Six TerracesComputerConfiguration
4 Windows units (Win10*2, Win11*2), 2 Macs (one black, one white)
CPU lineup: Intel*3, AMD*2,Apple*1

1. Main Unit — Used for 5 years / study
2. Internet device—used for 1 week / Hackintosh / Study room
3. Video Camera—Used for 3 years / Wife only / Macmini M2/Study
4. Animation Machine—Used for 3 years / HTPC / Living Room TV
5. Business trip device—3 years in use / laptop
6. Leisure Machine—Used for 2 years / balcony
Main machine

After calculating, my main phone has actually been used for five years. The previous generation of main phone was still the E3-1230 paired with GTX660. At the beginning of 2021, I switched to this AMD 5600X + ASUS B550M setup with four 8G DDR4 3600 sticks. It wasn't until after the mining boom ended that I bought an Nvidia 4060 8G graphics card.
Main machineGamesthen playing World of Warcraft, Valorant, League of Legends, and similar games is effortless. It was about time to switch to DDR5, but the current market situation probably won't drop anytime soon, so it's better to hold on for now.

Other options include RAW post-processing for some photos, Jianying videos, and WanwanAIThe raw images and such feel a bit overpowered.
Internet machine

This device was installed not long ago. The reason was that the extra DDR4 memory and SSD seemed like a waste, so I picked up an HP 600G4 SFF barebones system. Why not use the DM version mini PC? Mainly because the extra memory is from a desktop; otherwise, the DM version would be more suitable.
I originally installed Windows, but later discovered that there are many and mature Hackintosh solutions onlineSo I ordered a low-voltage i3-9100T version and started it all at once. Overall, it was quite smooth. Now I share the same monitor with my main device, so I just go online and don't play games at all. As for price, the barebones system is 230 yuan, and the 9100T is about 95 yuan.

Here are a few personal experiences:
1. If you want to install Hackintosh, you need to choose Core i3/i5/i7. Apple doesn't support Celeron or Pentium CPUs because I tried it with the G5500T for a long time and kept getting stuck, and only found out after a long search.
2. For HP, you can choose between the 600G4 and 800G4. Both motherboards are Q370, and EFI is shared.
3. Because it uses integrated graphicsSo it's best to plug in two memory modules with dual channels, at least 4+4. At first, I used a single 8GB and felt a bit tight, so I later removed the 8GB from another machine.
Video camera

This is the M2 version of the Mac mini. I bought it in 2023 and have never shut it down. The main use is for watching TV dramas and variety shows on video apps like iQIYI, Tencent Video, and Youku. The main selling point is that it doesn't shut down, requires maintenance, has no noise, and is lowPower consumption, If we're talking about usage alone, it's definitely not as cost-effective as a Windows mini PC. But as a wife, the Apple ecosystem is still quite easy to deal with.

If you use this unit as a video camera, it feels completely free of bottlenecks, and it shouldn't be a problem if it continues to serve for another 10 years.
Animation machines

The HP 800G4 DM mini PC I bought two years ago is almost like a set-top box. As for the barebone system, it seems the price hasn't dropped much recently. The supporting Intel 8th and 9th Gen CPUs have dropped significantly. When I bought it before, for the best value, I chose the low-voltage G5500T version of the low-voltage integrated UHD 630. If I were to install it now, I'd definitely go for the 9100TFor less than 100 yuan, it easily handles daily office work and more.

Currently, this machine is placed next to the living room TV as an HTPC, never shut down or maintained year-round. Currently, only my daughter can watch TV, so this device is used to play itDownloadUsed in cartoons and movies. As for specs, they're still sufficient for now. Decoding UHD630 hardware for H264 and H265 is easy. Wait another two years for 8th and 9th gen CPUs to get cheaper before upgrading later.
Business trip machine

Three years ago, I replaced my laptop for business trips. Actually, I don't travel very often—just 1-2 times a month—and my usage scenarios are mostly OFFICE combos, with no performance bottlenecks at all. Basically, the games I played on the 6800H can handle the integrated graphics temporarily.

After getting used to desktops, the complaints of laptops are that the screen is too small, the keyboard experience is poor, and there's not much room to upgrade later when you change accessories. However, buying laptops with national subsidies over the past two years is still very attractive, and this laptop should continue to serve for a long time.
Leisure aircraft

After clearing out the clutter area on the balcony, I built a second fun space. It was originally set up as a family with three camera positions, but now it seems like I put all my own stuff. This main unit should have been running stably without shutting down for two years. Maybe there's quite a bit of dust on the balcony, so I specifically cleaned the CPU cooling fan and replaced it with new thermal paste.

The main unit is also a patchwork piece; the CPU is some stock I found somehow. The motherboard is a second-hand B250M I found on a small yellow fish, and the memory is also two second-hand 8GB sticks, one of which has now been assigned to Hackintow. So currently it's a 4+8 combo, which feels no different from the previous dual 8G setup.

As for the graphics card, I bought a second-hand 6500XT during the mining boom. The good news is that its performance is too poor to mine, but the bad news is that mining performance is severely reduced. Originally, it was installed excessively on the main unit, but after buying the 4060, it was sent to the balcony. The 6500 is indeed a bit outdated, but it's fine for daily internet use. It's manageable for playing regular online games, though it occasionally gets fully loaded, but it's not that it can't be used. For a 6500 CPU, the current price for chips is around 100 yuan. Recently, I've been considering upgrading to a 7700 for 300 yuan, but three times the price only boosts performance by 20-30%, which seems unnecessary. If you switch entirely to the B350+3300X, buying new and selling old ones is a bit too much hassle. After all, games are getting harder and harder to play these days. After all this effort, it's better to wait until the machine dies on its own.
Overall impression
Gaming is getting harder and harder to play, mainly because I don't have much free time for long periods. Compared to gaming, I prefer to study computer setup. Overall, the computer and console gaming markets are shrinking rapidly, with computers becoming more of a work necessity than a necessity for daily life.
Regarding the PC DIY market, because a computer involves so many parts and is heavily influenced by external factors, you can see prices rising either graphics cards or hard drives in recent days. Right now, memory and hard drives are skyrocketing, and overall, it feels very unfriendly to gamers.
For now, the build strategy should still be based on your needs. For pure office use, getting a set is actually fine. Intel's older CPUs are quite cost-effective. I recommend choosing 8th or 9th gen. Start with 8GB of RAM without worrying about frequency, and when it drops later, add one at most. For hard drives, it must be solid, as this has the biggest impact on smoothness. If you want to save your mind, using a second-hand barebones system isn't expensive—you don't need the motherboard, power supply, or cables—just plug in the CPU, hard drive, and memory to use.
If you play a bit of gaming, AMD seems to offer better value for money. Mainly, Intel's CPUs tend to be more expensive second-hand, and switching to pin motherboards is hard to choose. The new CPUs need DDR5 memory, which is even less suitable.
AMD's is simpler: paired with DDR4 memory, B550, B450 with 5000 series CPUs, still competitive. Recently, I saw a 5600 paired with B550 for around 1000 yuan, which generally feels like a price range acceptable to the general public.

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