Question Possible use of old desktop parts?

[tinpanalley]

I have no idea if this is doable, practical, advisable, etc...

I have the mobo, the GPU, the RAM, the PSU of my prior desktop. Everything but drives and the case. The mobo is a Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3-B3.
Is there any way I could put this all in a simple case, run it on my home network to act as a video and music server and possibly even a seedbox?

Or is this system, regardless of its age, more processing power than something like this needs? We own a larger apartment now than we used to live in and this system could literally live in another room out of the way so I wondered before I sell off this old system on ebay if anyone had ever done this before or if there were perhaps more elegant, simpler solutions for the same thing with a tiny Rpi or something (I also have an extra one of those).

Thank you!

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

I have the mobo, the GPU, the RAM, the PSU of my prior desktop. Everything but drives and the case.

this is still also lacking a CPU.

you really shouldn't need a dedicated GPU for a media server.
if you can find a very cheap compatible CPU with iGPU go ahead and test it out and see if it fits your home needs.

considering that this would be using a decade(+) old platform i wouldn't expect much in terms of performance though.

 

[tinpanalley]

this is still also lacking a CPU.

you really shouldn't need a dedicated GPU for a media server.
if you can find a very cheap compatible CPU with iGPU go ahead and test it out and see if it fits your home needs.

considering that this would be using a decade(+) old platform i wouldn't expect much in terms of performance though.

I was just mentioning that I had the parts, I wasn't expecting to use them. If I hadn't mentioned it someone would have said, "you didn't have a GPU on your system??" And the CPU is on there as well. As well as its basic fan.

I don't get how I'm going to test it if it doesn't have a monitor connected. I don't know how to set it up at all if I'm being honest. Just install windows on it on a hdd and use my regular monitor to set up the whole system temporarily? How do I troubleshoot it in the future if I can't see a monitor? Surely you don't leave something like this set up with a big monitor all the time??...

 

[bill001g]

To set it up you need some kind of monitor. You don't really need the disk driver or even the GPU to test it. Just hook the monitor to one of the ports on the motherboard.

It should boot into the bios and you can go from their. Depending on what you plan to do with it you can easily configure it so that it can boot and run without a monitor keyboard mouse etc. I would look at running a linux variant rather than windows, it tends to be easier to access and configure remotely once it is setup.
It also solve the issue of not being able to get old version of windows and the new version possibly not running in addition to microsoft wanting $100 for win 10 even on a old piece of junk.

 

[tinpanalley]

To set it up you need some kind of monitor. You don't really need the disk driver or even the GPU to test it. Just hook the monitor to one of the ports on the motherboard.

It should boot into the bios and you can go from their. Depending on what you plan to do with it you can easily configure it so that it can boot and run without a monitor keyboard mouse etc. I would look at running a linux variant rather than windows, it tends to be easier to access and configure remotely once it is setup.
It also solve the issue of not being able to get old version of windows and the new version possibly not running in addition to microsoft wanting $100 for win 10 even on a old piece of junk.

Ok, I like the idea of a Linux install. I just have to figure out how I'm going to use all this, like what the daily use will be like, and how to make it wired. I prefer to feed my video to my TV via ethernet, far less laggy with 1080p video.

 

[Ralston18]

One fun and useful repurpose of the hardware would be a NAS (Network Area Storage) box.

Just use the NAS for backups, extra storage, etc.. Probably not really to be fully trusted considering the age and makeup of the components.

You should have multiple backups anyway.

There are several open source NAS Operating Systems available. Free to download and install.

You could use the NAS for storage but also for remote access, sharing, etc..

Be careful about the latter two.....

At some time when the NAS and its' hardware is no longer needed or desired then simply recycle in an environmentally responsible manner.

 

[tinpanalley]

One fun and useful repurpose of the hardware would be a NAS (Network Area Storage) box.

I agree, I just wish there was a way for it to be wired to our TV entertainment setup. I don't like streaming 1080p video WiFi which is why it currently stream ethernet to my Rpi Kodi a drive on my desktop.

 

[Ralston18]

Perhaps:

https://www.dignited.com/93511/connect-fire-tv-stick-wired-ethernet-network/

(Not a recommendation or endorsement - just a potential solution to consider. There may be others.)

Pay close attention to all specs and details. Especially caveats, warnings, and other fine print.

Read the applicable User Guides/Manuals and visit the manufacter's websites to read FAQ's and Forums (if any).

Watch for both what is said and what "is not said".

In the meantime somone else may offer other ideas and suggestions.

Also take a look in the Home Audio & Theatre Forum. You may find some additional ideas therein.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

How do I troubleshoot it in the future if I can't see a monitor? Surely you don't leave something like this set up with a big monitor all the time?

find an old cheap display to use with it.
thrift stores around here usually have old TVs and monitors for sale for almost nothing.

even if it's a 17" 720p thing it would suit this purpose fine.
but you should be able to find a decent used </=32" 1080p TV with HDMI. i just put one out on the curb earlier this week.

 

[failboat]

You keep windows on it and remote desktop in to change things. This is the easiest option. The option most use is linux or freenas. Can run ubuntu server with docker. Run proxmox and have several vms. As long as they are headless you can get numerous with 8-32 GB ram. linuxserver io has a lot of images for docker.

Plex or Jellyfin are great options for media. You won't be able to transcode much. You might have the passmark for 1080p h264. It needs about 2800 to do one. I wouldn't recommend putting to much money into a gen that old. It won't sell for much either.