Search the Community

Budget (including currency): $600 range for basic system, $1000 range total including storage and case parts Country: USA Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Plex Media Server, Windows 10 Pro (basic file storage), MakeMKV, HandBrake, OBS Other details: I've had an old In-Win Q500 Tower case for almost 21 years. I first built a Pentium 3 system in it, then a Pentium 4, which was actually in this case in my basement before I started this project. I wanted to build myself a home media server running Plex so I can digitize all of my DVDs and put them in storage, as well as basic file server functionality for my home network. I also wanted to make sure I could transcode my video files for efficient use of space, and I used this particular case since I now have room for 12 hard drives for future expansion. I did need to add on a few parts to make a case manufactured in 1999 have today's basic features like front panel connectors and adequate drive cooling. I hit it with some transcoding after it was done, and with all 6 cores at 100%, the hottest it got was 85 degrees. Parts: Intel Core i5-11400 2.6 GHz 6-Core Processor $183.99 ASRock H570 Steel Legend ATX LGA1200 Motherboard $134.99 Crucial Ballistix 3000 MHz DDR4 t 16GB (8GBx2) $ 79.99 EVGA 750 BQ 80+ BRONZE 750W Semi Modular Power Supply $ 87.23 SAMSUNG 980 M.2 2280 1TB SSD $129.99 Basic System Total: $616.19 Additional Storage: 2x Seagate IronWolf 8TB NAS Hard Drive 7200 RPM $179.99 ea $359.98 2x WD Black 1TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM $ 0.00 (already had 2 new drives on hand) System Total With Storage: $976.17 Case & Addons: In-Win Q-500 Full Tower Case $ 0.00 (already on hand, purchased in 2000) Saberent 3.5 inch Internal Card Reader $ 0.00 (already on hand) LG Sata Blu-ray drive/burner $ 0.00 (already on hand) Hard Drive Cage with Fan Space $ 22.99 (turns 3 5.25 in. bays and turns them into 5 2.5 in. bays and allows mounting of a 120mm fan) Front Panel Adapter (2x USB 3.0 & 2.0, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2) $ 33.99 1x Noctua NF-P12 redux-1300 PWM, 120 mm Fan $ 13.90 3x Noctua NF-R8 redux-1800 PWM, 80 mm Fan $9.95 ea $ 29.85 2x Cooler Master 80mm Slim Fan $9.52 ea $ 19.04 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 Desktop Kit m.2 WiFi Card $ 21.26 Addon Total: $147.03 Complete System Total: $1,123.20 Yes, there are things I could have done to save an extra few bucks now, but they are all things I would have needed in the future. The WiFi was added mostly for its bluetooth capability, but the WiFi was handy for setup since the area where I was building this doesn't have easy access to a wired internet connection, and I would have needed a 50 foot network cable to reach the nearest jack, so this was the best bang for the buck solution. I also got the 2 80mm slim fans for cooling for the stock hard drive mounts. There was already a vent in front of the drive cage, and while it wasn't really meant for fans to go there, I checked after I put the front panel on, and it is still able to pull air in from the front of the case to provide some additional cooling for the drives. Overall, I'm happy with the build. I benchmarked it using PassMark, and for a system with no GPU, I can't really complain. I posted the results along with the before and after of the case (sorry, no before pic of the inside) and my "improvised" cooling of the stock hard drive cage. If you're looking for a budget build with no GPU, this is a pretty decent setup and you can save some money on the base storage if you try and have a $600 build. Also, I was worried that the new black parts on the front of the white case would irritate me, but I've come to like the look.

I have a question i have 2 old Xseries 206 cases by IBM i was wondering if i could use them and put a atx motherboard in it. thanks in advanced

Budget (including currency): 45,000 PHP (estimated) Country: Philippines Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Video editing and games Other details I currently have a MSI B450I as the motherboard, and a Metalfish 500w itx psu. Also just got a damaged Quadro 4000 which I'll be getting repaired soon as my first gpu because only single slot cards can fit in my case. My case is an old IBM S50, a computer from my childhood. I'll be modifying the S50 a little to fit standard size parts. As for performance, I'm not looking for high fps in games just yet, so the quadro is fine until I can upgrade to a better single slot gpu. I'll be buying a Ryzen 5 3400g in a few weeks, to make use of the rear io, and I'll be upgrading to a ryzen 7 with integrated graphics if it comes out like I hear. I need help doing this build, tried reddit, idk if they want to help build in an ancient case. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi all, I have a question about an ATX case. I recently came across an old ATX case I had in storage. It's an old Gateway 2000 mini tower case which is an ATX form factor. From around the year 1995-96. I used to work in Gateway and seeing the case has brought back some good memories working there and so I'm thinking of starting a new build around this case. However, my question is although it's an ATX case and an ATX motherboard should fit, would I run into any problems given that the case is over 20 years old. No cable management space and not a lot of ventilation so won't be running any power hungry/heat generating components. Anyone ever try this building in a case this age? What would be the best spec I could expect to run in a case like this today? Don't say a Pentium 133 Here's a photo of the case as it stands. Haven't cleaned it or treated it with Retrobright to remove the yellowing yet so it's not looking it's best. You can see the difference in the colour on some of the parts. Regards. M.

Can anyone tell me how I can get this one and only front I/O connector...: Into an Asus Z97 Pro AC-WiFi Motherboard with these pins...: I'd like to get this build finished by tonight, so please help if you can!

So I have msi h110 gaming MX motherboard and when I try to record sound nothing happens,well my mic is just a ear bud. I think they don't work because I cant plug them into the front panel cause my case is at least 8 years old dtk case and it seems like I cannot plug the case front panel headphone,mic and usb ports into the motherboard. I have downloaded drivers to my motherboard. pls halp

Hey everyone, Can anybody identify this case for us? Thanks!

I apologise if this post is categorized incorrectly, it's my first one, so be gentle. I have a case from a company I can't identify. Google has not been helpful, and the only things I have to go on are as follows; the motherboard it used to house is an Asus pvi-486ap4, with an Intel i486 dx2. The picture below shows the case and it's front pannel, the plate on the front reads "New tech personal computer" If anyone can shed some light on this for me I'd appreciate it, I would like to know the history of the case, and also the pinout of the front plate so that I can wire up the lights and buttons properly.

Hello Everyone, i needed help regarding my i case i have an XW8400 with the standard case motherboard and wiring i cant go for a new case or a psu so i will be stuck with this for a while,can anyone suggest me some mods that i can do with the case also some cable management tips since the case doesnt have any place to stash the cables

My screen name on as many games as i can put it as is: Bloodmoney1996 So my cousin, painted my case for me.... i was on a budget, and i tried to make it as future proof as possible, potentially getting the latest processor of the FM2 socket, 16GB of RAM, and RAID 0 an aditional SSD. I built this system using only around $400, and the SSD was majority of that cost. I only tried to push my APU to 4.4 GHz, but with the stock cooler, i leave it around 3.6 (stock clock) Specs: MotherBoard: F2 A85V-PRO APU:A8-5600K (Stock Cooler) Memory:(2x4GB)Crucial Ballistix 1866 Storage:330 intel SSD 180GB PSU:Logisys 550W Case: Out dated one, (Have no clue) Fans:3 Axio 80mm (1 Green LED)(2 Red LED) I know this system isn't the best thing anyone has ever seen, but i plan on making serious upgrades as i go.