The Best $750 Small Office Mini-ITX PC Build – November 2021
The Perfect Small Office PC!
Want to build the best home or small office PC possible with a budget of around $750? Then this is the guide for you! Our Small Office Mini-ITX PC Build is sleek, compact, powerful, quiet, and expandable. And of course, it’s affordable at just $750!
This Month’s Build, Featuring Intel!
For November 2021, this system features Intel’s Core i5-11400 processor. It offers 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost speed of up to 4.3GHz. Plus, it has the very capable Intel UHD 730 Graphics built in, so you don’t need to worry about adding a video card! Also onboard are 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM and a responsive 512GB NVMe solid-state drive. Giving this system its sleek profile is the ultra-compact SilverStone ML09 case, our favorite slim case of all time. Providing the power is a quiet 300W Bronze-rated power supply.
Despite this system’s tiny size (just 7 liters!), it can fit plenty of upgrades, including a low-profile video card (should you ever need to add a gaming-grade model) and up to four 2TB hard drives, bringing the total capacity to over 8TB including the SSD! Learn more about this build, which is truly one of our favorites, in our YouTube overview, and feel free to post any questions in the YT comments section.
Parting Thoughts
Any PC needs a good set of peripherals to get the most out of it, so definitely scroll down to the end of this guide to see our favorite accessories, or check out our dedicated Monitor Buyer’s Guide, Keyboard & Mouse Buyer’s Guide, and Headset & Speakers Buyer’s Guide. Throughout all of our guides, we provide direct links to Amazon, Newegg, or B&H for our readers in the US, and our Amazon links will auto-convert for our readers in the UK, Canada, and the EU, with regional substitutions made automatically as necessary. If you decide to purchase any of the products listed below, please use the links provided, which helps support continued development of this guide.
Required Components
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CPU –Intel Core i5-11400 @Newegg
$190The Guru’s TipThere’s plenty of competition in the mid-range CPU market, which is a great thing for you, the consumer! And Intel’s Core i5-11400 6-core, 12-thread CPU is the sweetspot, offering awesome multi-threaded capability plus plenty of single-threaded speed to power you through any task thanks to its modern Rocket Lake architecture. It also has built-in Intel UHD 730 graphics, which is priceless these days.This CPU comes with a cooler, and it will work well in this build. If you'd like lower noise levels, go for the optional cooler we recommend later in this guide.
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Motherboard –MSI H510I PRO WiFi
$130This low-cost mini-ITX board offers all the features you need for a compact build. That includes an M.2 SSD slot, dual RAM slots, six USB ports, and next-gen WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1. Note that this is a socket LGA 1200 motherboard, so if it’s out of stock, make sure that you don’t pick an alternative model with a different CPU socket!
The Guru’s TipYou'll be able to use this board's Displayport and HDMI 2.0 outputs to drive dual monitors with resolutions up to 4K, thanks to the advanced graphics built into the 11th-Gen Intel CPU!
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Memory –Crucial 2x8GB Ballistix DDR4-3200 White
$74The Guru’s TipThanks to great price on mainstream RAM, we can now squeeze a whole lot of performance and capacity into your system by going with a 16GB DDR4-3200 kit. It will help you make the most of your snazzy new system!One of the advantages of Intel's 11th-Gen platform is support for much higher RAM speeds, which is why we go with this fast RAM kit in this build.
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Solid-State Drive –XPG SX8200 Pro 512GB
$65The Guru’s TipThere’s lots of competition in the SSD market, and right now, you simply can’t do better than this awesome deal from XPG on its SX8200 Pro 512GB NVMe drive, which uses the speedy PCIe 3.0 interface and TLC NAND to vastly outperform not just hard drives, but SATA-based SSDs as well! To install this drive, affix it in the motherboard’s M.2 slot using a jeweler’s-type screwdriver.If you know you want more space right away, feel free to go for the 1TB version of this drive, listed on the same product page.
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Case –SilverStone ML09B
$86The Guru’s TipSilverstone has done some serious engineering work here, and there’s simply nothing else like it on the market today. Despite its compact dimensions, the ML09 can fit a mini-ITX motherboard, a low-profile dual-slot video card, four 2.5″ drives, and an SFX power supply. It’s amazing!To learn more about this case, don't miss our hands-on build video at the top of this page!
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Power Supply –SilverStone SX300
$52The Guru’s TipThis ultra-compact, Bronze-rated SFX PSU is a perfect fit for this build, offering just the right amount of output for an efficient build like this one.SilverStone actually recommends fixed cables, rather than removable cables for the ML09 case, as the single cable output is easier to route around the case's 2.5" drive cage.
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Operating System –Windows 10 Home USB Flash Drive @Newegg
$130The Guru’s TipWindows 10 is the most popular operating system in the world, and Microsoft continues to support users not only with regular security updates, but with major content releases every year. This USB version installs in under 5 minutes, meaning you can get right into using your system!Windows 11 has launched, and will be rolled out as a free update to all users of Win10!
Optional Products
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CPU Cooler –Scythe Big Shuriken 3
$45 The Guru’s TipThis cooler measures 69mm tall, which means it will fit perfectly in the case, which has 70mm of clearance. You'll need to remove the pre-installed fan that comes mounted in the case, but the resulting cooling and noise levels will be far superior.
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Hard Drive –WD Blue 2TB 2.5″
$71 The Guru’s TipThis is only necessary if you will be storing a lot of media on your PC, like photos, music, video, or data files.
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The Basic Wireless Keyboard/Mouse Combo –Logitech MK270 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo
$25 The Guru’s TipThis combo uses a single USB receiver to communicate with both devices, meaning you have plenty more USB ports left over!
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The 24-inch Small Office Monitor –Sceptre E248W-19203R
$140 The Guru’s TipWe recommend connecting this monitor to your PC with an HDMI cable, which will provide both display and sound.
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Webcam –Logitech C925-e Webcam
$71 The Guru’s TipIf you don't have speakers already, you'll need to buy the ones below to use for video conferencing.
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The Basic PC Speakers –Creative Pebble 2.0
$20 The Guru’s TipDespite their name, these are definitely larger than a pebble!
Total Cost: $742
Required Components
- CPU – Intel Core i5-11400 @Newegg ($190)
- Motherboard – MSI H510I PRO WiFi ($130)
- Memory – Crucial 2x8GB Ballistix DDR4-3200 White ($74)
- Solid-State Drive – XPG SX8200 Pro 512GB ($65)
- Case – SilverStone ML09B ($86)
- Power Supply – SilverStone SX300 ($52)
- Operating System – Windows 10 Home USB Flash Drive @Newegg ($130)
Optional Products
- CPU Cooler – Scythe Big Shuriken 3 ($45)
- Hard Drive – WD Blue 2TB 2.5″ ($71)
- The Basic Wireless Keyboard/Mouse Combo – Logitech MK270 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo ($25)
- The 24-inch Small Office Monitor – Sceptre E248W-19203R ($140)
- Webcam – Logitech C925-e Webcam ($71)
- The Basic PC Speakers – Creative Pebble 2.0 ($20)
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SilverStone ML09B Mini-ITX Case Review
A sleek, configurable case at a great price!
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The TBG DIY PC Build Guides
View all of TBG’s DIY PC Build Guides! This is where you’ll find all the best PC builds on the ‘net, from ultra-compact home office PCs to massive gaming towers.
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The Monitor Buyer's Guide
Upgrade the view for your PC with a new monitor - we list the best in our buyer's guide!
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The Wireless Networking Buyer's Guide
Upgrading your PC? Don't forget to upgrade your router to get the most out of it!
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The Headsets/Speaker Buyer's Guide
Upgrade your audio experience with one of our recommended speaker kits or headsets!