[SOLVED] MSI B150m BAZOOKA PC build advice

[hydrocynus]

Hello,
I have not built a PC since 2006 but I built two hand full before that. I bought a MSI B150M a few years back (believe I paid $19 in 2018) but I did not build the PC because DDR4 RAM were really expensive. Now DDR4 ram are pretty cheap and I need a desktop PC to do regular desktop work, run stats and the alike. I believe this board should still be OK now, or should I throw it away and get something less old? It has a 1151 LGA socket. What CPU should I go for? Is it worth it if I keep this PC for about 4 more years? Is it economical? I have an old ATC case laying around. Thanks!

 

[Darkbreeze]

First, don't let yourself get stuck on the LGA 1151 socket thinking that any LGA 1151 CPU will work, because it won't. The only CPUs that will work on that motherboard are the Intel 6th and 7th gen models, which are Skylake and Kaby lake, and the Kaby lake 7th Gen models will only work if the motherboard has had the BIOS updated to a new enough version to support those CPU models that were released later. Other LGA 1151 CPUs from newer generations will not work with 6th or 7th gen (100 and 200 series) motherboards. That way you don't buy something you can't use.

Secondly, since you already have the board, and can probably find a 6th or 7th Gen i7 for fairly cheap compared to newer hardware, it might be worth doing especially if high end gaming isn't your main priority for this system. Something like the 6700k or 7700k would be good choices but even one of the many i5 options for those two generations would still be fairly capable for most types of applications and even a lot of games. There are a good many of these 6th and 7th gen CPUs available on Ebay for anywhere from around 70-150 dollars. Just be sure to buy from a seller with a lot of prior sales and a very good customer satisfaction rating. That will help to minimize the chances of getting a bunk part.

 

[hydrocynus]

Wow. Thanks for the answer! I looked at the cpu compatibility and indeed saw that the best performer is an i7 7700k, which still has a pretty steep price and does need a bios upgrade which, I suppose, I cannot do without a cpu on the board. The price does not justify my needs though and will buy the best that will work for my needs. I do not game at all. Will be monitoring prices and buy a used oem cpu from a reputable ebayer then unless there are good all packaged deals (refurbished and used renewed from e.g., Dell), which sometimes arise. I do not have an immediate need. Thanks for the help. Really appreciated.

 

[Darkbreeze]