Jump to content

Build -Off Contest 61: "Scrapyard Wars: The Upgrade edition"

dragoon20005

Welcome to the 61st LTT Build-Off! The rules and previous contests can be found here.

@terrytek @CornOnJacob @ddbtkd456 @ilikemacandpc

 

Budget: $305
Speakers/Headphones: No
Mouse: No
Keyboard: No
Monitor: No
Submissions: February 23rd through 1st March
Voting: March 1st through 9th


This contest is inspired by the Scrapyard Wars which @Slick and @LinusTech got running for 2 epsiodes so far
 
and the fight is gonna be close when both got equally powerful machines
 
the aim of this build is to work on an existing PC which was built in 2008
 
now with a budget of $305 your aim is to upgrade this rig to be way better and use as much as the original parts as possible
 
the rig in question is the following

  • CPU Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 2.53GHz
  • Motherboard MSI P31 Neo 2 LGA 775
  • RAM 2 GB OCZ Lan party DDR2 800 kit CL4-4-4
  • GPU POV Geforce GT8600 512MB DDR2
  • Case CoolerMaster Centurion 5
  • Storage Maxtor 60GB, WD 250GB both IDE ,WD 320 SATA2
  • PSU Vantech ION2+ 500w PSU
  • Display(s) HP 20" 4:3, Philips 19" 4:3 monitors
  • Cooling stock LGA775 Intel cooler, CoolerMaster 120mm case Fan 80mm front intake
  • Keyboard Microsoft X6 Sidewinder
  • Mouse Microsoft Lasermouse 6000
  • Sound Creative X-Fi USB External
  • Operating System Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit

this is actually my own rig :)
 
image of the rig as follows
 


11721_10153067249816506_9076956074304683

1948091_10153067249811506_68588521463173

10393733_10153067250091506_8870788266939

10982437_10153067250201506_3611733262727
10612811_10153067250336506_2676654761711
10959604_10153067250421506_2926834281730

10403347_10153067250571506_1316750899579
10959761_10153067250686506_4498859172611

10968514_10153067250771506_5711759863975

10986970_10153067250881506_2738297509221

10689426_10153067250906506_3793193061057
1613858_10153067251091506_76048650253128

10989209_10153067251086506_1384951013451

1510591_10153067251161506_19175816950032

10959312_10153067251251506_7101218958058

10985513_10153067251591506_3423166616580

10981215_10153067251521506_6502709215649

10978663_10153067251626506_8144524786679
10882256_10153067251716506_2760551018843


 
the catch thou is that the mobo is showing it signs of dying so the mobo need a swap out
 
otherwise the rest of the build is still good for everyday use.

Budget? Uses? Currency? Location? Operating System? Peripherals? Monitor? Use PCPartPicker wherever possible. 

Quote whom you're replying to, and set option to follow your topics. Or Else we can't see your reply.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Edit: Edit:

 
Motherboard: Intel DG41RQ Micro ATX LGA775 Motherboard  ($90.58 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 250X 1GB Video Card  ($67.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $314.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-22 20:47 EST-0500


:)

Computing enthusiast. 
I use to be able to input a cheat code now I've got to input a credit card - Total Biscuit
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

That's a challenge....

Pretty much all of it is outdated.

System: Thinkpad T460

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

 

Edit: Edit:

 
Motherboard: Intel DG41RQ Micro ATX LGA775 Motherboard  ($90.58 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 250X 1GB Video Card  ($67.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $314.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-22 20:47 EST-0500

:)

 

OVer budget, sorry.

 

That's a challenge....

Pretty much all of it is outdated.

It's not all outdated. The CPU platform still has plenty of life out of it. I'm sure you can find something good.

"If it has tits or tires, at some point you will have problems with it." -@vinyldash303

this is probably the only place i'll hang out anymore: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/274320-the-long-awaited-car-thread/

 

Current Rig: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, Abit IN9-32MAX nForce 680i board, Galaxy GT610 1GB DDR3 gpu, Cooler Master Mystique 632S Full ATX case, 1 2TB Seagate Barracuda SATA and 1x200gb Maxtor SATA drives, 1 LG SATA DVD drive, Windows 10. All currently runs like shit :D 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

The pictures show a Quadro FX4800. Which raises two questions. It the build list or the picture to be taken as correct? What is the machine used for?

80+ ratings certify electrical efficiency. Not quality.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

The pictures show a Quadro FX4800. Which raises two questions. It the build list or the picture to be taken as correct? What is the machine used for?

I think it's the build. 

"If it has tits or tires, at some point you will have problems with it." -@vinyldash303

this is probably the only place i'll hang out anymore: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/274320-the-long-awaited-car-thread/

 

Current Rig: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, Abit IN9-32MAX nForce 680i board, Galaxy GT610 1GB DDR3 gpu, Cooler Master Mystique 632S Full ATX case, 1 2TB Seagate Barracuda SATA and 1x200gb Maxtor SATA drives, 1 LG SATA DVD drive, Windows 10. All currently runs like shit :D 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

The pictures show a Quadro FX4800. Which raises two questions. It the build list or the picture to be taken as correct? What is the machine used for?

that GPU was taken when i was upgrading my own PC

 

but the GPU is dead and the mobo was killed for a brief moment

 

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/304146-operation-core-2-extreme-revivial-for-just-217usd-mobo-alive-but-barely/

Budget? Uses? Currency? Location? Operating System? Peripherals? Monitor? Use PCPartPicker wherever possible. 

Quote whom you're replying to, and set option to follow your topics. Or Else we can't see your reply.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

@dragoon20005

 

Is it $305 before rebates, or after?

can be either one as long the parts you choose are locked into the price.

 

any changes to the prices later will not be counted unless you make changes again.

Budget? Uses? Currency? Location? Operating System? Peripherals? Monitor? Use PCPartPicker wherever possible. 

Quote whom you're replying to, and set option to follow your topics. Or Else we can't see your reply.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

can be either one as long the parts you choose are locked into the price.

 

any changes to the prices later will not be counted unless you make changes again.

 

So this build is $324.33 but has a $20 rebate.  Would this be good-to-go?

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($104.95 @ SuperBiiz)  <<<could go with a Pentium, but what if you want to tab out of a game and check something on a website (LTT)

Motherboard: Foxconn H81MXV Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($38.40 @ Mwave) <<<Case does not have USB 3.0, so I just got what kept me under budget.  There is an MSI for like $3 moreASUS has the cheapest with a USB 3.0 Header.

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($28.99 @ Amazon)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($131.99 @ NCIX US)

Total: $304.33

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-23 04:21 EST-0500

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

So this build is $324.33 but has a $20 rebate.  Would this be good-to-go?

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($104.95 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: Foxconn H81MXV Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($38.40 @ Mwave)

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($28.99 @ Amazon)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($131.99 @ NCIX US)

Total: $304.33

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-23 04:21 EST-0500

yea you are cleared

Budget? Uses? Currency? Location? Operating System? Peripherals? Monitor? Use PCPartPicker wherever possible. 

Quote whom you're replying to, and set option to follow your topics. Or Else we can't see your reply.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Awesome... so watcha doin' with this machine?  Games? folding? idk..

old school gaming :)

Budget? Uses? Currency? Location? Operating System? Peripherals? Monitor? Use PCPartPicker wherever possible. 

Quote whom you're replying to, and set option to follow your topics. Or Else we can't see your reply.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites


 

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($104.95 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($41.98 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($29.98 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($131.99 @ NCIX US) 

Total: $308.90

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-23 04:39 EST-0500

 

There we go.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

 

 
CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($104.95 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($41.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($29.98 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($131.99 @ NCIX US) 
Total: $308.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-23 04:39 EST-0500
 
There we go.

 

OMG...why are you over budget!!!  :huh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

AMD quad core CPU + R7-260x with 2GB vram, running on Asus board that has USB 3.0. Most importantly a SSD to bring back new life into that ancient rig.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-4200 3.3GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor  ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling ACALP64-GT 25.6 CFM CPU Cooler  ($8.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($28.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($50.78 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card  ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $296.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-23 15:11 EST-0500

Intel Xeon E5 1650 v3 @ 3.5GHz 6C:12T / CM212 Evo / Asus X99 Deluxe / 16GB (4x4GB) DDR4 3000 Trident-Z / Samsung 850 Pro 256GB / Intel 335 240GB / WD Red 2 & 3TB / Antec 850w / RTX 2070 / Win10 Pro x64

HP Envy X360 15: Intel Core i5 8250U @ 1.6GHz 4C:8T / 8GB DDR4 / Intel UHD620 + Nvidia GeForce MX150 4GB / Intel 120GB SSD / Win10 Pro x64

 

HP Envy x360 BP series Intel 8th gen

AMD ThreadRipper 2!

5820K & 6800K 3-way SLI mobo support list

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

wow 3 dollars.

 

Thats a deal breaker.

 

I am a starbucks cup of coffee over budget.

Yeah, and the world will come to an end because of your decision. Cities will fall. Empires will collapse. Civilization as we know it will cease to come together and just fall apart because you decided not to go under budget, and went over by one starbucks cup.

"If it has tits or tires, at some point you will have problems with it." -@vinyldash303

this is probably the only place i'll hang out anymore: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/274320-the-long-awaited-car-thread/

 

Current Rig: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, Abit IN9-32MAX nForce 680i board, Galaxy GT610 1GB DDR3 gpu, Cooler Master Mystique 632S Full ATX case, 1 2TB Seagate Barracuda SATA and 1x200gb Maxtor SATA drives, 1 LG SATA DVD drive, Windows 10. All currently runs like shit :D 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, this is different...

 

 
CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($99.99 @ Micro Center) 
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($41.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($131.99 @ NCIX US) 
Total: $303.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-23 20:53 EST-0500
 
 
Explanation:
This didn't look too bad from the surface, just upgrade the cpu, add some ram, and spend the rest on the GPU. Your storage situation, while not the most conventional, definitely gets the job done pretty well. There is not enough in the budget to upgrade monitors or peripherals (and its not required) so I'm leaving those alone.
 
It's the mobo replacement that was the biggest hiccup though, as now the budget for a gpu dropped significantly.
 
CPU: I was (and still sort of am) torn between the i3-4160 and the FX 6300. The 6300 has better overall performance and more cores for multitasking (and is unlocked, although I would recommend OC'ing in your current situation), while the 4160 is more efficient and has better single core performance. I decided to go with the 4160, as it will do better with many emulators and other tasks that are heavily based on single core performance (you said it was for older games, so a dual core shouldn't be an issue), and with only 4 gb of ram, multitasking to the point where you need a 6 core isn't realistic.
 
Mobo: Just chose the cheapest one from a good brand, which is MSI in this case. I would normally try to get room for 4 slots of RAM, but it doesn't seem like that would be necessary in this case. it does not support xfire, but I would not recommend it with this card, but rather just a straight upgrade.
 
RAM: 2 gb is not enough. I went with a 1 x 4 kit as it leaves room to upgrade and because its cheaper.
 
GPU: I was tempted by the gtx 660 for $12 cheaper, as the 270 edges it out in most games and I had some money left in the budget.
 
It was a cool idea to do an upgrade path build challenge for your own rig, although I am a bit concerned that you plan on actually building it, as you told us that you need to replace the mobo. As you probably know and have seen from the LTT vid that partially inspired this post, you are much better off going to places like ebay, craigslist, r/hardwareswap for much cheaper prices on better parts, so I would definitely recommend against actually following the winning build.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

 

Well, this is different...

 

 
CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($99.99 @ Micro Center) 
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($41.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($131.99 @ NCIX US) 
Total: $303.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-23 20:53 EST-0500
 
 
Explanation:
This didn't look too bad from the surface, just upgrade the cpu, add some ram, and spend the rest on the GPU. Your storage situation, while not the most conventional, definitely gets the job done pretty well. There is not enough in the budget to upgrade monitors or peripherals (and its not required) so I'm leaving those alone.
 
It's the mobo replacement that was the biggest hiccup though, as now the budget for a gpu dropped significantly.
 
CPU: I was (and still sort of am) torn between the i3-4160 and the FX 6300. The 6300 has better overall performance and more cores for multitasking (and is unlocked, although I would recommend OC'ing in your current situation), while the 4160 is more efficient and has better single core performance. I decided to go with the 4160, as it will do better with many emulators and other tasks that are heavily based on single core performance (you said it was for older games, so a dual core shouldn't be an issue), and with only 4 gb of ram, multitasking to the point where you need a 6 core isn't realistic.
 
Mobo: Just chose the cheapest one from a good brand, which is MSI in this case. I would normally try to get room for 4 slots of RAM, but it doesn't seem like that would be necessary in this case. it does not support xfire, but I would not recommend it with this card, but rather just a straight upgrade.
 
RAM: 2 gb is not enough. I went with a 1 x 4 kit as it leaves room to upgrade and because its cheaper.
 
GPU: I was tempted by the gtx 660 for $12 cheaper, as the 270 edges it out in most games and I had some money left in the budget.
 
It was a cool idea to do an upgrade path build challenge for your own rig, although I am a bit concerned that you plan on actually building it, as you told us that you need to replace the mobo. As you probably know and have seen from the LTT vid that partially inspired this post, you are much better off going to places like ebay, craigslist, r/hardwareswap for much cheaper prices on better parts, so I would definitely recommend against actually following the winning build.

 

I'm sorry, but this does not qualify for the contest. It must have a total price tag of UNDER 300 dollars. And not even over by a cent, so try again.

"If it has tits or tires, at some point you will have problems with it." -@vinyldash303

this is probably the only place i'll hang out anymore: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/274320-the-long-awaited-car-thread/

 

Current Rig: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, Abit IN9-32MAX nForce 680i board, Galaxy GT610 1GB DDR3 gpu, Cooler Master Mystique 632S Full ATX case, 1 2TB Seagate Barracuda SATA and 1x200gb Maxtor SATA drives, 1 LG SATA DVD drive, Windows 10. All currently runs like shit :D 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm sorry, but this does not qualify for the contest. It must have a total price tag of UNDER 300 dollars. And not even over by a cent, so try again.

 

Unless I'm missing something, the budget says $305 in the OP. I'll update it if that's wrong though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Unless I'm missing something, the budget says $305 in the OP. I'll update it if that's wrong though.

 

It is $305.  I believe the 4160 is a Haswell Refresh and might have initial compatibility issues with the H81 mobo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Unless I'm missing something, the budget says $305 in the OP. I'll update it if that's wrong though.

 

It is $305.  I believe the 4160 is a Haswell Refresh and might have initial compatibility issues with the H81 mobo.

Oops, sorry guys, didn't catch that. My apologies. this is my first time moderating a build off, so i apologize in advance. I guess you're entered then. :D

"If it has tits or tires, at some point you will have problems with it." -@vinyldash303

this is probably the only place i'll hang out anymore: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/274320-the-long-awaited-car-thread/

 

Current Rig: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, Abit IN9-32MAX nForce 680i board, Galaxy GT610 1GB DDR3 gpu, Cooler Master Mystique 632S Full ATX case, 1 2TB Seagate Barracuda SATA and 1x200gb Maxtor SATA drives, 1 LG SATA DVD drive, Windows 10. All currently runs like shit :D 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

[PCPartPicker part list]http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Ngdzy) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Ngdzy/by_merchant/)(

 
Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD FX-4200 3.3GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd4200frw4kgu) | $59.99 @ SuperBiiz 
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr910htx3g1) | $17.99 @ SuperBiiz 
**Motherboard** | [Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a78lmusb3) | $44.99 @ Micro Center 
**Memory** | [Team Elite Plus 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/team-memory-tpd38g1600c1101) | $56.99 @ Newegg 
**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp43753kr) | $124.99 @ NCIX US 
 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
 | Total (before mail-in rebates) | $334.95
 | Mail-in rebates | -$30.00
 | **Total** | **$304.95**
 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-02-24 01:44 EST-0500 |
.
This can oc a little. I put in the cooler because the cpu doesnt have a cpu cooler. I wanted Quad core so that you can play ac unity and fc4. Please tell me if rebates arent allowed and if its 300 dollars

PC is Intel Core i5 6400, GIgabyte H170 Gaming 3, Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x4GB 2400Mhz ,Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB, WD Blue 1TB, NZXT S340, ASUS Geforce GTX 960. Fractal Design Tesla R2 650W. http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/793XNG. Graphics card choices don't always have to be dictated on performance. If you want the game stream and power consumption of the GTX 970 get that. If you want raw performance of the R9 390 get that. In the end we are all gamers, so what if your buddy gets an extra 5 fps? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×