Question ghetto pc build, help pls!

[Sean flaherty1998]

Hello guys,

Im looking to upgrade my aio to have a external gpu via a pcie riser/extender using either m.2 or a pci port (I know risky) .
This is due to the fact I have very limited cash at the moment and want to get back into pc gaming, i have owed various high end rigs in the past, but simply not enough cash to build an entire rig at this point,

I know ill run into various problems such as bottlenecking (especially if i use the old pci interface) but still roughly 75% of the gpu will still be utilized, as well as the act ill have to unplug any existing components such as wifi cards, this is not a problem for me as i use ethernet anyway. as well as needing to find power for the card im open to suggestions on how to do that xD
This is the board i have : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dell-Ins...erboard-s115X-IPPLP-RH-TH-XHYJF-/151827014476
I have a i3 4170 and 8gb ram also. What are my options with the motherboard, it says in the manual there is a m.2 port but yet to find it. If you spot one let me know because I know m.2 is just as fast as thunderbolt.

I Figure all in I can get the parts on the cheap for 150 quid tops accounting for a ssd the riser and a 1050ti and hoping the upgrades will make this pc be able to run fluently on games.

If somebody could provide their insight on this that would be awesome,
thanks team.

 

[Eximo]

m.2 != thunderbolt. M.2 is a form factor only, what protocol and bandwidth it has is entirely up to the design of the board.

I see one NGF-WLAN labled M.2 port, for shorter cards. NGF stands for New/Next Generation Format. Was the adopted standard for laptop expansion cards, later it was adapted as the same form factor for NGFF SATA and NVMe PCIe devices. Different pinouts though, not always cross compatible. Based on the pins, it does look like a B connector, so it should support PCIe x2, which is just enough for a low end GPU.

You need a rather expensive external solution for a GPU. You can find them on Amazon/Ebay and the like, no guarantee it will work. You'll also likely have to buy a power supply, unless included, which should exceed the GPUs rated power draw by a good 20%.

External GPU Independent GPU R23SG PCIe x16 to PCIe x4 eGPU adapter 50cm | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for External GPU Independent GPU R23SG PCIe x16 to PCIe x4 eGPU adapter 50cm at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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There are lots of these out there, I can't really say which will work properly. Read anything they put out there, make sure to identify any potential compatibility issues.

To be honest, you are better off selling that for whatever you can get and just picking up a cheap MicroATX desktop that you can just drop a GPU into. 4th gen i5 desktops can be had for as little as $150, closer to $200 you can get 8GB of memory and even some with SSDs.

https://www.newegg.com/lenovo-thinkcentre-m93p/p/1VK-0003-0FFM1

 

[Sean flaherty1998]

m.2 != thunderbolt. M.2 is a form factor only, what protocol and bandwidth it has is entirely up to the design of the board.

I see one NGF-WLAN labled M.2 port, for shorter cards. NGF stands for New/Next Generation Format. Was the adopted standard for laptop expansion cards, later it was adapted as the same form factor for NGFF SATA and NVMe PCIe devices. Different pinouts though, not always cross compatible. Based on the pins, it does look like a B connector, so it should support PCIe x2, which is just enough for a low end GPU.

You need a rather expensive external solution for a GPU. You can find them on Amazon/Ebay and the like, no guarantee it will work. You'll also likely have to buy a power supply, unless included, which should exceed the GPUs rated power draw by a good 20%.

External GPU Independent GPU R23SG PCIe x16 to PCIe x4 eGPU adapter 50cm | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for External GPU Independent GPU R23SG PCIe x16 to PCIe x4 eGPU adapter 50cm at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

There are lots of these out there, I can't really say which will work properly. Read anything they put out there, make sure to identify any potential compatibility issues.

To be honest, you are better off selling that for whatever you can get and just picking up a cheap MicroATX desktop that you can just drop a GPU into. 4th gen i5 desktops can be had for as little as $150, closer to $200 you can get 8GB of memory and even some with SSDs.

https://www.newegg.com/lenovo-thinkcentre-m93p/p/1VK-0003-0FFM1

Thanks for the reply homie,
Been doing a little research and this looks best suited for me,
this is actually sold as a 'turn ur laptop into a gaming station' device haha so maybe the best bet in terms of compatabilty etc.
it seems to connect directly to the ngff slot to a hdmi, which plugs in to a dock where u can plug in various gpus, unfortunately the gtx 10 series isn't supported but now im looking at a rx570 instead,
it is hassle i may end up selling it on and doing as u say but i cant get past the fact i could do it for cheap and have a neat little system.

let me know what you think.

 

[Eximo]

You are buying a GPU, a connection method, and an external power supply, minimum. With no guarantee of success.

A used monitor won't run you more then $40-50 if you pick one up locally. Often sales on brand new 22-24" 1080p monitors for $90. If you don't happen to have a monitor laying around.

Sell your AIO for as much as you can get, since it includes a monitor, wifi, it has that going for it. Lets say you get $150-200, more than enough to pick up a cheap desktop. Then you can just drop a 1050Ti into some 240W Dell, Lenovo, or HP.

So the cost difference with the external GPU enclosure/dock is replaced with a monitor cost. Except you are guaranteed to have a working, and more upgradeable system as an added bonus.

If you look at used workstation computers, you can even get decent power supplies with PCIe power cables.

Always people asking about those adapters, and I try to steer people away from them because they are an expensive opportunity cost. Slightly cheaper now, but you end up spending more overall when you have to ditch them.

Even 4th Gen Intel is starting to drop off my radar a little. Entry level Ryzen systems, which are even more upgradeable, are really cheap right now. CPUs as low as $50, Motherboards under $50, though best to spend about $70, memory is holding its low price for now. Could even buy a cheap desktop for drives and other components. And that is for new stuff. You look at the used market for entry level Ryzen stuff, might be sub $200 for a working system. Then just add GPU, or spend a little extra to get an R5 APU.

 

[Sean flaherty1998]

I forgot to link the one I found sorry lol, https://www.banggood.com/NGFF-Versi...deo-Card-Dock-p-1009978.html?cur_warehouse=CN

I know this can be a longshot but I figure aslong as the ngf keying is the same shell work a treat, all in for this and a rx 570 I could get it done for 100 pounds, PC parts aren't as cheap where i live its VERY sparse for second hand parts at a decent price, which is why ive went down this route,

Appreciate any feedback thanks my dude,

 

[Eximo]

$50, and you still need a power supply. Either a barrel plug 150W power brick, which is quite expensive. Or a cheap 350W ATX power supply, at around $40.

Other than that the images look like a polished product.

 

[Sean flaherty1998]

Thanks for the feedback mate,
as its the a + e key i would be limited to pcie x2 link right? so what card would you recommend, I imagine anything other than a entry level gpu such as 750ti/950ti/1030 or even a r9 390 would be a waste of money?

 

[Eximo]

That all depends. R9-390 is a beefy card (Think GTX970, but more power requirements), not something I would trust to that little dock. Also getting pretty outdated.

1030 is pretty lightweight, but may be too new for the system. A bit risky. 10, 16, and 20 series cards are looking for UEFI BIOS. They usually work on older systems with the OS already installed, no guarantee. Being an OEM product, BIOS updates to increase compatibility disappear pretty quickly.

I've heard good things about RX500 series cards working with old Dells, so an RX560, RX570 is probably where I would stop for this build. But if you think you might be replacing the computer sooner rather than later, you might want to buy a decently fast card, otherwise you will just be selling this one for a loss later on.

Not seeing A+E on the mainboard you linked. Pin 24 is a lot farther toward the middle. Still looks like B to me, still PCIe 2x supposedly. Not to say that Dell has to follow any particular standard, but they probably did.