dell 545 build

[Russ fett--3]

ok my friend is poor right. he wants a cheap pc. so i found a dell 545 on ebay for cheap. I was thinking that i could get a cheap video card and a new power supply. IS THIS POSSIBAL??

 

[Wolfshadw]

Depends in if that Dell requires a proprietary power supply. You'll need to do some research to see if anyone else was able to install a standard power supply. Then you need to see if the motherboard limits the PCI-Ex16 expansion slot.

-Wolf sends

 

[Chugalug_]

What is his budget?

 

[Chugalug_]

Here's the cheapest I would recommend.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($75.00 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus H110M-E/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($34.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 2GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Zalman Z3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $390.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-02 17:31 EST-0500

 

[Russ fett--3]

Depends in if that Dell requires a proprietary power supply. You'll need to do some research to see if anyone else was able to install a standard power supply. Then you need to see if the motherboard limits the PCI-Ex16 expansion slot.

-Wolf sends

What is his budget?

His budget is 200$ and the pc is 50$

 

[Chugalug_]

Link? He's probably better off getting a console tbh, PC isn't worth it if there isn't a budget of around $400.

 

[Russ fett--3]

Link? He's probably better off getting a console tbh, PC isn't worth it if there isn't a budget of around $400.

i know. but hes only playing csgo. But whats the best cheap gpu he can get.

 

[Susquehannock]

Yes. Can tell us the budget?
This Dell T3500 would be a good choice. $150 with shipping. Everything you need. Operating system already installed. Add a 150 ti card for another $100 and you have a very respectible gaming system for the money. Though I would confirm the CPU with seller since they have wrong speed listed for W3565. Should be 3.20ghz not 2.20ghz.

[edit]
Link not working. Look at Ebay item # 292017686374

 

[Chugalug_]

Well you see he could get a GPU which nearly halves graphics performance, but he'd only be saving 20 bucks.
Apart from that, the build can't get any cheaper really without some major compromises.
A used PC is really the only option, i'll go hunting then.

 

[Chugalug_]

Found a fantastic deal.
Forget that he only has $200, this is worth about $450 selling for $300.
Sling him some cash and get it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Gaming-PC-Intel-Core-i5-3470-3-6GHz-Quad-Core-8GB-RAM-750GB-HD-GTX-750Ti-/272543492653?hash=item3f74dbaa2d:g:-7YAAOSwLEtYkz-C

 

[Chugalug_]

Remember, with any of these (except the used PC I listed above), he'll need to buy windows regardless, get it from G2A or Kinguin with buyer protection.

 

[Chugalug_]

Yes. Can tell us the budget?
This Dell T3500 would be a good choice. $150 with shipping. Everything you need. Operating system already installed. Add a 150 ti card for another $100 and you have a very respectible gaming system for the money. Though I would confirm the CPU with seller since they have wrong speed listed for W3565. Should be 3.20ghz not 2.20ghz.

[edit]
Link not working. Look at Ebay item # 292017686374

Best to get a 1050 at that point, the cheapest 750ti I can find is a $79 one.
Here's an updated absolute lowest list OP.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4400 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($57.33 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus H110M-E/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($34.98 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($24.35 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Other: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti DirectX 12 N750 Ti-1GD5/OC Video Card ($83.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $341.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-02 17:57 EST-0500

 

[Susquehannock]

Remember, with any of these (except the used PC I listed above), he'll need to buy windows regardless, get it from G2A or Kinguin with buyer protection.

Why others would need Windows purchase and that one does not? Just curious.

 

[Chugalug_]

Because this is a refurbished PC from a user with preinstalled Windows and Antivirus.
They have stated that the motherboard is brand new, and I assume other parts are used.

The other lists are just lists of parts, you still need to install windows and software on them yourself after building.
They are quite trustworthy and reputable (99.8% approval rating), so you should be fine.
If there is an issue, just go through ebay ToS and support.

 

[william p]

It actually has some potential. LGA771 mod shows X5470 3.33GHz tested. $30 CPU, It supports 120W CPU and 1333fsb so QX9650 should work with software over clock (Throttlestop 6.00). 8GB DDR2 800 (same speed as DDR3-1066). I would definitely check out the PSU situation. I think Dell was over the proprietary PSU thing by the time 1333fsb was out. Stock PSU should support GTX750 or other card w/o 6 pin connector. ATI cards can have an issue with Dell BIOS resolution so I suggest Nvidia due to that. Older ATI like HD79xx or older are OK.
R9-290 is a HD7970. R9-285 has the problem. Check for EUFI compatability. Most likely it isn't. I would avoid EUFI video cards.

http://www.delidded.com/lga-771-to-775-adapter/3/#dell

The Dell Dimension E520 in my sig. is older and still kicking.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Depends in if that Dell requires a proprietary power supply. You'll need to do some research to see if anyone else was able to install a standard power supply. Then you need to see if the motherboard limits the PCI-Ex16 expansion slot.

-Wolf sends

What is his budget?

His budget is 200$ and the pc is 50$

With a system this old, I'm not sure you'd really want to put $250 into it. Personally, I'd be looking at just "getting by til I can build my machine" which means spending as little as possible while still getting something usable. I'd probably look at these two upgrades for your system.

In my research, it appears there are no limitations with your system. I've seen folks who've installed standard Corsair power supplies and Radeon HD4870 graphic cards, so:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 460 4GB STRIX OC Video Card ($118.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($50.89 @ Newegg)
Total: $169.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-03 08:47 EST-0500

That should be enough for your friend to get his gaming on.

-Wolf sends

 

[william p]

The PSU and GPU can be moved forward later so it's not wasted money. Cooler N764D should work for an overclock if you want to try that later,

BTW your question was useful to me. I overclock old Dells as a hobby, and I wasn't aware of this beast, Thanks. I have enough old parts lying around to make one of those scream.

CPUs to look at E8600 3.33GHz 2 core, Q9650/Q9550 4 core, X5470 3.33 4core (adapter required) X5460,X5440 confirmed
http://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-Inspiron-545/1378#Benchmarks
Unlocked QX9650, or cheaper QX6850 4 cores, X6800 2 core. The BIOS remains locked. Must be overclocked from inside Windows. None of these are confirmed.

I did some more research on this and the Core2 extremes are rated at 130W. except the X6800. For some reason my old E520 supports these, but I;m not seeing them on the 545.

 

[Susquehannock]

Because this is a refurbished PC from a user with preinstalled Windows and Antivirus.
They have stated that the motherboard is brand new, and I assume other parts are used.

The other lists are just lists of parts, you still need to install windows and software on them yourself after building.
They are quite trustworthy and reputable (99.8% approval rating), so you should be fine.
If there is an issue, just go through ebay ToS and support.

Thanks for the reply. The Dell I linked is a used workstation with Win7 pre-installed. The buyer only need plug it in and go. Have converted a few of these into gaming rigs. Windows updates are not an issue.

Do like the one you linked with new board, Win10, and faster CPU. It is also $100 more. I was trying to stay low to fit into OP's budget.

 

[william p]

The T3500 sugggestion is a good one. If you can swing it you won't be sorry. Later on a w3680/90 6 core CPU will let it have a long useful life. GPU options are pretty much unlimited.