Source
r/PHbuildapc•
antemon

Which upgrade path should I take?

Build Upgrade

Current specs.
AMD a8 6600k. 8gb ddr3 ram (4gb Useable, dead slot).
No gpu, onbaord only. Deads na rin yung luma kong card. Ancient mech drive.
Vga/dvi monitor. No hdmi unfortunately.

I don't play games much anymore, if I do baka classic ragna na lang or tf2 is my Choi e of mindless fps. Thinking of getting d2resurrected because classic.

Im thinking either I can:
Keep using my a8.
Replace compatible fm2 or fm2+ Mobo.
Maybe get an ssd.
Even less likely, maybe get a real low end graphics card. Approx price should be 5k

Or I can:
Get a refurb/second hand optiplex or some other office machine with a i5 3000 or 4000 series cpu (chips still supporting ddr3, aiming for a quad core with HT).
Cursory check in lazada and tpc baka nasa 7 or 8k.

Unlikely that this machine will have a ssd let alone a gpu

But what do you guys think?

Posted Oct 13, 2021, 1:09 AM UTC

311
Eraesed•

How much is your overall budget for upgrades?

1
antemonOP•

Lower is better really. Di naman tayo rich na kayang magbgasak pera ganoon ganoon lang lol

Maybe mga 7k tops?

1
NomadicEngi•

Be aware that refub office pcs still rocks a mechanical hard drive (They'll won't bother replacing that if it still works). You might have to pay a bit more to get a SSD in there.

You might want to get a GPU for TF2 cause it's pretty bloated game but not as bloated as CSGO. Any of the GTX 750ti cards or AMD equivalent will work for your use case but be aware that you need a low profile card for this to work on a refub pc.

1
NomadicEngi•

Side note: You can extend your hardware's usability if you switch to linux meaning you don't have to upgrade with your current hardware. Most distros have minimum requirements bellow 4GB and overtime, it doesn't get as bloated as Windows 10.

Edit: There's TF2 on linux and I'm pretty sure you can get RO to run on linux with some research.

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antemonOP•

Yep I'm very familiar with Linux.
I'm getting some wierd smoothness issues on multiple distros though which is not present on windows

I'm chalking it up old hardware since on other computers I've worked with with the same distros the issue is not there

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antemonOP•

Yep I'm fully aware that refurbs most likely won't have an ssd

Ang kaso mahirap makakita ng proc/board/case/psu lang. Dapat set.

Tf2 is working OK naman sa setup ko. I'm sure Intel builtin will be OK. I can turn off eye candy If need be. But yeah, a better cpu would give me more headroom for a better card without getting bottleneck

1
NomadicEngi•

yeah....Both architectures are pretty dated and the only way to get it in separate parts is either from Chinese sellers in Lazada or Shoppee or from foreign sellers in Ebay. (Christ, the prices on some chips there are more expensive when compared to Lazada or Shoppee)

Have you tried looking at tipidpc as well? Maybe somebody out there is willing to let go some of the old hardware you are looking for.

BTW you might be better off looking for a Xeon CPU instead, there's no built in GPUs and you have to thoroughly research if the CPU is supported by the mobo you want to use but it's much more easier to get a hand on and some cases, they are way better than i5 and i7 with the same architecture.

1
antemonOP•

I'm with you on the xeon.

On the other hand, tamad na ako sa pag huhunting online. Thus me being more open to refurb office PCs

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NomadicEngi•

After checking Tipidpc, there also some people there selling refubs as well. Might be better for you cause I saw a latest post which has what you want but cheaper.

1
sleepygeepy_ph•

I think the cheapest option is just buy an FM2 motherboard.

Chances are your A8-6600K and 2x4GB memory sticks are still working fine. So all you need is a fully functional motherboard for your PC to work again. Try to look for an FM2 motherboard with HDMI output as most monitors now only have VGA + HDMI inputs.

Then with any leftover budget I suggest buying a brand new PSU like the FSP HV PRO 550W. Unless you already have a reputable true rated PSU like Seasonic, Corsair, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~

Bugsgunny is selling brand new EMAXX EMX-A70FM2+ iCafe motherboards for Php 2,600 with a 1-year warranty. You might want to check it out.

Also this seller from Lazada seems to be popular and has a lot of surplus Gigabyte motherboards that are worth looking at. Although the transaction can be hit-or-miss so buyer beware.

​

Get a refurb/second hand optiplex or some other office machine with a i5 3000 or 4000 series cpu (chips still supporting ddr3, aiming for a quad core with HT).

If you are going to buy those surplus desktops like the Dell Optiplexes, make sure you get the ones that come with a regular ATX power supply. Avoid the SFF models and the thin desktop models as they will be using non-ATX power supplies that can be hard to replace.

0
antemonOP•

i am leaning towards just getting a new mobo, if merely for the price and would leave me with a little more budget for actual upgrades

i do have an emaxx board as well. which i bought from bugs in lazada (if it is him). the same mobo right now that has a faulty ram slot so i'm a bit wary of emaxx so i'm a bit wary of the brand

pinag iisipan ko pa rin :/

1