#arcticcooling

For about $400 bucks you can build a decent system that even has some future expandability for a stand alone graphics card if you want to upgrade for gaming.

Before we start I just want to say that the parts were picked for various reasons that I'll get into later, this is my personal perspective on it and i'm in no way compensated for this review or build in any way. its my free advice to you. your welcome. :)

Alright lets get down to it.

First off the CPU. but this isn't just any CPU this little guy also doubles as your graphics card. so not only do you get 4 cores at 3.5GHz but you get a Radeon HD 8570D to boot!.

So what does all the techno jargon really mean?

The CPU is the main processing unit of your system. (The Brain) The CPU I decided to go with also has, built in, a graphics processor. This allows you to not only crunch numbers and do basic computer "stuff" but also game alittle bit. That being said I wouldn't expect super high resolutions and frame rates but at least you have something.

**CPU** | [AMD A8-6500 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor]

Next up the Motherboard, I chose this one not because it was inexpensive but rather for its features. this motherboard has built in wireless networking which is super handy for collage students or anyone who wants to not have to worry about wires.

It also supports new full size stand alone graphics cards in the event you need/want to upgrade for a better gaming experience. **Motherboard** | [ASRock FM2A88X-ITX+ Mini ITX FM2+ Motherboard]

Alright Memory time. now its not the fastest memory on the block nor is it the maximum the motherboard will support but as a basic workstation 8G ram is more than enough. if you wanted to save afew extra dollars you could lower it to 4G but with todays memory hungry applications 8G is a good happy medium. This RAM also sports some nice heat spreaders which is always a good thing.

Heat is the Tech KILLER!

**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory]

I'm a Seagate fanboy so as you can expect its got a Seagate drive in it. If you like a different manufacture by all means swap this choice out for yours. Ive had good luck with Seagate devices in my years so i'm somewhat partial to them. This drive has 1TB of data storage on its physical 7200RPM platters. giving you tons of space for your family photos, music and or videos. Being as the drive spins at 7200RPM it will give you quick read wright speeds helping you access your files in a timely manner and boosting your performance. 

I like 7200RPM drives and I would recommend you get no less than that when building your system regardless of what hard drive you choose.

**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive]

And now the box to shove it all in!

This is a smaller tower style case. which will give you ample room for your wires, drives, and future graphics card. Its not the prettiest case but this one is value priced, manufactured by a respectable manufacture and comes with a 350w power supply which you will need to power your toys. For the cost consideration of this build we went with a case that is bundled with a power supply. I usually recommend purchasing a power supply by its self. You usually end up with a better product and you know exactly what your getting. All that in consideration choose for yourself. pressing on. This case only comes bundled with one fan. for the sake of your $400 i recommend purchasing and installing the 90mm case fan for the rear of the case at the very least. more about that later.

this case also supports a 90mm fan on the side door which would help cool the CPU and GPU as well as generally vent warm air out from the case. if your not gaming you may be able to get away with NOT installing a fan here. if you decide to put a dedicated graphics card in I'd go ahead and spend the extra few bucks and pop one in just to be on the safe side.

**Case** | [Cooler Master RC-344-SKR350-N2 ATX Mini Tower Case w/350W Power Supply]

I feel a draft. I already spoke about the case fans so see the picture below for what it looks like. nothing super special here. it does operate at 22db which isn't silent but it isnt' a hair drier either. that being said there are quieter fans on the market but the quieter they are the more expensive they are usually. this is a happy medium priced fan. does the job, not a hair drier, not expensive. done.

**Case Fan** | [Arctic Cooling Arctic F9 Pro 39.0 CFM 90mm  Fan]

Time for the optical drive. its a CD/DVD combo drive allowing you to watch your old school DVD's, play a music/data disk or burn either. In this day and age they aren't required as USB installs and cloud downloads are commonplace but its nice to have at 15$ its not going to save you piles of cash. might as well go for it. better to have it and never use it than need one and not have one.

**Optical Drive** | [Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer]

AWESOME we have everything we need....oh wait... the OS. so the total price doesn't include the OS... yeah well lets talk about your options. you have afew. Windows 7 or 8 will cost you about $90 on top of the cost of the parts. if you are familiar with windows then i'd recommend it. its going to run all your apps yada yada yada. or... you can get Linux and its free.. also not for the faint of heart. if you have never used linux before i'd recommend testing it out before you jump in head first. remember not all your software will run on linux.

**Total** $409.92

(price subject to change follow the link below for most up to date pricing!)

For detailed information and where to buy these parts please follow the link below!

PCPartPicker part list http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2xOeG

Hope this helps point you in the right direction let me know what you think!