Shoe String Budget Build.

[M_Callahan]

Budget (including currency): 250.00 to 300.00 US Dollars 

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: General Use, no heavy loads. 

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): Existing Parts: MSI NVidia GTX 1650 Graphic Card, 750 watt EVGA G5 Gold, power supply, Dell 755 OptiPlex Case. 

 

I just gutted a old Dell 755 OptiPlex for the case.  I have an MSI NVidia GTX 1650 Graphic Card and a 750 watt EVGA G5 Gold power supply, that have been sitting on the shelf for a few years. I have a budget of $250.00 US dollars. I am looking for a suggestion for either an Mini-ATX or an ITX motherboard and processor (since I am not too familiar with smaller motherboards), even though I have a few 3rd generation i5s on the shelf, I think it is time too get something that is more modern.  I do like refurbished items too so don't discount this either.  I am also open to AMD or Intel for processor, I have very good use from them over the years.   The reason why I am building this is that the 755 was a good machine, it is very old, slow and has ribbon cabling that is getting brittle and could present a hazard down the road.  Also I want the challenge of modifying the case for a more modern computer.   As things progress then I will ask for more advice on heat sinks later but now the mother board and processor is my main goal. 

[BiotechBen]

If you have a boot drive already, I'd suggest something like a R3 3100/3300X, paired with like an ASRock B450M PRO4, solid board, solid chip for everyday use. Or if you can get a good deal on a 2600X, the extra threads will be helpful and about the same performance of the 3100.

[dizmo]

What size motherboard fits the case? Honestly, you can get cases for $20; if it's a non-standard size, or if you need to do some jank stuff to make it fit, I'd just find the extra $20 for a proper case. Mini-ATX isn't a thing. Do you mean micro ATX? Don't go for ITX, they're not budget friendly.

 

Honestly, I'd try and find an older i5, or spend on a newer i3 and find them on eBay.

[M_Callahan]

Thanks both of you for the advice.  I went for the Micro-ATX ASRock B450M PRO4 R2.0 AM4 AMD Promontory B450 SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX AMD Motherboard, it was on sale for 59.00 US dollars  with tax it came to 65.02 US Dollars with free shipping.  The case is a full tower, the reason why I wanted a smaller motherboard is to make it easier to modify case with the extra room that a Micro ATX would give me.  I had this old 755 since it was new with Windows Xp in it has been upgraded over the years for the last twenty years and I thought it would be fun to see what I could do with the case.  I am going to take my time with it and look for a good processor, memory and cooler for next month for it in late December when I get paid and if the old case is not usable I will go with new case at that time. Thanks once again.   

[BiotechBen]

On 11/29/2021 at 3:58 PM, M_Callahan said:

Thanks both of you for the advice.  I went for the Micro-ATX ASRock B450M PRO4 R2.0 AM4 AMD Promontory B450 SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX AMD Motherboard, it was on sale for 59.00 US dollars  with tax it came to 65.02 US Dollars with free shipping.  The case is a full tower, the reason why I wanted a smaller motherboard is to make it easier to modify case with the extra room that a Micro ATX would give me.  I had this old 755 since it was new with Windows Xp in it has been upgraded over the years for the last twenty years and I thought it would be fun to see what I could do with the case.  I am going to take my time with it and look for a good processor, memory and cooler for next month for it in late December when I get paid and if the old case is not usable I will go with new case at that time. Thanks once again.   

You got a killer deal on that....