Budget eBay Gaming rig examples, 100$ - 300$(W/O GPU)

[hoodyracoon]

Hello, I've been messing around with how cheap(and old) you can go for a gaming rig that plays modern games(without bottle necks, ie at least a 970), and wanted to share my findings. Now on with the findings

 

-warning this will be Dell OEM computer heavy, they sell too many computers so it drives the prices down on ebay, basically for any socket a dell computer is usually the cheapest   

 

Findings 

-overclocking make no sense at this price range(if you can find a deal go ahead), but any gaming or even consumer motherboards for these old platforms cost as much as new - USED, sometimes more)

-xeons are king

-775 & 771 are too old and are prone to bottlenecks, almost always just support ddr2(can be a plus it is cheaper, but also slower)

-DDR3 ECC memory can be a steal(needs workstations and a xeon compatible with it)

-OEM computers are the way to go(Dell workstations or Dell optiplexes mostly, sometimes a HP workstation )

 

After looking around I found the only sockets that make any sense are,

 

-1366(on the low-end, compatible with the original core series CPU's and has the 1st gen of consumer hyper-threading and turbo boost, massive improvements over anything on 775/771)

-1155(only if a good cpu comes with the pc[only seen i5's], sandybridge decent IPC gain from 1366, minor clock gain)

-2011(R)(only make's sense if you are going for a E5-2670(8c/16t), otherwise uses the same sandbridge design as 1155, go there instead its cheaper)

 

other sockets might make sense if you can get a deal but this post likely won't help you  if you go that route, these are the only platforms i've found to be stable enough to give consistent deals and the best bang for the buck

 

 

CPU's

 

1366

1. w3550-4c/8t 3.06ghz,3.33ghz boost($7-$11) http://www.ebay.com/sch/xeon+w3550
2. w3565-4c/8t 3.2ghz,3.46ghz boost($19-$22)(basically a i7 960) http://www.ebay.com/sch/xeon+w3565
3. x5667-4c/8t 3.06ghz, 3.46ghz boost($25-$35)(i don't recommend this) http://www.ebay.com/sch/xeon+x5667
4. x5677-4c/8t 3.46ghz, 3.73ghz boost($50-$60)(i don't recommend this) http://www.ebay.com/sch/xeon+x5677

These are the only cpu's that a reasonable person would buy for 1366 for everything else i point you to intel ark, http://ark.intel.com/search/advanced?s=t&SocketsSupported=FCLGA1366&CoreCountMin=4&ThreadCountMin=8

 

1155(you shouldn't buy this, only get them if they come with the computer and i don't recommend this platform for anything other then gaming since HT is not cost effective on this socket, but it does have a ipc inprovment over 1366, IE games will run better)

1. i5 2400 4c/4t, 3.ghz, 3.4ghz boost

Thats it all i can find that makes sense 

 

2011 Socket R(only recommend this for media creation/ streaming or other multi threaded applications) 

1. E5-2670 8c/16t, 2.6ghz, 3.3ghz boost($55-$70) http://www.ebay.com/sch/e5+2670

 

 

Now on to the computers 

 

1366

 

Dell T3500($70-$120, hovers around $90) http://www.ebay.com/sch/dell+T3500

-comes with 4GB-12GB(can often be found in 6-8gb for $99-$120)

-525w power supply

-cpu(varies)(you should replace this with one of the above)

 

HP Z800 ($250-$300 for full comp) http://www.ebay.com/sch/HP+Z800 ($80-$120 for just mobo) http://www.ebay.com/sch/HP+Z800+motherboard

   Pro's

   - Dual socket

   Cons

  -limited CPU support

 - needs hacking to work in standard cases and with normally power supply's

 - not cost effective if the entire computer is purchased

look at this guide if you go this route http://andybrown.me.uk/2014/11/01/z800/

 

1155(not recommending this)

Dell optiplex 390,790,990($120-$150) http://www.ebay.com/sch/optiplex+390+i5 http://www.ebay.com/sch/optiplex+790+i5 http://www.ebay.com/sch/optiplex+990+i5

-comes a measly 225w ps(needs to be replaced)

-can be found with a i5 2500

 

 get the wide version, the thin cant fix a gpu

 

 

 

2011 R

Dell t3600($250-300) http://www.ebay.com/sch/dell+t3600

-ram 4gb-16gb(8gb common)

-635w power supply

 

hp z420($200-$350) http://www.ebay.com/sch/hp+z420

-none-8GB

-600w power supply

-cpu none-e5-1650

 

 

well thats it, i personally got a dell t3500 with a w3550 and it runs fine with my gtx 970, overwatch get 90-130 FPS with max settings(no AA) depending on the map.

 

Edit-Battlefield 1 Beta Benchmark Ultra preset for Dell T3500 w/t W3550 & GTX 970

 

Min 70FPS, Max 119FPS, Avg 89.072FPS

 

 

 

 

 

bf1 2016-09-02 02-10-48-33 fps.csv

bf1 2016-09-02 02-10-48-33 minmaxavg.csv

bf1 2016-09-02 02-10-48-33 frametimes.csv

bf1 2016-09-02 02-10-44-11.bmp

[GalacticRuler]

do you currently have a GPU? If so, which one?

[hoodyracoon]

Just now, GalacticRuler said:

do you currently have a GPU? If so, which one?

i have a 970, but im still finishing the post, i posted on accented 

[Alexcalibur]

You put so much effort into this post and have almost no replies... I am also a used part "collector" and am constantly putting together old PCs of my own. One thing that I have noticed is that with the LGA 2011(R) motherboards is that they are extremely expensive even for a Dell OEM one. I got myself a good Dell ATX board for $100 shipped, and I think that was a steal itself because most LGA 2011(R) boards at the $100 price range are server boards. 

[hoodyracoon]

13 minutes ago, IskanderEXC said:

You put so much effort into this post and have almost no replies... I am also a used part "collector" and am constantly putting together old PCs of my own. One thing that I have noticed is that with the LGA 2011(R) motherboards is that they are extremely expensive even for a Dell OEM one. I got myself a good Dell ATX board for $100 shipped, and I think that was a steal itself because most LGA 2011(R) boards at the $100 price range are server boards. 

yeah 2011 is expensive and it wouldn't even be on here if it wasn't for the e5-2670,  motherboard of any type for 2011 R cost a ton, 120-150 for ome/workstation and 250-500 for gaming(x79)

[Alexcalibur]

6 minutes ago, hoodyracoon said:

wouldn't even be on here if it wasn't for the e5-2670

Yea I got a E5-2670 and a 2011 board for about $180 shipped. Not a terrible deal  

[hoodyracoon]

2 minutes ago, IskanderEXC said:

Yea I got a E5-2670 and a 2011 board for about $180 shipped. Not a terrible deal  

yeah pretty good, i just find that 1366 is the sweet spot at the moment for used pc parts(unless games start needing more cpu again, or until pci-e gen 4 comes out and all cards switch)as far as  what i would get for a 2011 r something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Precision-T7610-PC-Server-Workstation-System-Motherboard-LGA2011-NK70N-/262592908566?hash=item3d23c1cd16:g:zCIAAOSwV0RXs51r if im going for pointless threads might as well go whole hog

[Alexcalibur]

Just now, hoodyracoon said:

yeah pretty good, i just find that 1366 is the sweet spot at the moment for used pc parts(unless games start needing more cpu again, or until pci-e gen 4 comes out and all cards switch)as far as  what i would get for a 2011 r something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Precision-T7610-PC-Server-Workstation-System-Motherboard-LGA2011-NK70N-/262592908566?hash=item3d23c1cd16:g:zCIAAOSwV0RXs51r if im going for pointless threads might as well go whole hog

Is it worth it to go for the 2nd CPU? As far as I can tell from the benchmarks 1 would still work pretty well, even though the clock speeds of the 2670 are not quite up to par. 

[hoodyracoon]

1 minute ago, IskanderEXC said:

Is it worth it to go for the 2nd CPU? As far as I can tell from the benchmarks 1 would still work pretty well, even though the clock speeds of the 2670 are not quite up to par. 

i wouldn't need 16 threads to begin with if i was going to i might as well go for 32, honestly in gaming(what i use it for) i would see little improvement from moving from my  w3550  the only reason for me to get it would be to show off, 

[Alexcalibur]

Just now, hoodyracoon said:

i wouldn't need 16 threads to begin with if i was going to i might as well go for 32, honestly in gaming(what i use it for) i would see little improvement from moving from my  w3550  the only reason for me to get it would be to show off, 

Do you watch Tech Yes City? Brian from there had a great 2670 build that he did. And yes, I guess that is the only reason you would ever get that much lol, unless you were doing some kind of crazy rendering.

[hoodyracoon]

4 minutes ago, IskanderEXC said:

Do you watch Tech Yes City? Brian from there had a great 2670 build that he did. And yes, I guess that is the only reason you would ever get that much lol, unless you were doing some kind of crazy rendering.

might have? i wander channels all the time, all of this stuff i more or less found out on my own but when looking up examples i usually found someone that did a build with the cpu, but almost no one looks into the old OEM pc's compatible with these cpu's

[Alexcalibur]

1 minute ago, hoodyracoon said:

might have? i wander channels all the time, all of this stuff i more or less found out on my own but when looking up examples i usually found someone that did a build with the cpu, but almost no one looks into the old OEM pc's compatible with these computers 

Brian has a lot of different great used builds, would definitely recommend him, he is what got me into it!

[hoodyracoon]

Just now, IskanderEXC said:

 

yes i have seen him, not sure if i saw that video though, i know i saw 2-3 people do a 2670 build, but can't remember who 

[hoodyracoon]

updated

[hoodyracoon]

On 8/30/2016 at 9:24 PM, GalacticRuler said:

do you currently have a GPU? If so, which one?

updated the post to add some battlefield 1 bench numbers for the t3500 + 970

[Canada EH]

Excuse me but whats the difference between a Xeon Dell T3500 and the different E brands of CPU?

I have been eye-balling a Dell T3500 for quite some time.

Why is the LGA-1155 so bad?

 

Quote

-1155(only if a good cpu comes with the pc[only seen i5's], sandybridge decent IPC gain from 1366, minor clock gain)

-2011(R)(only make's sense if you are going for a E5-2670(8c/16t), otherwise uses the same sandbridge design as 1155, go there instead its cheaper)

Quote

1155(you shouldn't buy this, only get them if they come with the computer and i don't recommend this platform for anything other then gaming since HT is not cost effective on this socket, but it does have a ipc inprovment over 1366, IE games will run better)

1. i5 2400 4c/4t, 3.ghz, 3.4ghz boost

Thats it all i can find that makes sense 

 

[hoodyracoon]

On 9/19/2016 at 2:32 PM, Canada EH said:

Excuse me but whats the difference between a Xeon Dell T3500 and the different E brands of CPU?

I have been eye-balling a Dell T3500 for quite some time.

Why is the LGA-1155 so bad?

 

 

1st question - the e series xeons are not bad, they are just either lower clocked then what i put up or more expensive the some of the other options, 2nd question- just the cpus cost way more then they should, around 100$ for a 4 core with no hyper threading for 70$ you can get a 8 core based on the same architecture so it really doesnt make much sense price to performance wise, 

[Canada EH]

Yes I notice that the CPU's cost more in the LGA 1155. I just about an hour or so ago, looked at the e3-12xx and their V2 brothers.

But I have noticed on some other Dell Precision Xeon systems, in their specification sheets, it just states XEON and then some number, where as the other ones I am used to start with an X, or an E or a W. In the LGA-1366 which the Dell T3500 uses.

2 minutes ago, hoodyracoon said:

1st question - the exxx xeons are not bad, they are just either lower clocked then what i put up or more expensive the some of the other options, 2nd question- just the cpus cost way more then they should, around 100$ for a 4 core with no hyper threading for 70$ you can get a 8 core based on the same architecture so it really doesnt make much sense price to performance wise, 

 

[hoodyracoon]

12 minutes ago, Canada EH said:

Yes I notice that the CPU's cost more in the LGA 1155. I just about an hour or so ago, looked at the e3-12xx and their V2 brothers.

But I have noticed on some other Dell Precision Xeon systems, in their specification sheets, it just states XEON and then some number, where as the other ones I am used to start with an X, or an E or a W. In the LGA-1366 which the Dell T3500 uses.

 

they are for the most part different line ups of cpus, sometimes different architectures sometime not about the only good way to tell the difference is by looking it up on ark.

 

here is every 4&6 core with hyper threading for 1366 that was made http://ark.intel.com/search/advanced?s=t&SocketsSupported=FCLGA1366&CoreCountMin=4&ThreadCountMin=8

 

it pretty easy to figure out the best one and look up the price on ebay, the problem being the best ones cost between 100-300$