDD, but I’m considering picking up a NAS (maybe a Synology with 2 x HDD SATA 2.5/3.5" up to 28TB total) so any advice there would be appreciated.

Here is what I'm thinking:
Would a combo of an AMD Athlon 200 GE processor (2x 3.20GHz) paired with an ASRock B450M-HDV—$130or perhaps some other motherboard—be fast enough for Windows, PowerPoint decks with video/images, and light photo work like resizing or autocorrect?
Alternatively, I could go twice as expensive with a Ryzen 5 2400G or a 2600G.

Regarding RAM, I might grab something better to allow for future upgrades—this one caught my eye based on previous suggestions:
DDR4 16GB (2X8GB), DDR4 3000, CL16, DIMM 288-PIN, G.SKILL F4-3000C16D-16GISB, 36MJ—$296
Or is this sufficient for my needs?
DDR4 8GB (2x4GB) PC4-25600U 3200MHz CL16 Kingston HyperX Predator, HX432C16PB3K2/8—$225

Power Supply: Fortron FPS 500W$130

As for the case, I haven't decided yet. Something small, no flashy LEDs, just needs front-facing USB ports.

For the monitor, maybe an AOC IPS around 23 inches for about $80—$300or
the Samsung LS24F350HHUX, 23.5" FullHD LED, PLS panel, AMD FreeSync, 4ms.$329

And Windows 10: does anyone know where to find a decent deal?
https://www.kinguin.net/category/194...VmA%3D%3D/

https://www.goodoffer24.com/windows-...32-64-bit.html
The site looks a little sketchy if you ask me, but I guess it’ll probably work—I mean, if Best Buy is vouching for it, who am I to argue...
If you actually pull the trigger on this, you should probably just use PayPal to keep things safe; it’s less of a gamble that way.

That AMD Athlon 200 GE processor should be more than enough to handle Windows 10 and whatever office tasks you throw at it.
By the way, you might want to double-check if that RAM is actually on the compatibility list for that motherboard, because anyone who knows anything about the AM4 platform knows how much of a headache memory issues can be.

gentlecyclist16 said:https://www.goodoffer24.com/windows-...32-64-bit.html
The site looks a little sketchy—but hey, if Best Buy was advertising it, it should be fine, right?
If you go through with it, maybe just use PayPal to keep things safer.

An AMD Athlon 200 GE processor should be more than enough for Windows 10 and basic office work.
Just make sure the RAM on your list is actually compatible with that board—AM4 is notorious for memory issues.

Thanks for the link. I pulled the trigger using PayPal—everything went smoothly and the key hit my inbox immediately.

Now, building the rig:

Current options on the table:
ASRock B450M-HDV motherboard, AM4, 90-MXB830-A0UAYZ – $192
AMD Athlon 200 GE processor, 2x 3.20GHz, boxed, YD200GC6FBBOX – $153
DDR4 8GB (2x4GB) PC4-25600U 3200MHz CL16 Kingston HyperX Predator, HX432C16PB3K2/8 – $225
500W FSP Fortron/Source Hexa+ Power supply, ATX 2.4 - $130

Do I need a case?

The processor only supports up to 2666MHz, so I guess there's really no point in grabbing a more expensive kit. You probably need a case if you aren't just reusing some old 😬... plus, a slightly better power supply with a 5-year warranty might be worth it.

Case: Zalman S2, acrylic window
Motherboard: ASRock B450M-HDV, AM4, 90-MXB830-A0UAYZ
Processor: AMD Athlon 200 GE, 2x 3.20GHz, boxed, YD200GC6FBBOX
2x DDR4 4GB (1x4) PC4-19200 2400MHz CL17 G.Skill NT Series, F4-2400C17S-4GNT
Power Supply: FORTRON 450W, HEXA 85+, 80 PLUS Bronze, PPA450A300/HA450

Total: $0.69 - ADM

For basic office work, I honestly think the Intel Pentium G5400 would be the better way to go.

crimsonstag84 said:The CPU only supports up to 2666MHz—so why bother with a pricier kit? You probably need a case if you don't have an old 😬... one with a decent power supply backed by a 5-year warranty.

Zalman S2 case with an acrylic window
ASRock B450M-HDV motherboard, AM4, 90-MXB830-A0UAYZ
AMD Athlon 200 GE processor, 2x 3.20GHz, boxed, YD200GC6FBBOX
2x DDR4 4GB (1x4) PC4-19200 2400MHz CL17 G.Skill NT Series, F4-2400C17S-4GNT
FORTRON 450W Power supply, HEXA 85+, 80 PLUS Bronze, PPA450A300/HA450

Total: $0.69 - ADM

Added a Samsung LS24F350HHUX monitor, 23.5" FullHD LED, PLS panel, AMD FreeSync, 4ms $329

With a 10% discount, I'm looking at about $85.
I keep calling them and nobody picks up—does anyone know if they're actually open tomorrow? If they are, I'll swing by Los Angeles and grab everything at once.

You can just order the parts online and select the in-store pickup option (though I guess some locations might not carry everything), then they'll give you a heads-up once they arrive.

crimsonstag84 said:Just order the parts and select the in-store pickup option—though some locations might not have everything in stock—and they'll hit you up once they arrive.

Yeah, fine. But I’m heading out to Chicago tomorrow—so I was hoping to see if I could grab the stuff then, whether it's just the individual components or the whole build. It's pretty weird that nobody is actually picking up the phone.

Everything’s sorted—they shot me an email after 8:00 PM and gave me a call this morning to say everything is ready for delivery.
I picked up the Samsung monitor F350 along with a Genius KM-130 keyboard and mouse combo.
The power supply wasn't included, so I grabbed a Corsair CX450—I figure those units are actually decent enough.

I'll let you guys know my thoughts once it's all built. I've never owned such a low-end rig before, so I'm genuinely curious to see how it performs.
The whole lot came to $1000 cash.

Good luck 👍

shadowwolf15 said:Everything’s sorted! They emailed me after 8 PM and actually called this morning to say everything's ready for pickup.
I grabbed a Dell monitor along with a Logitech keyboard and mouse combo.
They didn't have the PSU in stock, so I just went with an EVGA power supply—I'm assuming those things are decent enough.

Once I get this thing built, I'll give you guys my thoughts. Honestly, I've never owned such a potato of a PC, so I'm pretty curious to see how it actually performs.
Paid $1000cash on delivery
.

So, what's the verdict?