[SOLVED] Building an Electronics Workstation From Scratch

Feb 18, 2019
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I've been getting back into electronics projects and I'm building a workstation to run the software I would need for 3D printing, simulations, graphics and the like.

My GF's mom gave me her old desktop computer a Dell Inspiron 545. I'll be using that as the case and most likely the power source (300 W).

The motherboard is fried so that's being replaced.

I've been looking up on various websites and pricing on Amazon and NewEgg.

Any recommendations for particular components or advice?

This will be my first custom build and I'm trying to learn as much as I can.
 
Solution
well if you live in a different country, then the components I selected may change.
let me check what's available and for what price in Canada.

here is the updated list.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.00 @ Canada Computers)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: ADATA - Ultimate SU650 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($39.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: Gigabyte - Radeon RX 570 8 GB GAMING 8G Video Card ($199.99 @ Memory Express)...
I wouldn't use the crappy 300w PSU that comes in that system.

Also, there is more places to buy from than just Amazon and Newegg, such as B&H and OutletPC.
I would also not use that case as it's kinda small inside and not very good for a more custom built machine.

Since I don't know what budget you have, or what country you live in, I will assume to keep it as cheap as possible while giving you the performance that may be needed for the applications you intend to use it in, and that you live in America.

I will also assume you will carry over the hard drive from the machine though so we can save on mass storage cost.

And since I don't know what kind of 3D simulations and graphics you will be running, I will be opting for mid range hardware.

Here is your new PC:


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($164.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($93.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($49.95 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI - Radeon RX 570 8 GB ARMOR OC Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks - Eclipse P300 Tempered Glass (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $663.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-02-18 21:06 EST-0500



P.S. - It'll also game quite well too.
 
if you wanted to salvage the old PC to be used as an extra web surfing, basic productivity task workstation, then you can go onto eBay and find a motherboard for the CPU it has, or the exact board it normally comes with (whichever is cheaper) and get it back up and running and use it as an extra basic system.

But if you did that, you would then need to tack on another $60 for a 2TB HDD for the system I built above for mass storage.
 
I wouldn't use the crappy 300w PSU that comes in that system.

Also, there is more places to buy from than just Amazon and Newegg, such as B&H and OutletPC.
I would also not use that case as it's kinda small inside and not very good for a more custom built machine.

Since I don't know what budget you have, or what country you live in, I will assume to keep it as cheap as possible while giving you the performance that may be needed for the applications you intend to use it in, and that you live in America.

I will also assume you will carry over the hard drive from the machine though so we can save on mass storage cost.

And since I don't know what kind of 3D simulations and graphics you will be running, I will be opting for mid range hardware.

Here is your new PC:


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($164.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($93.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($49.95 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI - Radeon RX 570 8 GB ARMOR OC Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks - Eclipse P300 Tempered Glass (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $663.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-02-18 21:06 EST-0500



P.S. - It'll also game quite well too.

Thanks for responding and giving me advice. This is very new to me and I may have overloaded myself with information from different sources.

Money is an obstacle, but $800 CAD shouldn't be terrible for what I need.

I'll be using it to run my AutoCAD like software off of it as well as the graphics like GIMP.

I figured the PSU wouldn't be up to snuff but I have no idea since this is my first build.

The HDD is 500GB so I wouldn't want to get rid of that, although many people have told me that solid states are faster.

Those parts you sent look amazing.
 
well if you live in a different country, then the components I selected may change.
let me check what's available and for what price in Canada.

here is the updated list.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.00 @ Canada Computers)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: ADATA - Ultimate SU650 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($39.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: Gigabyte - Radeon RX 570 8 GB GAMING 8G Video Card ($199.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox MB600L ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 620 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($68.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $787.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-02-19 12:13 EST-0500
 
Solution

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