WE’RE NOT GOING TO LIE: Getting the gear in for this build
was something of a mission. You might imagine that cheaper
components are easier to get hold of, but manufacturers are
always more eager to push their newest, most expensive
hardware. Counting the coins with a build like this produces far
more of a challenge for us, and in spite of our best efforts, this
isn’t a truly budget build. A cheaper processor was certainly
an option; an Athlon 200GE would likely be the most affordable
option, or a Pentium Gold from Intel.
Looking at our budget breakdown, we arguably overspent on
our motherboard. The B450M Steel Legend is a great board, but
it’s the most expensive component in this build; only the 2200G
CPU even comes close. In a build like this, there’s little need to
spend more than 15–20 percent of your budget on your mobo, but
we’ve gone ahead and used more than a quarter of it. Good budget
boards can be tough to come by, but if you’re patient, and keep and
eye on the sales, you should be able to snap up a similar B450M
board for around $70.
The most important part of this build—and, indeed, any
project with a tight budget—is getting the most out of the money
you’re spending. The RAM, case, and SSD we’re using are all
particularly good value; we challenge you to find a nicer case for
under $50, and Crucial’s BX series is just ridiculously good value.
When it comes to elements such as the HDD and PSU, don’t be
afraid to cannibalize a part from an older build. This rig really
isn’t remotely demanding, and if you’ve got an old hard drive lying
around, the SPEC-05 can easily accommodate it.GETTING READY TO BUILD
PART PRiCECase Corsair SPEC-05 $45Motherboard ASRock B450M Steel Legend $90CPU AMD Ryzen 3 2200G $87CPU Cooler AMD Wraith Stealth $0Memory 8GB (2x 4GB) Corsair Vengeance
LPX DDR4 3000
$50PSU 450W EVGA 450 BT 80+ Bronze $35Boot Drive 120GB Crucial BX500 SSD $20Storage Drive 500GB Toshiba^
DT01ACA050 HDD
$23OS Linux $0IngredIents
Total $350
prices correct at time of printing.1 2
Get yOUr wOrkSPaCe CleareD and all the tools you need
ready. You’ll want some sturdy pliers and a Phillips head
screwdriver, preferably one with a magnetic tip, to avoid
losing the smaller screws inside the case. For the Corsair
SPEC-05, you’re also going to need a specific Allen wrench,
but don’t worry—this comes included in the box. Get your
components unboxed and ready to go in, checking that
everything is in good condition. There are few things worse
than unboxing a damaged part midway through a build. Be
careful to avoid placing anything atop an antistatic bag, as
they are only non-conductive on the inside. When you’re
ready to go, get the case upright, and pat something metal
outside your case to ground yourself and avoid static shocks.aS with any BUilD, the right way to start is with a full case
stripdown. The metal side panel of the SPEC-05 comes off
easily with two thumbscrews, but the plastic window panel
is secured with four Allen screws. Use the Allen wrench
that comes with the case to remove these, then extract the
accessory box from within the HDD cage—this holds a few
pouches of extra screws that we won’t need for this build, but
you will want to extract the set that matches the Crucial SSD,
and the stand-offs for mounting the motherboard. It also has
some handy cable ties. This case comes with one fan at the
front, but none at the rear. If you’ve got a spare 120mm fan,
or a few dollars to snag one online, it might be worth fitting
one to the rear to pump up the airflow. For this build, though,
we’re keeping it as basic as possible. The plastic mounts for
3.5-inch drives inside the drive cage can all be removed, too.PREP PHASE TAKE IT APART
maximumpc.com aug 2019 MAXIMUMPC 31