Question Need pc on a budget -100$

[gussrtk]

Hey guys, need a quick check on a used pc. I need to throw together a pc for Final Fantasy 14. It does not need to be perfect, i need the game to run smoothly enough to play on low graphics. I live in Canada, spending budget <100$

Looking to buy

Dell optiplex 7040 SFF —- 80$

i7-6700
16gb ram
No hdd

———-

#1 I know it is sff, i have some parts that i would like to hack into the pc.

I have gigabyte 7970oc and a 750w psu, 500g ssd. I don’t mind cutting the casing to fit these parts in. Is it going to be an issue? Slots/plugs on motherboard that is.


——

#2 i have a laptop with i7- 3620qm
But gpu is hd4000

I don’t even think that is worth trying


Looking for an opinion and confirmation if i can frankenstein this together, thanks

 

[punkncat]

IIRC the PCI slot on that will be too close to the power supply to mount inside the case. I also cannot recall if that Dell uses standard power connectors. I feel confident in saying that the front panel connectors and power switch are very likely proprietary.

In a situation like this, and assuming you already have the Dell it may be worthwhile to try and find a cheap motherboard and if nothing else "breadboard" it until you have funds for a new case.

 

[Eximo]

Possible, but most Dell don't use standard PSU connectors. You can find adapters at moddiy.com or on Amazon/Ebay.

Rather than a SFF, see if you can find a Micro ATX chassis sized one. Might still need to do cutting, but at least it won't be as severe dealing with low profile expansion slots.

You don't need a case. (Though the typical Dell CPU cooler does use the chassis as a backplate) Just take the board out of the chassis and put up a bench test setup. Or go dumpster diving/re-use store to find a chassis.

Optiplex 9020 micro ATX. PSU connector is proprietary, but the PSU is ATX sized, so you can install a replacement without having to keep the PSU out of the system.

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/12649270572...hbf7OXse1r12Vk66UWZYRg8Q==|tkp:Bk9SR5KBiqP5Yw

Adapter:

https://www.moddiy.com/products/PSU...dapter-Cable-30cm-for-Dell-OptiPlex-9020.html

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Dell optiplex 7040 SFF

this is not going to fit either a standard PSU or GPU.
tearing apart the case to make room could possibly help, but
motherboard is going to be proprietary OEM so leaves that also mostly unusable.

the plan would then be to just use the CPU & RAM from this $80 system?
i would probably continue shopping for an old used CPU/RAM/motherboard bundle or something similar that could be installed into a retail case.

what are the recommended specs for FF14?

 

[gussrtk]

Possible, but most Dell don't use standard PSU connectors. You can find adapters at moddiy.com or on Amazon/Ebay.

Rather than a SFF, see if you can find a Micro ATX chassis sized one. Might still need to do cutting, but at least it won't be as severe dealing with low profile expansion slots.

You don't need a case. (Though the typical Dell CPU cooler does use the chassis as a backplate) Just take the board out of the chassis and put up a bench test setup. Or go dumpster diving/re-use store to find a chassis.

Optiplex 9020 micro ATX. PSU connector is proprietary, but the PSU is ATX sized, so you can install a replacement without having to keep the PSU out of the system.

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/126492705721?itmmeta=01HZ532G23GSRKGZEEPS9F6Q8Z&hash=item1d738d83b9:g:e4wAAOSwzV1lXfYf&itmprp=enc:AQAJAAAAwGsFeuvw53bB7oq1g7t6hB2WZZMEOulxt+kKaRt7AIBD3E+2F7In2iHX12VshB4A8GIy9ZrrUg4TfgbSb9eRx4aSup7ayeWbDox4LaGOoQidhaXNUp1vIN64xtUoss+i0xpQdZxHKd3nKBIY/QIe3YZOGNNwlOgAsB41QjbZUXyNXmaV53Qtjf2Y6NdZTWTCV1QSElkBwIZfJVoaIS04jQfohHvax6z3xA+W24bLJGhbf7OXse1r12Vk66UWZYRg8Q==|tkp:Bk9SR5KBiqP5Yw

Adapter:

https://www.moddiy.com/products/PSU...dapter-Cable-30cm-for-Dell-OptiPlex-9020.html

Ah I see. I got excited to find i7 in budget. I found some custom builds with mid tower for 100$ But they are all with i5-6500, which will work. The others you suggested run around 120-150$ around here.

 

[gussrtk]

this is not going to fit either a standard PSU or GPU.
tearing apart the case to make room could possibly help, but
motherboard is going to be proprietary OEM so leaves that also mostly unusable.

the plan would then be to just use the CPU & RAM from this $80 system?
i would probably continue shopping for an old used CPU/RAM/motherboard bundle or something similar that could be installed into a retail case.

what are the recommended specs for FF14?

In budget this is about what i found. I could be looking at i5-6500 system after seeing that the sff is pretty locked down. I have cats and rather not breadboard.

Specs are i7 / rtx 2060. But i have used my 7970 when my gpu went out and it did alright on low graphics. I have played last expansion on i5-6500 and the gpu was bottlenecking (rx580). So again, i think aiming lower and getting something that is not going to be such a pain to get working is looking to be a better option.

This is going to be for my son, he’s been playing on my pc, but there is an expansion coming, would be nice to get him setup. Timing is just terrible financially for next couple of months. Doing this as a “throwaway build” is fine by me, 4-6 months use is all im looking for

 

[artk2219]

Hey guys, need a quick check on a used pc. I need to throw together a pc for Final Fantasy 14. It does not need to be perfect, i need the game to run smoothly enough to play on low graphics. I live in Canada, spending budget <100$

Looking to buy

Dell optiplex 7040 SFF —- 80$

i7-6700
16gb ram
No hdd

———-

#1 I know it is sff, i have some parts that i would like to hack into the pc.

I have gigabyte 7970oc and a 750w psu, 500g ssd. I don’t mind cutting the casing to fit these parts in. Is it going to be an issue? Slots/plugs on motherboard that is.


——

#2 i have a laptop with i7- 3620qm
But gpu is hd4000

I don’t even think that is worth trying


Looking for an opinion and confirmation if i can frankenstein this together, thanks

Have you bought anything yet, or are you still looking to buy parts?

 

[gussrtk]

Have you bought anything yet, or are you still looking to buy parts?

I did not buy

I do have old parts from my other systems

GPU: 7970oc 3gb
550ti 1gb

Psu 750w (garbage brand)

Many ssd

 

[artk2219]

I did not buy

I do have old parts from my other systems

GPU: 7970oc 3gb
550ti 1gb

Psu 750w (garbage brand)

Many ssd

This could work, a full build, the cpu in there is a little faster than a stock core i7 3770K, and it comes with everything you need to get started, including a decent albeit old 685w psu with dual 6 pin pcie power plugs. You could make an offer to get it around 100. Also you can put up to 128GB RAM and a, 8 - 12 core processor in there in the future. You can also do some overclocking if you get an unlocked Xeon and use the Intel Extreme tuning utility, getting you some pretty decent performance for a couple of years or so.

Compare Intel Core i7-3770K / Xeon E5-1620 v2

www.cpu-world.com

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/126338107741?itmmeta=01HZ55GXSQQTZSKNR41XK8DDB4&hash=item1d6a56895d:g:xfEAAOSw3G9l0oXp&itmprp=enc:AQAJAAAA4FITTnqua1nsZ2BksxdzaQ+m+rRhPXpCqUPw37uWcBGttNCx3eS5HDkGot7sl5BApBJF3bg8EwTUbYgpeaySlNsU3FDOAgkt4/vrbyz4akSK+3sPobeNr/tPhVrPvrd3lzjnhu03x9GiKhBYBIQMJF5y/0543d1mWxxOw1pVVA+Tr3bXDKLICRntLZcUMkoH6Kfn8ozFQfdnbtp5ABxh/zZjfTrCxszrhyObIsbH0glyUnyt6Xwh0E87Zgta149qXZrxfYi4I13AAdbLCwKZnJW7eXR0vFvRrIPy3CYlDPk9|tkp:Bk9SR_jcw6X5Yw&LH_BIN=1

 

[gussrtk]

This could work, a full build, the cpu in there is a little faster than a stock core i7 3770K, and it comes with everything you need to get started, including a decent albeit old 685w psu with dual 6 pin pcie power plugs. You could make an offer to get it around 100.

Compare Intel Core i7-3770K / Xeon E5-1620 v2

www.cpu-world.com

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/126338107741?itmmeta=01HZ55GXSQQTZSKNR41XK8DDB4&hash=item1d6a56895d:g:xfEAAOSw3G9l0oXp&itmprp=enc:AQAJAAAA4FITTnqua1nsZ2BksxdzaQ+m+rRhPXpCqUPw37uWcBGttNCx3eS5HDkGot7sl5BApBJF3bg8EwTUbYgpeaySlNsU3FDOAgkt4/vrbyz4akSK+3sPobeNr/tPhVrPvrd3lzjnhu03x9GiKhBYBIQMJF5y/0543d1mWxxOw1pVVA+Tr3bXDKLICRntLZcUMkoH6Kfn8ozFQfdnbtp5ABxh/zZjfTrCxszrhyObIsbH0glyUnyt6Xwh0E87Zgta149qXZrxfYi4I13AAdbLCwKZnJW7eXR0vFvRrIPy3CYlDPk9|tkp:Bk9SR_jcw6X5Yw&LH_BIN=1

Thank you for taking the time to look it up, but i believe you missed thedetail that i am located in Canada. 175$ after shipping/ect

I think i will just wait it out for a couple of weeks, if nothing pops then i’ll pick up an i5 system. Short term it will work and a decent system later this year will me much more appreciated

 

[artk2219]

Thank you for taking the time to look it up, but i believe you missed thedetail that i am located in Canada. 175$ after shipping/ect

I think i will just wait it out for a couple of weeks, if nothing pops then i’ll pick up an i5 system. Short term it will work and a decent system later this year will me much more appreciated

I was thinking otherwise you could have offered like 60 cad or so to get it around 100 after shipping and taxes, but i forgot that you would still have VAT on top of that.

 

[punkncat]

Keep watch on your local sales gateways (Marketplace, Craigslist, Gumtree, etc.) and look for anything 7th gen and back Intel. The closer we get to Oct '25 the cheaper they are going to get.

May also worth looking for something a bit newer such as 10100 or similar parts. That 10th gen i3 is essentially a 7700 in performance, perhaps marginally faster.

 

[jordanbuilds1]

Hey guys, need a quick check on a used pc. I need to throw together a pc for Final Fantasy 14. It does not need to be perfect, i need the game to run smoothly enough to play on low graphics. I live in Canada, spending budget <100$

Looking to buy

Dell optiplex 7040 SFF —- 80$

i7-6700
16gb ram
No hdd

———-

#1 I know it is sff, i have some parts that i would like to hack into the pc.

I have gigabyte 7970oc and a 750w psu, 500g ssd. I don’t mind cutting the casing to fit these parts in. Is it going to be an issue? Slots/plugs on motherboard that is.


——

#2 i have a laptop with i7- 3620qm
But gpu is hd4000

I don’t even think that is worth trying


Looking for an opinion and confirmation if i can frankenstein this together, thanks

throw in an sff gpu, if you can spend a little more you could go for a310-a380, but if your locked you should try to look for: gt 1030, rx 550, radeon pro wx4100, and maybe a 750ti if you can find one. it may also be possibe to look older custom, like 2nd-4th gen intel. it depends on the games you play but you should go for an i7 of that gen, if you cant fit the butget, an i5 2500k-i5 4690k on a z68 mobo would work great with an oc. based off that
you should have a total + ram of 60 bucks. the gpu i would pair in that case would be the gtx 670, gtx 560, or r9 270. you will have to spend a bit more to get a mt case, but optiplex cases go for pretty cheep.
edit: saw your other messages, you could prob afford i 970 if you wanted

 

[beyondlogic]

Hey guys, need a quick check on a used pc. I need to throw together a pc for Final Fantasy 14. It does not need to be perfect, i need the game to run smoothly enough to play on low graphics. I live in Canada, spending budget <100$

Looking to buy

Dell optiplex 7040 SFF —- 80$

i7-6700
16gb ram
No hdd

———-

#1 I know it is sff, i have some parts that i would like to hack into the pc.

I have gigabyte 7970oc and a 750w psu, 500g ssd. I don’t mind cutting the casing to fit these parts in. Is it going to be an issue? Slots/plugs on motherboard that is.


——

#2 i have a laptop with i7- 3620qm
But gpu is hd4000

I don’t even think that is worth trying


Looking for an opinion and confirmation if i can frankenstein this together, thanks

if your going the cheap route the best bet would be before dell started dicking around with diffrent power supply standards

would be the tower Dell Optiplex 9010 look for one with a i7 you should be able to put that power supply in one of those units without issue.

do not go sff as most of those boards are limited on the pci bus to like 35-50w.

always go tower.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

I’d consider trying to find something with an i5 8400 or higher just because windows 10 gets phased out next year. So might last a little longer.