ChatGPT calls this mini PC "a steal" while Gemini says it's "insane" value for money — Meet the $379 AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS powerhouse that AI is raving about

1. Pro

ChatGPT calls this mini PC "a steal" while Gemini says it's "insane" value for money — Meet the $379 AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS powerhouse that AI is raving about Deals By Desire Athow Contributions from Steve Clark published 18 December 2025

I went on PCPartpicker to find a faster workstation for less but I simply couldn’t

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Future) Share Share by:

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Whatsapp
• Reddit
• Pinterest
• Flipboard
• Threads

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google

I am an avid bargain PC hunter. When I see a pre-built PC on sale, my first thought is usually: “Is it cheaper to buy this or build it myself?” So when I saw the Machenike Mini PC drop to $379 at Amazon (down from $399), I took it as a challenge.

I headed over to PCPartPicker to assemble a rig that could surpass the Machenike’s specs for the same price — or less. That spec sheet is a tough one to match: AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS (Passmark: ~29,000), 16GB DDR5, and a 512GB PCIe 3.0 SSD.

I thought it would be easy. I was wrong.

Note that this deal has been available for a few weeks and while its price went up by $30, it is still exceptional value for money and now, given that it is on sale at Amazon, you can easily return it should you want to.

The reality check

I didn’t just fail 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 hit almost $570. (excluding the price of the OS license)

That is nearly 50% more than the price of the prebuilt mini PC—and that was without adding the cost of a Windows license ($119.99).

Check out the breakdown of my best attempt to build a Machenike rival:

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Component

Details

My DIY Cost (est)

Machenike Cost

CPU

Ryzen 5 9600X

$191.99

included

Motherboard

Asrock A620

$79.98

included

RAM

Crucial 16GB DDR5

$137.99

included

SSD

Patriot 300 512GB PCIe Gen3

$59.99

included

Case + PSU

Rosewill FBM-X2-400 (400W PSU)

$65.99

included

Cooler

Arctic Alpine 23

$11.99

included

WiFi

EDUP 9636GS

$19.98

included

OS

Windows 11 license

$119.99

included

Total

$687.98

$379.00

Why this is an anomaly

The math here makes for some depressing reading for hardcore DIYers. The CPU and the memory cost almost as much as the pre-built itself. The price of the RAM alone accounted for about 25% of my hypothetical DIY build.

That's due to the massive DDR shortage crisis that's hitting the global market right now.

Remember, my prebuilt doesn’t come with a unified warranty. A DIY build would still require me to diagnose any potential problems myself, and that excludes the opportunity cost of my own assembly time.

At $379, Amazon isn’t just selling a mere computer. They are charging you for the CPU and memory, then giving you the case, heatsink, fan, SSD, OS, and motherboard for free.

Oh, and some serious peace of mind and a few hundred minutes of your life back.

No wonder then that ChatGPT described this mini PC as

(Image credit: Future)

While Google's Gemini said that this is an insane price to pay

(Image credit: Future)

My verdict

I chose the Ryzen 5 9600X for my comparison because, at the time of writing, it was only about $20 more than the older 7600X and marginally faster than the 8745HS, at least on Passmark's synthetic multicore benchmark.

But honestly, even swapping parts for older generations (like the 7600X) or scouring the used market wouldn’t change the outcome enough to beat $379.

If you’re a builder, this will come as an epiphany: the current component market inflation might suddenly make DIY attractive only to the affluent. For the rest of us, buying this pre-built isn’t "giving up"—it’s the only sensible move that won’t hurt your pocket.

Methodology & Notes

The CPU Choice: Technically, I compared a Desktop CPU (9600X) against a Mobile CPU (8745HS). While the 9600X is faster, it was the cheapest current-gen option available to even attempt a comparison.The "Marginally Faster" Claim: I based my performance comparison on PassMark Multi-Core benchmarks. Despite being a desktop-class chip with a 50% higher TDP, the Ryzen 5 9600X (6-core) scores only ~3% higher than the mobile Ryzen 7 8745HS (8-core). The mobile chip's extra two cores allow it to virtually match the desktop processor's multi-threaded output, making the "marginal" difference a fair description for productivity workloads. The 9600X is unsurprisingly way faster in single thread tests.The GPU: The Ryzen 9600X comes with an integrated GPU, so I saved on the price of a dedicated video card.Memory: I chose two DDR5 DIMM sticks because dual-channel is cheaper and faster.Storage: I opted for a generic NVMe SSD as Machenike’s spec sheet didn’t specify the exact drive protocol.Motherboard: The ASRock A620M motherboard supports the Ryzen 5 9600X CPU (requires BIOS version 3.20).Postage: Excluded, assuming Amazon Prime availability.

Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Desire AthowSocial Links NavigationManaging Editor, TechRadar Pro

Désiré has been musing and writing about technology during a career spanning four decades. He dabbled in website builders and web hosting when DHTML and frames were in vogue and started narrating about the impact of technology on society just before the start of the Y2K hysteria at the turn of the last millennium.

With contributions from

• Steve ClarkB2B Editor - Creative & Hardware

Show More Comments

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Minisforum MS-S1 Max mini PC review    Sapphire Edge AI 370 mini PC review    Morefine's H1 is the latest mini PC with an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and 128GB RAM - so I have to ask, why can't Dell launch something similar?    GMKtec NucBox M6 Ultra mini PC review    Geekom Mini IT12 review    The best budget gaming PC 2025    Latest in Pro HoneyBook CRM review 2026    Agile CRM review 2026    From SaaS to AI: the technological and cultural shifts leaders must confront    Auto giant LKQ says it's the latest firm to be hit by Oracle EBS data breach    Having Windows app issues? Microsoft is making businesses reach out directly to get a fix    Bosses are getting tired of AI at work, and preferring to hire humans for "specialist" roles once again    Latest in Deals Worried about internet connectivity during your holiday? Have your data secured with Ubigi eSIM    Finalize your trip to Japan with Jetpac eSIM- claim a 15% discount code valid on all Japan plans    Traveling for the festive season? Stay connected in over 200 destinations with Roamless eSIM, now at a major discount    Today is your last chance to grab Proton VPN's lowest price of 2025 — here's how to claim    Are you a startup looking to build your website? Webflow is offering a crazy deal- get 100% off your first full year of a CMS site plan    This pCloud bundle has everything you need to secure your storage for life - and it's on sale just for Cyber Monday    LATEST ARTICLES

1. 1The RAM crisis may lead to much better game optimization, and that's great
2. 2Amazon's Fallout characters are coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 01 Reloaded
3. 3Having Windows app issues? Microsoft is making businesses reach out directly to get a fix
4. 4Worried about ransomware? IDrive launches new Salesforce Backup tool for greater data protection
5. 5Auto giant LKQ says it's the latest firm to be hit by Oracle EBS data breach