We UPGRADED the $69 Gaming PC and it ROCKS!

[Canada EH]

5 hours ago, Tankdriver said:

Next time you can use a socket 1366 system for a cheap game computer.

 

Can not beat a $50 (USD) "gaming" pc

 

Yup

 

It is only a matter of keeping your eye's peeled for any suitable pc's and low-balling the seller.

 

But this is how it goes down.

Lman buys a pc for the going market rate, say $150 and make it look worn, dirty and dusty.

Thinks of a good price # that will get the most views.

Comes up with a good story line for the fictional scenario that will also get the most views.

Thinks up a good silly facial expression for the video's thumbnail picture that will get the most views.

Figures out a good backdrop for the set that will get the most views.

Films

Uploads

Cashes In

[L.Ben]

Has anyone had issues updating drivers for the  PCI Serial Port and PCI Simple Communications Controller on an optiplex 755? I have been trying to get a graphics card to work and it does seem working to it full potential. I feel like those missing drivers might be effecting it.  I am trying a similar build with a Q9550 and then the graphics card is and RX 560. 

[Messmakur]

What they should do is build this so-called cheap new gen computer, and do a head to head with this one. Then they could see if the newer is really worth it, or go with an older used build.

 

[handsomejake]

I'm seriously considering sourcing and building this rig. Is there any way to clarify what exact components they used in the build? There are variants of the 750ti and CPU according to this thread.

[Captain Beeble]

Hey friends, Is the Core 2 Quad worth the ~$30 updgrade?

I did this for just the cost of the PCIe extension and a pair of tin snips thanks to a couple 'decommissioned' HP 4000 pro SFF's (specs are nearly identical to the Dell they used) my company had and a random GTX 745 I found (literally in the trash can). It ain't playing CS go and GTA V was hilarious ala one of the potato-mode videos, but I have it playing Fallout 4 at around 35fps give or take, and it breezes through games like CIv VI and most of the Total War titles like a champ. I've got it set up with an SSD and 8GB Ram, but the Core 2 duo in there is CONSTANTLY maxed out (even on startup). I'd love to know if anyone dropped in the quad and what your results have been. Thanks!

[Chester Pereira]

Hi! I just want to ask. I have dell optiplex 980 with i7 870 and 235w psu. I would like to upgrade my gpu to 750ti. Should I upgrade my psu first or 235w is enough. Thanks! 

[Saint Sushi]

On 10/8/2019 at 11:01 AM, Chester Pereira said:

Hi! I just want to ask. I have dell optiplex 980 with i7 870 and 235w psu. I would like to upgrade my gpu to 750ti. Should I upgrade my psu first or 235w is enough. Thanks! 

YES PLEASE AT LEAST A 350 AND MAKE SURE IT HAS AN 8PIN BUT IF YOU HAVE A CARD THAT DOESN'T NEED EXTERNAL POWER THEN IT'S FINE

[Wire]

You can get more than a Core 2 Quad and a 750 TI for that amount of money. I personally use a Dell Precision T3500 (I got for free, but can be sourced for 40-80 bucks) with a Xeon X5650 (6 core, 12 thread) and GTX 960 (4 GB MSI OC) that I got for 70 dollars. It could be relatively easily built for around 150 dollars if you know where to look.

 

Dell Precision T3500 - $56

Xeon X5650 - $10

GTX 960 - $60

[Sir0Tek]

Hi, you are referring to a video, I assume? Scrapyard wars? Did you look at the date as well?

[Wire]

19 minutes ago, Sir0Tek said:

Hi, you are referring to a video, I assume? Scrapyard wars? Did you look at the date as well?

 

[Sir0Tek]

Ah, that one; It is still a video from more than a year ago. Nonetheless, you did manage a nice price for your parts.

[muito_gostoso]

52 minutes ago, Wire said:

You can get more than a Core 2 Quad and a 750 TI for that amount of money. I personally use a Dell Precision T3500 (I got for free, but can be sourced for 40-80 bucks) with a Xeon X5650 (6 core, 12 thread) and GTX 960 (4 GB MSI OC) that I got for 70 dollars. It could be relatively easily built for around 150 dollars if you know where to look.

 

Dell Precision T3500 - $56

Xeon X5650 - $10

GTX 960 - $60

even better a xeon ddr3 pack from alliexpress

[WkdPaul]

10 hours ago, Wire said:

*snip*

 

Your thread was merged with the video's thread.

 

Also note the date those videos are published, this dates from October of 2018, that was 15 months ago. Used market varies wildly and 6 months can make a big difference, location is also a major factor.

[swanson8r]

As a long-time owner of a Dell Optiplex 780 Mini Tower (Dell Service Tag 7654FN1), I was happy to see attention given to upgrading these older machines to be gaming capable.Read on for my experiences and obstacles encountered during the upgrade process.

 

I started with a basic HTPC build using an "adequate" passive cooled Radeon HD 6450 to get HDMI to my living room TV. As a boardgamer, I am a big fan of turn-based strategy games where I have time to think about by next move, so I got back into the X-COM series (having grown up with the originals from Microprose).  These games ran on my system, but I was getting about 4 to 7 FPS on average, which is fine against the computer on a turn-based game. After watching these videos, I was inspired to do some upgrading. I started with a newer GPU. Unfortunately due to the BTX for factor and the weird placement of the large plastic CPU shroud / air duct, a full height card was out of the question unless I wanted to use a riser cable. I settled for a used GTX 750ti (2GB GDDR5 from Gigabyte, model GV-N75TOC-2GL) , which still required me to use some creative Dremel cutting of the back of the metal case, since it is a double height card and the PCI x16 slot on my machine is right up next to the I/O shield.

 

Once the card was installed, I noticed the fan wouldn't stay spinning, so I searched for an upgraded PSU. I happened to snag a rebate deal on a Thermaltake ToughPower GX1 600W with RGB, which is on the B tier of the PSU list. Installed fine as a replacement for the stock 255 Watt Dell PSU, and now the GPU runs fine. Getting 30 to 60 FPS now depending on settings.

 

The next step was to upgrade the ram (I am currently at 4 x 2GB DDR3 PC3-10600 hynix), but I discovered that my machine is picky about what types of DDR3 it will take.Crucial says I can run PC3-12800 but it will be slowed to match the system. I got a few sticks to try, but no matter what slot(s) I used, I always got a POST 3 4 light for memory issues. Looking closer, the new 4GB sticks had chips only on one side, and there is a note in a Dell support forum about these systems not liking High Density ram, so I will look around for other sticks.

 

Finally, I caved in and bought a 3D NAND SSD (SK Hynix Gold S31 500GB). This is where I discovered after confirming with the Dell Optiplex 780 manual that these motherboards (all form factors) are limited to SATA I and II (3 Gbps), and there is no internal SATA III (6Gbps) port. This appears to be true for the Optiplex 380 featured in the video as well. Sata III was a later feature on with the Optiplex 790.

 

At this point I might upgrade with a PCIe 1x card, but I have already used that slot for a combo Wifi / Bluetooth adapter that I am very happy with (Tp-Link Archer T5E AC1200).  I am currently trying to decide what my next move is. I have an ebay bid on a Q9550 CPU (second best for this socket 775 board, and cheaper than the Q9650 with the same 12M L2 cache and just less clock speed). I think however it might be time to finally upgrade the entire tower to a newer core i7 ATX optiplex like a 9010 or 9020. I like the MT form factor for parts compatibility with the PSU I already purchased, but do like the notion of a smaller SFF machine for more of a set top box / console look in my living room. The 750ti I bought is low profile, so as long as the newer machine's PSU has enough wattage, I might make that move.

 

Happy to take input from others who have similar experiences, and thanks for the inspiration to get started on this journey. I honestly have to say, I am having more fun upgrading and troubleshooting my build than I am actually playing the games it now supports.

 

Update: I did some research into PCI Express cards that provide SATA III (and some that also include USB 3.0), and so far it looks like due to the PCIe 1x limitations, I wouldn't actually see the full throughput benefits of 6GBps on my system. Also, with a card like this connected to your boot drive, there are additional configuration issues possibly including a complete OS reinstall to get it working. So, I am keeping a lookout for a cheap tower upgrade to move these parts into.