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Found an abandoned PC that I want to make my first PC

Hello,

            I recently found an abandoned desktop in my building and I thought this could help me start my journey on to my first very own desktop. The case was beat up and there was no cable that connected the power supply to the wall. There is work to be done. Here are the parts I have identified:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/WVmxdC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/WVmxdC/by_merchant/
 
CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($94.99 @ NCIX US) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($101.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: 2x G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($59.98 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 6670 1GB Video Card 
Case: NZXT Lexa Blackline ATX Mid Tower Case 
Total: $316.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-27 19:33 EDT-0400 

 

Here is how the PC I found looks: http://imgur.com/a/5VnqO

 

Case: I identified the case as a NZXT Lexa Blackline: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146038. This case is in terrible condition. I think the power button is missing. The person who left this case took the mounting brackets. Two DVD drives are installed into this tower. Should I get a new case or repair this one?

 

CPU: I undid the latch holding the heatsink in place and tried to lift it but it didn't budge. I did some googling and found out it's an AMD heatsink and proceeded to youtube how to remove it. They guy showing me how to remove had the same problem and solved by using some extra force. So I tried it on my heatsink in a similar manner and when the heatsink came off, the CPU was still attached to it. Popped off the CPU with a flat head and place it back on the motherboard properly. Did the heatsink coming off with the CPU destroy my chances of using this mobo or CPU again?

 

Power Supply: The model number on the side says OCZGXS700 which I think is this: http://www1.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2235424 and I don't know how viable it is.

 

My goal is to make a decent PC that can moderately run games, MATLAB, and CAD software. What parts should I keep? What parts do you suggest I buy?

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If you can get it working, its a pretty decent first build.

"an obvious supporter of privacy"

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No, your CPU and motherboard is most likely fine, and  if it still fits, you should be OK. This happened once with my FX-8320 and mobo. Those are actually quite good parts that you found for free. Keep the CPU, Mobo, RAM, PSU, and upgrade the GPU and get a new case.

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Wow, decent CPU,MOBO, and RAM assuming it all works

 

 

If you can get it working, its a pretty decent first build.

Is it possible to see if the components are functioning without a hard drive? If I can get the cable that connects the PSU to the wall (don't know what its called) and somehow turn on the PC without the power button, would I be able to check if the parts are working from the BIOS?

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Did you bend the pins on the cpu? If not then you should be fine.

Make sure to put new thermal paste between the cpu and heatsink before you actually power the pc on or you could break things. The old stuff is definitely unusable.

Get a power cable and new thermal paste and power it on and see how good it is. Depending on your budget and performance target I would either say it's pretty decent already or that you need a new GPU.

Oh, and get a new case if everything works and makes you happy. Test it first though--you don't need a power button to turn on the PC.

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Is it possible to see if the components are functioning without a hard drive? If I can get the cable that connects the PSU to the wall (don't know what its called) and somehow turn on the PC without the power button, would I be able to check if the parts are working from the BIOS?

Yes you can. You can short the power button pins from the motherboard and turn it on. Of course, you'll need the power cable. This way, after the GPU is connected to a monitor, you get it to boot in to the BIOS. If everything is working properly.

"an obvious supporter of privacy"

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No, your CPU and motherboard is most likely fine, and  if it still fits, you should be OK. This happened once with my FX-8320 and mobo. Those are actually quite good parts that you found for free. Keep the CPU, Mobo, RAM, PSU, and upgrade the GPU and get a new case.

Any suggestion on cases? I'm pretty content with the current case size. Anything bigger is a bit too much for me.

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Any suggestion on cases? I'm pretty content with the current case size. Anything bigger is a bit too much for me.

There's a lot of sub $100 great cases, such as the NZXT S340, Fractal Design Define S, and Phanteks Enthoo Pro. 

Intel Core i7-5820K (4.4 GHz) | Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB  | 2x 360mm Custom Loop (Noctua iPPC) | ASRock X99 Extreme6 | Samsung 840 EVO 250GB | Fractal Design Define S | Corsair HX750 | Windows 10 | Corsair M65 RGB PRO | Corsair K70 RGB LUX (CherryMX Brown) | Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro & Creative Sound Blaster Z | Nexus 6P (32GB Aluminium) | Check out my setup: Project Kalte Here!

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And BTW, the first thing I'd do is check if everything is plugged in properly and try to remove as much dust as you can.

"an obvious supporter of privacy"

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Yes you can. You can short the power button pins from the motherboard and turn it on. Of course, you'll need the power cable. This way, after the GPU is connected to a monitor, you get it to boot in to the BIOS. If everything is working properly.

 

 

And BTW, the first thing I'd do is check if everything is plugged in properly and try to remove as much dust as you can.

I didn't know shorting it was a thing. I'll definitely youtube it and check it out. For now, I'll probably clean it out until I get a power cable and thermal paste. Thanks for the advice!

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I didn't know shorting it was a thing. I'll definitely youtube it and check it out. For now, I'll probably clean it out until I get a power cable and thermal paste. Thanks for the advice!

You just take a screwdriver and "link" the two pins. As easy as that :lol:

"an obvious supporter of privacy"

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You just take a screwdriver and "link" the two pins. As easy as that :lol:

 

Hey, I recently got a power cable and some thermal paste. I connected a HDMI cable to my TV, connected the power cable, and made sure nothing else was connected to the motherboard except for the power supply, CPU fan+CPU, RAM, and GPU. When I turned on the motherboard, the fans for the PSU, GPU, and CPU started but there's nothing on screen. Any thoughts on what's wrong?

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Hey, I recently got a power cable and some thermal paste. I connected a HDMI cable to my TV, connected the power cable, and made sure nothing else was connected to the motherboard except for the power supply, CPU fan+CPU, RAM, and GPU. When I turned on the motherboard, the fans for the PSU, GPU, and CPU started but there's nothing on screen. Any thoughts on what's wrong?

Maybe the GPU isn't working... I dunno. Can someone borrow you a GPU just to check if thats the case?

Or take it to a tech store. If they can fix it, good.

"an obvious supporter of privacy"

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