It’s no secret that the $699 M1 Mac Mini is a killer option for those wanting a
powerful computer but don’t want to break the bank. Traditionally however,
PCs have always held this spot, so what if we built a $699 PC and put it up against a $699
M1 Mac Mini? Well that’s a good question, so let’s just do it.
A few caveats - the only constraint for this build is that it needs to be
around $699 dollars. This means we don’t need to exactly match the RAM and SSD capacity.
Another thing to keep in mind is that I’m located in Australia, so PC parts are often 10-15% more
expensive than in the US for example. Also, we’re in the middle of a parts shortage due to
a certain pesky virus, particularly with graphics cards. This means we’ve got a very limited amount
of parts to choose from, and the parts that are available often have a markup due to scarcity.
Because of this, the total cost for this build ended up exceeding the budget, however if you
are located in the US or the UK for example, and the pandemic was not a factor, this build would
be pretty much bang on $699, even more so if you were willing to pick up 1 or 2 parts second-hand.
Like the M1 Mac Mini, this build is not purpose built for a specific task,
like gaming or editing. The goal was to produce a build that would fair well
in a variety of different tasks. A good all-rounder you could say.
A 6 core 3600x Ryzen CPU paired with a B550 motherboard is a good base,
that can be overclocked down the road if necessary. 16GB of 3600Mhz DDR4 RAM
will be enough for most tasks, and even some light 4K editing.
A GTX 1650 will also come in handy for video editing, and some light to moderate gaming,
despite the large price markup due to the parts shortage crisis.
Anyway, that’s enough about the parts, let’s get started on the build. Stay tuned for a
follow-up video where we benchmark the M1 Mac Mini against our $699 M1 Mac Mini Killer PC.