Upgrading Pre-built PC for my old man

[MRC380]

Hey guys, this is my dads current PC - http://www.cnet.com/products/gateway-gt5481e-pentium-e2160-1-8-ghz-1-gb-250-gb-lcd-19/specs/

EDIT #2: Okay maybe this wasn't clear but this is to be remade into a gaming PC :')

Hes had it for a few years and complains all the time that it runs slow and he can't play any games on it. I want to put together a budget gaming build and save as much money as possible. In order to achieve this I've decided to reuse the following components:

 

- The case: For some reason he really likes this old PC case, and it has nothing special going on for it except it has side ventilation

by the CPU area and just above the GPU area. I'd like to add an exhaust fan so some air gets removed from    the case.

 

- The monitor: 1440x900 seems to be good enough for him

- The peripherals: Keyboard, mouse, and speakers

- The OS: I have an OEM windows 8 CD that i bought from NCIX when I built my own rig

 

Now obviously this prebuilt PC wasn't made for gaming, which means the current hardware inside is really poopy. It has no dedicated GPU and its got a weak  250w PSU.

EDIT: The case does not support USB 3.0 so yeah no real need for that

 

I need everything except a case for the build, and the motherboard has to be mATX because its a small tower. You can view the specs of the PC in the link above

 

The budget is $600 before taxes/shipping. 

 

Thank you in advance for helping me come up with a build

[xrex64]

Messing with prebuilt fans can cause airflow problems. 

[Wheelzz]

If you used the OEM licence with your current PC, you won't be able to register with the same code on your dad's rig.

[Thebman712]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($84.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($131.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Memory: Kingston Fury Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($44.98 @ Amazon Canada) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($52.48 @ NCIX) 

Video Card: Club 3D Radeon R7 265 2GB royalQueen Video Card  ($146.98 @ NCIX) 

Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Total: $516.38

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

something like this would be great

[MRC380]

Messing with prebuilt fans can cause airflow problems. 

i'm not messing with the fans i want to add a rear exhaust fan because it doesn't have any fans at all. It might have a front intake but i can't even tell 

[MRC380]

If you used the OEM licence with your current PC, you won't be able to register with the same code on your dad's rig.

I don't need to activate the license. I can still install it on another PC with the same license I just cannot activate it which is fine because I still have full functionality 

[xrex64]

i'm not messing with the fans i want to add a rear exhaust fan because it doesn't have any fans at all. It might have a front intake but i can't even tell 

I doubt that it doesn't have a fan, but when I said messing I meant adding the fan. Anyways, make sure to pay attention to fan directions and what-not. 

[MRC380]

 

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($84.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($131.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Memory: Kingston Fury Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($44.98 @ Amazon Canada) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($52.48 @ NCIX) 

Video Card: Club 3D Radeon R7 265 2GB royalQueen Video Card  ($146.98 @ NCIX) 

Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Total: $516.38

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

something like this would be great

 

Well it looks okay, but that dual core is only decent when highly overclocked, something that is not achievable in this small system with poor ventilation. I hear 4gb of ram is not enough these days and I myself currently have 8gb, also that motherboard seems pretty expensive for such a low end cpu. Wouldn't it make more sense to get a cheaper motherboard and a more high end cpu? 

[MRC380]

I doubt that it doesn't have a fan, but when I said messing I meant adding the fan. Anyways, make sure to pay attention to fan directions and what-not. 

I mean, I only want to add a fan because I dont want the PC to over heat but what do you recommend? I believe it might have a front intake but theres literally zero CFM or static pressure from it so...

[xrex64]

I mean, I only want to add a fan because I dont want the PC to over heat but what do you recommend? I believe it might have a front intake but theres literally zero CFM or static pressure from it so...

You should be good. I'm just saying don't have 2 fans sucking in or something stupid like that. A Noctua fan will keep it sounding fanless.

[Thebman712]

 

 

 

Well it looks okay, but that dual core is only decent when highly overclocked, something that is not achievable in this small system with poor ventilation. I hear 4gb of ram is not enough these days and I myself currently have 8gb, also that motherboard seems pretty expensive for such a low end cpu. Wouldn't it make more sense to get a cheaper motherboard and a more high end cpu? 

 

A) that cpu is just as good if not better than a 760k and the mobo will allow you to add a 4690k later or something, the mobo is one of the cheapest z97 board. add a 212 evo and you should be fine, add a extra 4 gb then if you need it later, it wont be that much

[xrex64]

 

A lot of those lower end GateWay and Emachines didn't have any case fans in them. Just a CPU and power supply fans. The chassis would most likely have a 92mm fan spot in it and a header on the motherboard for it, but no fan. 

That CPU fan is doing a lot of work then, but I guess it doesn't really need it all that much. 

[xrex64]

I set my case fans both to exhaust once just to see what would happen. The computer got a little warm and wound up intaking through my power supply despite the fan on the power supply fan trying to push air out of the case. It got a little warm as well. 

Which means they couldn't pull enough cool air in to cool off the inside of the case. 

[MRC380]

Just throw a fan in the back of the Chassis. Get one from Noctua and have the motherboard control it. That system will do just fine with that airflow. That Pentium will be fine with 4GB of RAM for your pops. Unless he's gaming, 4GB is plenty

He wants to play games...thats kinda the whole point of this

[MRC380]

A) that cpu is just as good if not better than a 760k and the mobo will allow you to add a 4690k later or something, the mobo is one of the cheapest z97 board. add a 212 evo and you should be fine, add a extra 4 gb then if you need it later, it wont be that 

I was under the impression that the 760k was quite low end, and would not perform well for gaming. I was hoping to fit a low end i5 into the budget and upgrade to a 4770 later. Like I said, overclocking is not going to be possible in this case plus he wants to save as much money as possible. Also, overclocking isn't really necessary for playing games.

[flibberdipper]

I set my case fans both to exhaust once just to see what would happen. The computer got a little warm and wound up intaking through my power supply despite the fan on the power supply fan trying to push air out of the case. It got a little warm as well. 

 

 

Not as much as you would think. @tmcclelland455 's dell only has the CPU and PSU fans, and it does just fine. All of the older BTX Dells and their newish Optiplexes are the same way. If a manufacturer does it, it must work well enough. If it didn't, they would be out of business.

EDIT: can never get username right on the first try

Yeah. My Dell is doing great (it's this form factor with these guts). The blower will kick up when it starts to get toasty. Even my grandma's HP has a 92mm intake, 80mm exhaust (PSU), and the 80mm CPU cooler and it doesn't get that warm in the case with a 110-ish watt APU. Even after nearly 3 weeks solid of folding, it was still rather cool inside (partially due to the fact that the rear intake is right by the CPU heatsink and then it goes out the PSU, vents in the side panels, and the vents in the front).

[Some Tech Nub]

A 760k is a decent gaming chip, but I'm sure we can do better at this budget.  I wouldn't bother overclocking in a M-ATX case that came from a pre-built computer.

 

I suppose you could also reuse storage.  Specs list a SATA-3 interface.  If he really wants a snappy and fast booting computer, a ~120GB SSD may be a good option.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($174.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: MSI B85M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($60.24 @ Amazon) 

Memory: Kingston Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($71.88 @ NCIX US) 

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card  ($219.99 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $587.09

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

Check to see if the R9 280 is short enough to fit into the cage with no problems.

[RubyRoks]

 

Well it looks okay, but that dual core is only decent when highly overclocked, something that is not achievable in this small system with poor ventilation. I hear 4gb of ram is not enough these days and I myself currently have 8gb, also that motherboard seems pretty expensive for such a low end cpu. Wouldn't it make more sense to get a cheaper motherboard and a more high end cpu? 

 

4GB is plenty of RAM for gaming and general use. the pentium is a little lacking compared to an i3 or higher without an overclock, but it'll do just fine. You'ld be surprised how well a dual core and 4GB of memory perform with a decent GPU. At 1440x900, the build the person specified will do just fine, even without an overclock

[flibberdipper]

I've never even SEEN an HP with a dedicated intake fan. The HPs that I have worked on all had exhausts though.

I flipped it around. Dropped the temp by 5C, and it stays cleaner in the front vents.

[MRC380]

A 760k is a decent gaming chip, but I'm sure we can do better at this budget.  I wouldn't bother overclocking in a M-ATX case that came from a pre-built computer.

 

I suppose you could also reuse storage.  Specs list a SATA-3 interface.  If he really wants a snappy and fast booting computer, a ~120GB SSD may be a good option.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($174.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: MSI B85M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($60.24 @ Amazon) 

Memory: Kingston Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($71.88 @ NCIX US) 

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card  ($219.99 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $587.09

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

Check to see if the R9 280 is short enough to fit into the cage with no problems.

I like this build however I live in Canada and those prices are waaay off for us canadians ): Sadly. Also, is rosewill as reputable brand for power supplies? 

[Some Tech Nub]

4GB is plenty of RAM for gaming and general use. the pentium is a little lacking compared to an i3 or higher without an overclock, but it'll do just fine. You'ld be surprised how well a dual core and 4GB of memory perform with a decent GPU. At 1440x900, the build the person specified will do just fine, even without an overclock

I think that 4GB of RAM is really pushing it for gaming.  I would recommend at least 8GB unless on a really tight budget.  I would also pick up a Hyper 212 or something to overclock that G3258.

[Some Tech Nub]

I like this build however I live in Canada and those prices are waaay off for us canadians ): Sadly. Also, is rosewill as reputable brand for power supplies? 

Oh, I'll make a ca.pcpartpicker.com link for you.

 

For rosewill, it depends on the line of power supplies.  The Hive is a relatively budget power supply, but is still pretty good quality.

 

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Rosewill-HIVE-650-W-Power-Supply-Review/1460

[RubyRoks]

I think that 4GB of RAM is really pushing it for gaming.  I would recommend at least 8GB unless on a really tight budget.  I would also pick up a Hyper 212 or something to overclock that G3258.

you're right...i seem to have forgotten the $600 budget or whatever it was

In a case like that, unless you were going to add fans or remove the side panel and put a box fan there, i don't see overclocking happening with any sort of air setup. This is coming from a guy who is using a prebuilt right now that has overheated once or twice today with a pentium 4 and a GT 210...

[Thebman712]

I like this build however I live in Canada and those prices are waaay off for us canadians ): Sadly. Also, is rosewill as reputable brand for power supplies? 

nooo not really, antech, coolermaster, corsair and evga are some of the best 

[Some Tech Nub]

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/Z2jfFT

 

Had to downgrade to an R9 270.  An alternative is to get an i3, but I have always like to have a strong CPU.  A simple overclock of the R9 270 to 270X stock clock speeds should be easy.