2026-09-23 12:03 UTC
narrowed it down the $500 PC search to either:
HP Pro Mini 400 G9: i3-12300T, 32GB DDR4-3200 RAM, 256GB NVMe SSD - $530
or
PC cobbled together from used & new bits: Ryzen 5700G, B550M mobo, 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM, 256GB NVMe SSD, shitty mid-tower case & PSU from Scorptec - $520
If I want DisplayPort 1.4 and DDR4 RAM (DDR5 RAM is just out of the question for 32GB) it really narrows down to Zen2/3 APUs or Intel 11th/12th-gen CPUs
Replies (1)
-
@decryption@aus.social 2026-09-24 07:22
Got a nice PC off The Sizzle forum for $550 HP Pro Mini 400 G9 i5-13500T 32GB DDR4-3200 RAM 500GB Crucial P310 NVMe SSD Don't think I could do much better for the budget! Probably had some leverage being the guy that owns the forum. Kinda want to write a blog post centered around "what does $500 buy you in the used PC market in mid-2026" but dunno if it's useful as there's too many variables. Might write it anyway just as a way to "close" this bit of research. Otherwise I'll keep researching or feel like the time I was spent was useless.