My old pre-built HTPC was finally showing its age and it was decided to build a new one. That way, I could create a working PC at my budget level now, but make sure it was completely upgradable for the foreseeable future.

This little guy is super quiet and amazingly quick for browsing, video playback, and surprisingly snappy using Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. I have had no real hiccups whatsoever with this build and can't be more happy with it! All the parts work seamlessly together and it is stupid fast relative to the low cost!

The one thing that is obviously missing from this build is a decent graphics card. I made sure all current components left enough room inside the case for me to get a decent video card in there at a later date (and more money). While it currently doesn't have one, the integrated graphics processor found on the Ryzen CPU has been really good. Surprisingly good. I thought for sure using dedicated only would slow me down processing images in Lightroom and Photoshop as they are fairly heavy programs, but this little HTPC keeps up.

Motherboard

-This is a nice Micro ATX Mobo that had all the features I was looking for.

-There were four DDR4slots for memory which makes upgrading easier.

-Had a SATA M.2 slot for SSD

-Contains a PCIe 3.0x4 allowing for a decent graphics card down the road.

-Had a AM4 socket which has tons of options for faster CPUs down the road

-Contains USB 3.1 Header

-Built in Ethernet

-HDMI port because I would not be buying a video card at this time.

-A well built BIOS that will help if I ever start overclocking with new parts

CPU

-First, I wanted a AM4 socket MOBO so I could easily upgrade to a much faster CPU anytime I felt the need for a 8core monster

-A lot of bang for your buck! 3.5ghz over four cores is plenty to get me through the tasks I planned for this Build. .

-Not power hungry 65Ws!

-Good Reviews

-Integrated Graphics so I wouldn't need to purchase a graphics card at this time.

-Runs cool so I wouldn't have to worry about overheating

-Comes with own cooling system so I wouldn't have to buy a heatsink

-Overclockable GPU and CPU! While I have yet to do this, I've read of stable OCs of 1.6 GHz (OEM 1.1 GHz) on the integrated GPU as well as 3.8 GHz (OEM 3.5 GHz) on the CPU while using the factory cooler. If you decide to add an aftermarket coolers, I'm sure you can see some good returns for this relatively cheap CPU! Article can be found at TechSpot Budget Overclocking Guide

NOTE Screwing the heatsink to the MOBO was a super pain in the ***! I felt like I was going to crack the MOBO the get the screws to finally attach.

Memory

-Standard 2x4gb DDR4-2400. There's not much to say about memory. It works! I only filled two slots on the MOBO so the current configuration can be upgraded to 16gb with having to swap for all new sticks.

-I went with 2x4gb not only for the reason mentioned above, but also because I've read from a previous post that the integrated GPU is optimized with dual channel according to FatBoyJD

Harddrive

-Because all of my Videos and files are located on my home server, there was no need to add a large capacity drive. Instead I opted to use the MOBO's M.2 slot to save internal space, as well as to make sure there wouldn't be any lag in Read/Writes and boot time.

NOTE: The screw that came with this SSD did not fit the hole on the MOBO. Luckily, I have one laying around, but you may not.

Case

-This case looks incredibly plain and that's exactly how I wanted it. For its size, it has a decent amount of room inside which is perfect for the addition of a decent graphics card down the road.

-Has 2-USB 3.1 ports on the front which is great for easy flash drive connections.

-Has a 5.25" to put an optical drive in. Since this was a HTPC build, I think this is important. Note: The area of the case for the 5.25" bay is right next to the PSU mounting area. If you decide to use a full sized PSU, you will have to fight a little bit with the cables on the back of your optical drive.

-There is also enough space to mount one 3.5" or 2-2.5"Hard Disks if I ever needed additional storage. I don't, so I took the mounting bracket out of the case for additional room.

-There was plenty of room for fans. Although you have to screw them onto the grate side of the case. This wasn't ideal, but was still easy to accomplish.

-It allowed for a full sized power supply

NOTE:The only problem I've had with this case is the obnoxiously bright front panel LEDs! There's nothing worse than having spot lights in your face when watching TV! It took less than a day after initial hookup to realize I would have to open the case back up and unplug the lights from the MOBO. I would highly suggest not hooking these high beams up in the first place!

Power Supply

-This SeaSonic has great reviews and hands out plenty of power for a decent Graphics Card down the road or a more power hungry CPU. Currently, do I need this much? Of course not, but it fits in the case and there is no way I would want to replace it in the future.

Graphics Card

-This was purposefully no purchased at this time to cut down some of the costs. Currently, the AMD Ryzen 3's integrated graphics is doing its job well, but I made sure there was space in the case, room for fans, and plenty of unused power available to make it an easy drop in sometime in the near future.

Cooling

-Since most of the parts used run fairly cool, this wasn't much of an issue. I did decide to go ahead and put a couple of 80mm fans (One in and one out) because it was cheap to do so. These guys are completely silent inside the case and will help with future upgrades.

Optical Drive - Originally, I put a DVDRW in the bay because I couldn't find the Blu-Ray drive in my spare parts. Either way, I didn't have to purchase one. Sometimes, it's nice to have spare parts, but is always great when you can find them! Most of the time it just takes up space!