I'm an avid computer bargain hunter. When I see a finished computer for sale, my first thought is usually: “Is it cheaper to buy or build it yourself?”
So when I saw Machenike mini PC drops to $379 on Amazon (up from $400), I took it as a challenge.
I went to PCPartPicker to put together a setup that could beat the Machenike's performance for the same price or even less. This specification is hard to match: AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS (Passport: ~29,000), 16 GB DDR5 memoryAnd 512 GB SSD.
Reality check
I wasn't just unable to match the price; I couldn't even get close. By the time I added all the components, my “I'm So Gonna Beat Machenike” basket had reached almost US$570. (excluding the cost of the OS license)
It's almost 50% more more than the price of a ready-made mini-PC, and this does not include the cost of a Windows license. Check out the breakdown of my best attempt at creating a Machenike competitor:
|
Component |
Details |
My DIY cost (estimate) |
Cost of Machenike |
|---|---|---|---|
|
CPU |
Ryzen 5 9600X |
included |
|
|
Motherboard |
Asroc A620-MX |
included |
|
|
RAM |
Decisive 16GB DDR5 memory |
included |
|
|
SSD |
Kingston 500 GB PCIe Gen4 NV1 |
included |
|
|
Case + power supply |
Roseville FBM-X2-400 |
included |
|
|
Cooler |
Arctic Alpine 23 |
included |
|
|
General |
$563.79 |
$379.00 |
Why is this an anomaly
The mathematics presented here may seem like depressing reading for avid DIYers. The processor and memory cost almost as much as the finished processor itself. The cost of RAM alone was approx. 25% of my hypothetical DIY build.
This is because massive DDR shortage crisis this is now hitting the global market.
Please keep in mind that my build is not covered by a single warranty. A DIY build would still require me to diagnose any potential problems myself, and it eliminates the opportunity cost of my own build time.
Amazon isn't just selling a computer for $379. They charge for the processor and memory and then provide the case, heatsink, fan, SSD, operating system, and motherboard. for free.
Oh, and some serious peace of mind and a few hundred minutes of your life back.
My verdict
For comparison, I chose the Ryzen 5 9600X because at the time of writing it was only about $22 more expensive than the old 7600X and slightly faster than the 8745HS, at least in the Passmark synthetic multi-core test.
But honestly, even swapping parts for older generations (like the 7600X) or exploring the used market won't change the result enough to beat $379.
If you're a builder, this is an epiphany: the current inflation in the components market could suddenly make DIY attractive only to the rich. For the rest of us, buying an off-the-shelf device doesn't mean “giving up”—it's the only smart move that won't put a dent in your pocket.
Methodology and notes
Processor selection: Technically I compared a desktop processor (9600X) with a mobile processor (8745HS). Although the 9600X is faster, it was the cheapest current-gen option that could even be attempted to compare.
The “slightly faster” statement: I based the performance comparison on PassMark multi-core tests. Even though the Ryzen 5 9600X (6-core) is a desktop-class chip with a 50% higher TDP, its performance is only about 3% higher than the mobile Ryzen 7 8745HS (8-core). The mobile chip's extra two cores allow it to nearly match the multi-threaded performance of a desktop processor, making “negligible” a fair description of the difference for productivity workloads. Unsurprisingly, the 9600X was much faster in single-threaded tests.
GPU: The Ryzen 9600X has an integrated GPU, so I saved money by purchasing a dedicated graphics card.
Memory: I chose two DDR5 DIMM memory cards because the dual channel version is cheaper and faster.
Storage: I chose a generic NVMe SSD because the Machenike specification does not specify the exact protocol of the drive.
Motherboard: ASRock A620M motherboard supports Ryzen 5 9600X processor (BIOS version 3.20 required).
Postage: Excluded subject to Amazon Prime availability.
