Help Building a Budget System/Using old videocards/getting a PC for my Parents

[lofemofe]

Hey guys,

I need to get a PC for my parents that has WIFI and HDMI out. I originally was going to buy one used on Kijiji (Craigslist of Canada) and I am finding options for about $100 for Core 2 Duo type systems where I may need to add a cheap WIFI solution like USB or Internal Card. So essentially to get my parents a PC for basic web browsing and video streaming would cost me around $130.

I thought maybe instead of doing that I can just give them my old computer and also spend that money towards a better PC build for myself. The reason this might make sense is because I have 2 EVGA GeForce GTX 580 (1.5GB 015-P3-1580-TR) sitting in my closet (free!) that I can SLI and throw into a new build.

I know this is an older video card but they are free and I want to make use of them somehow and save some money on my build.

My current computer is as follows:
Intel Core 2 Quad 6700 @ 2.66 Ghz
EVGA 122-CK-NF68 Mother Board
DDR2 4GB 400 MHz
EVGA Gefore GTX 570 Rev. 2
300 GB Hard Drive
WIFI
GigaByte 3DAurora Case Aluminum body ATX Full Tower
EDIT: Found out what PSU this computer has. Maybe it can be used in the new build?
ANTEC Model EA-650 650W Max.

As you can see this computer would work for my parents and I can invest the $130 for a new build for myself.

So essentially what I am trying to figure out, is if I can use the 2 free GTX 580 and run them in SLI and use the $130 budget for my parents PC and maybe invest another $100-200 for a decent new computer build for myself.

I would like SSD type hard drive performance and to be able to play some decently new PC games. But I want to do this on the cheap. I also don't mind buying used if that's possible.

Can someone help build me a new budget PC system that can save me money by using my GTX 580s in SLI? Does it even make sense to use those old cards?

 

[BadActor]

You could run them in SLI, but would need a PSU that would eat up most of your budget. You could give the old PC to the parents, sell one of the GTX 580's and with a little extra cash, build a new system that would play new games pretty well.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($148.95 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($62.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($39.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Xion XON-310_BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $426.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-01 18:38 EDT-0400

 

[lofemofe]

Thanks for the Reply BadActor. I forgot to mention what PSU I have in my current system. Could I possibly use it for the new build and swap in a cheaper PSU for my my old computer?

It's Antec Earth Watts EA-650

 

[BadActor]

You could, but I wouldn't use anything less than something like the EVGA 600 B1 or Antec VP 600. Using ultra cheap PSU's just aren't worth the risk of damaging your other components.

 

[lofemofe]

You could, but I wouldn't use anything less than something like the EVGA 600 B1 or Antec VP 600. Using ultra cheap PSU's just aren't worth the risk of damaging your other components.

Doing a bit of research on my Antec EA-650 says it's SLI ready. And its 650 Watts. I was under the impression you just need to look at wattage for PSU's. I am confused why 600 W PSUs like you suggest would work better than my 650W PSU. Can you help explain?

Or did you mean to put the 600 W PSU's in my old system I will give to my parents?

 

[BadActor]

The recommended PSU for a GTX 580 is 600 watts. Two in SLI would require a 900 watt PSU. For the GTX 570, a 550 watt is recommended. These figures are a little inflated, but I use them as a general guide line for several reasons. They allow for cheaper PSU's that might not actually produce their advertised wattage and also for the drop in output as a PSU ages. A good quality PSU like the XFX 550 TS, even though only 550 watts, will run the GTX 570 graphics card fine. With a lesser quality PSU, I would allow a little more headroom.

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

And yes, this was for using the 600 watts in the old system.

 

[lofemofe]

Ok sounds like SLIing my GTX 580s are going to be hard without a proper PSU.

Is it still possible to use them in a decent budget build? They would still save me money in term of not having to invest in a new videocard though right?

I guess my question is what's the cheapest PSU that can be used to SLI them?

 

[BadActor]

Considering the cost of the motherboard and PSU you would need to do that, I think it would be cheaper to sell the two 580's and buy a single card with better performance. You wouldn't have the problems associated with SLI, (namely power consumption, heat, larger PSU, scaling) and would also get the benefits of being able to run DX12 games. Here are two builds to show the difference. Selling the two GTX 580's would offest the difference in price.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.25 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($62.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($39.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 480 8GB Video Card ($329.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Xion XON-310_BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $862.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-02 08:03 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.25 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($163.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($39.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.14 @ Amazon Canada)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($105.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $679.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-02 08:07 EDT-0400