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April Mini ITX Build
Christian built a mini ITX system that I wanted to build because I am retired and spend time visiting my kids around the U.S. But when I priced the mobo and the Ryzen CPU the costs have gone up dramatically. Is it because the hardware is now aged, or is it because of the COVID-19 pandemic?
If I wanted to upgrade to a later-gen Ryzen and mobo, what would you recommend, and have the costs been inflated there also?
–Dave Earls
STAFF WRITER CHRISTIAN GUYTON RESPONDS: I’m pretty sure the CPU in question was on sale when I assembled this build. For now, a decent alternative might be the Ryzen 5 3600; at the time of writing, it’s available for $175 on www.newegg.com. The COVID-19 situation has impacted component availability, so we’re seeing a lot of sold-out products right now, but getting a decent chip for under $200 is possible.
ITX motherboards have
