Trying to build a PC with an old 4-core AM3 in super-budget and "fun" style

[LaczPro19]

Hi everyone. I'm back to the forum after I finally recover my credentials... And became unemployed... And also, haven't anything good to do.

 

My friend Leo show me a older, not super special, Biostar A780L3B. This is a AMD AM3 motherboard, released I think in 2008-2010, with the 760G chipset and support to DDR3 1333 and 1600 doing OC. He had it lying around and asked me to test it. To my surprise, the little board works like it should with only one slot malfunctioning (I put one of my actual PC memory sticks in the two slots and only one worked). It came with a super popular here AMD Sempron 140 (that allow me to test the board at least).

 

That remind me of my previous AMD build (before my actual APU build), when I was trying to get a Phenom II X4 or Athlon II X4 build in a little motherboard just to get gaming. Not matter if only 30FPS, but just play some games. That didn't was completed and I sold my PC to buy a laptop. 

 

So, good memories with AMD those years. But I was wondering today if, for me, was possible to build that PC using second hand components (well, not all of them. I'm living in Venezuela, with all its disasters, so it isn't the first time I think about building PCs with used components... Heck, my actual PC has some of them and has been working flawlessly) and get it to achieve just one clear objective: Be able to play a game like GTA V between 30-60FPS... And all that implies.

 

Not easy task, I know.

 

First of all, when I was testing it, I had a certified PSU, my RAM and the case to complete the build, just for testing. So I get it to the BIOS, check everything and shut it down. No more test. Then the PSU and case went to my cousin PC, the RAM to mine and the motherboard and CPU to their bag. My friend told me I could keep it so that gave me a little push, the one I was expecting, to plan this build.

 

Then, I saw Linus' video with Strange Parts. He said something in the lines of: "when I don't have any ideas for a video, I build a computer". So that was it (kinda). I'm doing this.

 

I don't have money right now to go shopping the parts, so this would take long (maybe longer than all of this I'm writing). But it is a project I don't going to rush it anyways.

 

I was thinking about something like:

 

1. Using an AMD CPU with 4 cores. Still fighting between an Athlon II X4 or a Phenom II X4. Both of which need to be TDP=95W, so not black edition 125W (bummer)

2. 8GB of RAM, whatever I could find that works and just a single stick. If I figure out a way to repair the other slot, maybe can raise it to 16GB (because surprisingly, even for a Biostar, that mobo supports that amount of RAM)

3. I need to go certified when talking about PSU. So maybe 400W or 500W. The Elite Power from Cooler Master looks OK to me and I always have a good experience with the brand.

4. Obviously, that thing need a graphics card. The first one had a Nvidia Geforce 210 with 1GB of VRAM GDDR3. It sucks today, I now, but for the time did the job so good (and I was just playing little games like GTA San Andreas and Need For Speed Carbon). This needs to be used, unless I get an offer around 100USD or less new. I was exploring between a GTX 650/750TI or Radeon 7000 series (I don't which one yet), maybe a R9 285. This would bump the PSU a little, but after watching some in the outervision website, there are some that would work between 325W and 500W, so 400 to 500W. Unless I do some...

5. Overclocking. I'm not an expert in this topic but I managed to crank up my little A6-7400K from its stock 3.5GHz to 4.3GHz using a Hyper-212 Evo as the cooler. I didn't touch (yet) the voltages and all of that stuff, but in this Biostar MB is allowed... I just need the CPU to do it (also the cooler for that job).

6. Finally, a case. This would be the expensive part in all of this plan. If I do some jobs there and there, I can save some money, (buy the USD. Do some currency exchange) buy the parts from eBay using PayPal and bring them home using a courier in my country or some "Free international shipping". (That's why I would not rush a lot in the project). But with the case is a big deal because is a big part. So, I do need to make a lot of math to get away with it.

 

You would be thinking: "Why just don't buy the stuff in your country?" Well... An Athlon II X2 245 would cost you 5.88USD and with free shipping on eBay, but in Venezuela a Sempron 190 would cost you 11000VES used or "like-new" (that means 174.87VESx1USD is something about 62USD... What!?). Ok, maybe not in all cases (still I would definitely go to local shops to get a bargain), but the price situation in my country is ridiculous and buying used here is way riskier than buying used from eBay (I had some knowledge of what to buy if used there and how... and maybe a lot of luck, I think).

 

Before you go saying "another guy cheaping out everything", "get a job" or whatever... This is for fun. Just that. I don't have a YT channel like Linus but I repair computers and laptops (phones from time to time) and the people always trust in me when I check their electronics. Right now, this is the only thing in all this "depression like" status I'm having since I left my 9-5 job last year that give me this level of happiness, because I love what I do with computers. So, please excuse me if anything of this hurts you in some way (especially my english writing. I'm working on it) but again, I'm hoping some recommendations or ideas in this kind of "fun" build (or maybe I would look for a job to pay for it). 

 

Thanks!

[Radium_Angel]

13 minutes ago, LaczPro19 said:

Thanks

Here's an idea, get one of us in the USA to get the parts cheap for you, and ship them to you. It'd be surface mail, so it might take a month, but it'd save you some cash...

 

..and fun builds are just that, super fun to do, test and try out stuff.

I do the same myself when I have enough parts laying about

[LaczPro19]

8 minutes ago, Radium_Angel said:

Here's an idea, get one of us in the USA to get the parts cheap for you, and ship them to you. It'd be surface mail, so it might take a month, but it'd save you some cash...

 

..and fun builds are just that, super fun to do, test and try out stuff.

I do the same myself when I have enough parts laying about

Yeah, that's the reason I'm doing it. 

 

And about that idea... Wow! I didn't consider that one. I have some family in US but I prefer not to bother them with this "crazy bad" idea. But still, whatever I do there, I need to make the money to buy the stuff... And I need to figure out what stuff I would install (especially in the CPU-GPU state of things)

[Firewrath9]

3 minutes ago, LaczPro19 said:

 I have some family in US but I prefer not to bother them with this "crazy bad" idea. 

mabye when you visit them or something you can get it.

[Radium_Angel]

4 hours ago, LaczPro19 said:

Yeah, that's the reason I'm doing it. 

 

And about that idea... Wow! I didn't consider that one. I have some family in US but I prefer not to bother them with this "crazy bad" idea. But still, whatever I do there, I need to make the money to buy the stuff... And I need to figure out what stuff I would install (especially in the CPU-GPU state of things)

You figure it out, and if it's cheap enough I'll just send it to you

[LaczPro19]

16 hours ago, Firewrath9 said:

mabye when you visit them or something you can get it.

Visit them looks like a very, very long time... I need a lot of things to do it, especially a visa (which in Venezuela, if tourism, would be almost impossible)

[LaczPro19]

12 hours ago, Radium_Angel said:

You figure it out, and if it's cheap enough I'll just send it to you

Ok, thanks a lot for that.