The Tech Buyer's Guru

The Best $600 Home Office Mini-ITX PC Build – March 2023

The Best $600 Home Office Mini-ITX PC Build – March 2023

By Ari Altman | Published December 24, 2022 | Updated December 24, 2022

In Win B1Build It Small, Build it Fast!

If you want to build the best ultra-compact small office or work-from-home PC possible for just $600, this is the guide for you! Based on the mini-ITX form factor, this system offers plenty of configuration options without the bulk. This ensures that your new PC Build can be tucked away anywhere or put on display as a conversation starter!

This Month’s Build, Powered by AMD

For March 2023, the $600 Home Office Mini-ITX PC Build gets a massive upgrade, moving to AMD’s power-packed Ryzen 5 5600G, a six-core, 12-thread processor that easily beats the quad-core competition from Intel. It also has powerful Vega graphics, which means you can easily run any monitor on this system and even do some light gaming.

To ensure that you have a flawless computing experience, this system features 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, rather than the 8GB of slower RAM used in most pre-built systems. The build also features a 1TB PCIe-based solid-state drive for amazing performance and plenty of capacity. It uses the M.2 form factor, which slips right into the motherboard, eliminating cable clutter and simplifying the build experience.

The system is housed in a stylish and compact InWin B1 Mesh case. Despite its slim dimensions, the case can fit dual 2TB hard drives, listed in the optional upgrades section at the end of this guide, allowing you to turn this system into a great low-cost media server! The case also includes a 200W power supply, which provides plenty of headroom for component upgrades down the line.

Parting Thoughts

To set up a complete home office system, don’t miss our recommendations for a keyboard, mouse, monitor and other accessories at the end of this guide. Throughout our guides, we provide Amazon links for our US readers, which will auto-convert for our readers in Canada, the UK, and parts of the EU. As always, please keep in mind that your use of the links we provide below helps support further development of these guides.

Required Components

  • AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
    Click to Buy
    CPU –

    AMD Ryzen 5 5600G w/ Vega Graphics

    $129
    AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600G combines the best of all worlds, with its speedy 6-core/12-thread CPU powered by AMD’s Zen 3 architecture, along with the incredibly-fast integrated graphics powered by AMD’s Vega design.  It’s the ideal one-stop-shop if you want great CPU performance and don’t want or need a separate video card!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This CPU comes with a 54mm-tall cooler, which will fit perfectly in this build!
  • AsRock AS520M
    Click to Buy
    Motherboard –

    ASRock A520M-ITX/AC

    $105
    This A520-based mini-ITX board packs in a ton of features for the price. That includes AM4 compatibility, six USB ports (including a Type-C port), built-in 802.11ac wireless networking plus Bluetooth, and an M.2 SSD slot with integrated heatsink.

    The Guru’s Tip

    The HDMI 2.1 port on this board can handle resolutions up to 4K, and the Displayport 1.4 output can support resolutions up to 8K!
  • TeamGroup VulcanZ
    Click to Buy
    Memory –

    Teamgroup 2x8GB Vulcan Z DDR4-3200

    $42
    You can now squeeze a whole lot of performance and capacity into your system by going with this budget-priced 16GB DDR4-3200 kit. It will help you make the most of your snazzy new system!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This is the perfect speed to get the best performance out of both the CPU and integrated GPU!
  • Click to Buy
    Solid-State Drive –

    Silicon Power 1TB NVMe

    $49
    You simply can’t do better for the price than this value-packed SSD, which uses the speedy PCIe 3.0 interface and TLC NAND to vastly outperform all the SATA drives that sell for around the same amount! Note that to install this drive, you’ll affix it in an M.2 slot on your motherboard using a jeweler’s-type screwdriver.

    The Guru’s Tip

    Competing in price with 500GB-class drives, this one is an easy pick!
  • IN WIN B1
    Click to Buy
    Case –

    In Win B1 Mesh w/ 200W Gold Power Supply

    $119
    This stylish and low-cost mini-ITX case is the ideal ultra-compact pick! It features a built-in 200W power supply with impressive Gold-rated efficiency, a mesh panel to provide tremendous airflow, an 80mm case fan, plus space for dual 2.5″ drives and a CPU cooler up to 60mm tall. Another nice feature is that it has all required wire harnesses built in, so you don’t need to worry about adapters or cables getting lost!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This case can be placed either horizontally or vertically, and includes feet for either orientation.
  • Microsoft Windows 11
    Click to Buy
    Operating System –

    Windows 11 Home (Download)

    $140
    Windows 11 take everything people loved about Windows 10, and then takes it to 11! It adds significant under-the-hood changes to make it faster and more secure, and of course, the interface is sleek too! Make the best use of this downloadable version of Windows by loading it onto this 128GB USB 3.1 thumb drive, which you can re-purpose after OS installation as an ultra-fast backup drive.

    The Guru’s Tip

    Originally released only as an update for existing Win10 users, Windows 11 hit retail in April 2022 and is definitely the best OS to use in a modern system.

Optional Products

  • Click to Buy
    The 24-inch Small Office Monitor –

    Sceptre E248W-19203R

    $100
    This monitor offers a 24″ 1920 x 1080 panel, a 75Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling, a slim bezel for sleek looks, as well as dual HDMI inputs and a VGA input. It even has built-in speakers!

    The Guru’s Tip

    We recommend connecting this monitor to your PC with an HDMI cable, which will provide both display and sound.
  • Click to Buy
    Hard Drive –

    WD Blue 2TB 2.5″

    $65
    Want to add a bunch of storage to your system at low cost, and without taking up much space? No problem – just add this high-capacity 2TB hard drive to your build! Not only is it a good value, but it’s also very quiet and energy efficient.

    The Guru’s Tip

    You can of course also use this system's 2.5" bays for SSDs, but we figure that most people adding extra storage to this system will need it for photos, music, and data, rather than for apps, and hard drives are still far cheaper than SSDs.
  • Click to Buy
    The Basic Wireless Keyboard/Mouse Combo –

    Logitech MK270 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo

    $28
    While you may have an old keyboard and mouse sitting in your desk, treat yourself to a new wireless setup from Logitech, the MK270!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This combo uses a single tiny USB receiver, ensuring you'll still have plenty of USB ports left over for other devices.
  • Click to Buy
    Webcam –

    Logitech C920x Pro HD Webcam

    $64
    Need to use your PC for video conferencing? No problem! Just add this high-quality 1080p webcam from Logitech, which includes a built-in microphone. Just remember that if your monitor doesn’t have built-in speakers, you’ll also need stand-alone speakers for web conferencing to work. We’re amazed at the number of people who use headphones for video conferencing when it’s so much more professional to use gear attached to your PC, rather than your head!

    The Guru’s Tip

    You'll also need speakers for video conferencing, so if you don't have a monitor with built-in speakers (like the one above), make sure to add the speakers below.
  • Click to Buy
    The Basic PC Speakers –

    Creative Pebble 2.0

    $19
    Because desktop PCs, unlike laptops, don’t have internal speakers, we recommend you pick up Creative’s Pebble kit. Whether it’s music, You Tube videos, TV, or movies, Pebble will sound great.

    The Guru’s Tip

    Despite the name, these are far larger than a pebble!

Pin It on Pinterest