Is this a good idea ? Buying a cheap Acer computer and replace GPU + HDD with my current ones

[marc.a.laroche]

I've been wanting to upgrade my CPU for a while. I am running an old phenom II 955 CPU with an newly (last year) upgraded MSI RX-470 GPU. I bought DDR3 ram 2-3 years ago (upgraded from 4gb to 8gb).

To upgrade my CPU, I would need to change my mobo... and so my ram (DDR3 -> DDR4). That's about 500$.

I mostly play Rocket League. I have about 80 fps on it right now with sometime lag spikes b/c of my cpu. I just want an O.K. computer which runs 1080p fine with a reasonable fps. I don't care about 4K. I don't care for 300 fps.

So I saw this deal on newegg : https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883101530&ignorebbr=1

Acer product - 379,99 $ (regularly 699$) Intel Core i5 7th Gen 7400 (3.00 GHz) 8 GB DDR4 1 TB HDD Windows 10 Home 64-Bit No Screen Intel HD Graphics 630

I am not the most knowledgeable in electronics... but would you think it's a good idea to buy it, and replace the crappy GPU with my RX-470 and add my currently used SSD to it?

And more importantly... would it fit in the box?

If needed, I could use my current 500W power supply if Acer's 300W is not enough

It's a 100% increase in performance in cpu (phenom II 955 is benchmarked at 3951 and the i5 7400 is at 7415 (https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-7400+%40+3.00GHz&id=2929)

I just want a computer that will last me for ages with 1080p. I play video games less and less, so I don't want to spend too much in it. That's why the Acer deal shined in my eyes.

I live in Canada.

Thank you guys for helping. I just don't want to do a mistake that will cost me 400 bucks instead of saving me about 200$.

 

[tsnor]

This approach works, i used to do it often with HP refurbs to build systems for the kids.. grab a cheap PC refurb at auction, add video card.

The Acer case is apt to have poor cooling. You need to make sure the MB has a x16 PCie slot, not all MBs do. You need to verify the case takes a full size video card (I could not tell from the photo .. it could be a SFF or it could be a mini-tower). You need to ensure the case takes a standard ATX power supply, likely it will unless it is a SFF case. Do this by googling the model number and reading the specs.

Note your current PC has a valid Win10 licence. Link that licence to your microsoft account before you break down the PC. The PC you are buying comes with its own win10 licence. By linking the windows copy to your microsoft account you can later move it to another PC if you build one from scratch.