[SOLVED] Checking all is good with a budget build for a friend.

[smmm]

Hello,

One of my friends is looking to get into PC gaming on a tight budget, around $150, so I thought that upgrading an old Optiplex would be a good option. They need the whole setup including mouse, keyboard, and monitor. Here is the current plan:

Dell Optiplex 780 MT with 4 GB of DDR3 or DDR2, not sure, found on Craigslist, which includes all peripherals. ~ $50

Install Geforce GT 1030 (GDDR5) ~ $60 -$80 used. The Gigabyte OC 2G model looks good.

Replace CPU with a Core 2 Quad Q9550 (According to the Dell manual for the 780, this CPU is listed as compatible.) ~ $25

Planning on keeping stock 305w power supply, hence the GT 1030.

They're looking to play less demanding games such as Unturned and Overwatch. Unturned I'm not so concerned about, but would this setup provide a stable 60 FPS on Overwatch? Low settings are just fine, but I want to stay away from lowering the resolution scaling.

I just wanted to check that everything looked good with this setup plan and I wasn't missing something obvious, as I wanted to be confident in my recommendations to my friend.

Thanks!

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Don't do that route. It looks like you can get a Dell optiplex with a 3rd generation i5 for about 80 bucks.

It appears that RX 470 can be had for about 70ish. If you could swing a budget psu and say another 4gb of ram to get a system to 8gb, that would at least be a starting point. But that budget is tight for sure.

The gtx 1050 it looks like can be found reasonably also, but those aren't as good as the 470. But you might be able to keep the stock psu. Just double check the PSU and power requirements.

 

[smmm]

Don't do that route. It looks like you can get a Dell optiplex with a 3rd generation i5 for about 80 bucks.

It appears that RX 470 can be had for about 70ish. If you could swing a budget psu and say another 4gb of ram to get a system to 8gb, that would at least be a starting point. But that budget is tight for sure.

The gtx 1050 it looks like can be found reasonably also, but those aren't as good as the 470. But you might be able to keep the stock psu. Just double check the PSU and power requirements.

I agree that the i5 optiplexes are a good option, but from my research that gen comes with 275w power supplies, and it's already cutting it close with the 305w. On the other hand, the i5 does use less power so that helps a bit. I'm being especially careful with the psu because I want to make sure what I'm recommending is safe. Going with a 1050 further increases power consumption, so I'm not sure about it.

My reasoning was that the Optiplex 780 came with all the needed peripherals, which saves at least $30, and could be upgraded to quad-core. The GT 1030 has very low power consumption for its decent gaming performance, and doesn't strain the older power supply. I do agree that the 1050 is far better for the same price, but the power supply is what makes me consider the 1030.

The games that they want to play are mostly older or low-spec friendly. We're just aiming at Overwatch 60 FPS.

I don't intend to sound argumentative, I just wanted to include and consider some other aspects. I appreciate your feedback.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

No problem. In that case, get the i5 optiplex and get the 1030 as originally planned. Core 2 Quads are just so old they aren't really worth messing with. At least if he starts getting into PC gaming, on a system with an i5, he may be able to drop in an older i7, bump it to 16gb of ram, SSD and mid range graphics card and have a system that can actually handle itself until he could afford better upgrades, but still be able to carry over like the power supply and gpu to the new system if desired.

 

[smmm]

No problem. In that case, get the i5 optiplex and get the 1030 as originally planned. Core 2 Quads are just so old they aren't really worth messing with. At least if he starts getting into PC gaming, on a system with an i5, he may be able to drop in an older i7, bump it to 16gb of ram, SSD and mid range graphics card and have a system that can actually handle itself until he could afford better upgrades, but still be able to carry over like the power supply and gpu to the new system if desired.

I agree. I was doing more research on the Core 2 Quads and you're right, they are definitely not up to par for most games. We'll keep watching Craigslist and see what comes up in terms of i5 systems. Is an optiplex with an i5 2400 sufficient?

 

[ohio_buckeye]

2400 is quite old. Better than the core 2 quad for sure. Honestly, if not for budget, I would suggest find an i7 2600 or higher. Quad core systems for gaming are kind of on the way out these days.

 

[smmm]

2400 is quite old. Better than the core 2 quad for sure. Honestly, if not for budget, I would suggest find an i7 2600 or higher. Quad core systems for gaming are kind of on the way out these days.

Ok thanks. We mostly play esports titles, so I think settling for a quad core from the newer optiplexes will be good.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Ok. And if he starts getting into it, I have seen now that you can get the older i7 2600 I think around 50-70. So you could add that later. But hopefully that setup should get your friend started until he can afford a larger upgrade down the road.

 

[smmm]

Ok. And if he starts getting into it, I have seen now that you can get the older i7 2600 I think around 50-70. So you could add that later. But hopefully that setup should get your friend started until he can afford a larger upgrade down the road.

Cool sounds good!