Once-Modern Builds

brook > pcs > modern

Here's the PC's I've built that weren't deliberately designed to run outdated operating systems. (They just slowly became obsolete on their own.) Right now there's just a few, but perhaps that will eventually change.

2008 'Overkill' Planned Spec (Click/tap to expand)

After four years of use, my Dell Dimension 8400 had started feeling very sluggish. I planned to create this custom build until my dad got me a similarly-specced laptop instead.

Case: $120: XCLIO Windtunnel (Full Tower)
Motherboard: $180: ABIT Intel P35 (LGA775, ATX)
CPU: $190: Intel Core 2 Duo (3GHz)
RAM: $104: OCZ SLI-Ready Edition 4GB Kit (2x2GB DDR2-800)
GPU: $175: nVidia GeForce 8800 GT (512MB)
APU: $91: Creative SoundBlaster XtremeGamer
Drives: $70: Western Digital 400GB HDD; $28: Samsung 22x DVD-R Drive; $31: Rosewill Card Reader/1.44MB Combo Drive
Peripherals: $64: Microsoft Sidewinder Mouse; $80: Saitek Cyborg Keyboard
Approximate Total Cost: $1133

2019 'PC5024' Planned Spec (Click/tap to expand)

Me in 2015: "Upgrading a computer in a Micro ATX case is a pain in the ass! Never building something this small ever again."

Me in 2020: "IT'S PARTYTIME DUDES LET'S BUILD A FUCKING MINI ITX PC"
@dwb@x0r.be, 2019-12-31

While 5014 is a great system, its AM3+ hardware is starting to show its age. I wanted to build a mini-ITX system for running what it's not able to handle (i.e. newer and VR games).

December 2019 Planned Spec: Case: Fractal Design Node 202; PSU: Corsair SF600 (600w 80+Platinum); CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600; RAM: G.Skill Trident (32GB DDR4-3600); GPU: nVidia RTX 2060 Super (8GB); SSD: Samsung 970 EVO 1TB (M.2); OS: Manjaro or OpenBSD dual-booted with Windows 10 Pro; Estimated cost to build: ~$1,550 (but I hopefully wouldn't have to upgrade anything for, like, at least three years)

PC5014

My current primary computer is this custom micro-ATX system I started building in the summer of 2013.

Motherboard: ASRock 960GM/U3S3 FX: Socket AM3+ with 2 DDR3-1866 RAM slots; 2xSATA-III, 4xSATA-II, 1xPATA; 2xPS/2, 4xUSB2, 2xUSB3.0, 1Gbps
OS: Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit Home Premium): I'm in "keep using it out of spite" gang at this point.

Era 3 (2017-2022)

Upgrades added from 2017-11 to 2022-09. This current configuration consists of components costing $1300.

Case: Rosewill Blackhawk: ATX mid-tower with Arctic F12 PWM-PST-CO fans
Components: PSU: EVGA Supernova P2 (650w 80+Platinum); CPU: AMD FX-8320 (8x3500MHz); RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury (16GB DDR3-1866); GPU: ASUS Radeon RX470 (4GB); NIC: ~~TP-Link Archer T2UH (USB2)~~ (Unreliable)
PC5011 (MAC bridge) via ~~onboard LAN~~ (failed) AmazonBasics 1Gbps adapter (USB3); APU: ASUS XONAR DGX; Audio: TaoTronics 25" soundbar (2.0; got sick of cables everywhere); Windows Experience Index 7.6 (HDD bottleneck)
Drives: A: ~~2005 Sony FDD (USB2)~~ 1999 Imation LS-120 SuperDisk (ATAPI); B: 2019 4TB WD Blue; C: 2013 128GB ADATA SX900; D: ~~2013 1TB WD Black~~ 2021 4TB WD Blue; E: ~~2012 1.5TB Toshiba Canvio (USB3)~~ 2022 2TB WD Elements SSD (USB3); F: ~~2018 hp DVD-RW (USB3)~~ 2005 Memorex DVD-ROM/CD-RW (ATAPI); G: 2020 4TB WD Blue (USB3-SATA); H: 2021 4TB WD Blue (USB3-SATA)

After a whole lot of trial and error and failed internet connection methods, I think this is about as powerful as I can get it.

Era 2 (2014-2016 Upgrades) (Click/tap to expand)

Era 2

Upgrades added from 2014-12 to 2016-11.

Case: Rosewill Blackhawk: ATX mid-tower with 4 pre-installed 120mm fans
Components: PSU: Corsair CX600M (600w 80+Bronze) (Given to PC5004C); CPU: AMD FX-8320 (8x3500MHz); RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury (16GB DDR3-1866); GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 (3GB) (Died); GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 (1GB) (Given to Office-B); GPU: ASUS Radeon RX470 (4GB); NIC: Edimax EW-7128Gn (802.11n@150mbps) (PCI slot failed); NIC: TP-Link TL-WN822N (USB2) (802.11n@300mbps) (Died); NIC: Panda Wireless (USB2) (802.11n@300mbps) (Unreliable); NIC: NET-DYN WiFi Adapter (USB2) (802.11n@300mbps) (Unreliable); APU: ASUS XONAR DGX; Audio: Philips CSS2123B/F7 soundbar (2.1 virtual surround) (Given to dad); Windows Experience Index 6.0 (GPU bottleneck)
Drives: A: Sony FDD (USB2); B: WD Black 4TB HDD-7200 (Popped); C: ADATA 128GB SSD; D: WD Black 1TB HDD-7200; E: Toshiba 1.5TB HDD (USB3); F: hp DVD-RW (USB3); G: Combo card reader/fan speed controller (USB2); H: Case SATA hotswap bay

Era 1 (2013-2014 Initial Build) (Click/tap to expand)

Era 1

2013-06-27 to 2014-11, approximately $935.

Case: Rosewill FBM-01: ATX micro-tower with pre-installed 120mm and 80mm fans
Components: PSU: Cooler Master Elite (460w) (Given to PC5004); CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 (4x3400MHz) (Given to PC5004C); RAM: Kingston HyperX Genesis (8GB DDR3-1600) (Given to Office-A); GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 (1GB); NIC: Edimax EW-7128Gn (802.11n@150mbps); APU: ASUS XONAR DGX; Audio: Logitech Z506 (5.1 Surround speakers) (Given to dad)
Operating System: Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit Home Premium): I attempted to dual-boot Debian 7 alongside it, but couldn't figure out how to get graphics drivers working from the command line.; Windows Experience Index 7.4 (CPU bottleneck)
Drives: A: Sony FDD (USB2)
^ Initially wanted an internal floppy drive, but discovered that IDE-40 and IDC-34 are Different things.; ~~B: Samsung DVD-RW (SATA-II)~~ (Given to Office-A)
^ Removed because I ran out of space on the 1TB after phasing out the USB HDDs used when my primary system was PC5011.; B: Toshiba 3TB HDD-7200 (SATA-III) (Failed); C: ADATA 128GB SSD (SATA-III); D: WD Black 1TB HDD-7200 (SATA-II); E: Toshiba 1.5TB HDD (USB3); F: Slimline DVD-RW (USB2); G: Hotswap Dock (SATA-II)

Office Commissions

A pair of systems I threw together for getting some work done on. Both remained in use at our office building until it was sold, after which B continued to be used as a work computer. Got a good 9 years out of 'em, then a bunch of websites mysteriously stopped working, so I switched them out for a pair of upgraded laptops running Linux Mint.

Unit A

Case: Rosewill FBM-01: ATX micro-tower with pre-installed 120mm and 80mm fans
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-HD2: Micro-ATX Socket FM2 with 2 DDR3-1800 RAM slots; 4xSATA-II, 4xUSB2, 1xPS/2, 1Gbps
Components: PSU: Cooler Master Elite (460w); CPU: AMD A4-4000 (3.0GHz dual-core); RAM: (2014-2017) 4GB Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3-1600 (Given to PC5004C)
(2017-2023) ~~4GB~~ 8GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600; GPU: Integrated Radeon HD 7480D; NIC: TP-Link TL-WN751D (802.11n@150Mbps)
Drives: Operating System: Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit Home Premium); C: WD Blue 1TB HDD-7200; D: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE 24x DVD-RW
History

Built 2014-01 for $370
Retired 2016-??
Reinstated 2020-08 as HTPC
Attempted to update but failed because this jank-ass loser forgot its entire Windows Update history 2023-02
Replaced 2023-03-21 by IcedCream
RAM reused in PC5023, HDD reused in PC5014

Unit B

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912: ATX mid-tower with 2 pre-installed 120mm fans
Motherboard: Asus A55BM-E: Micro-ATX Socket FM2+ with 2 DDR3 RAM slots; 6xSATA-II, 4xUSB2, 2xPS/2, 1Gbps
Components: PSU: XFX Pro 550w (80+Bronze); CPU: AMD A6-5400K (3.6GHz dual-core); RAM: 8GB Kingston HyperX Blu DDR3-1333; GPU: (2014-2017) Integrated
(2017-2023) Radeon HD 7770 1GB (Added for triple monitor support); NIC: TP-Link TL-WN751D (802.11n@150Mbps)
Drives: Operating System: Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit Home Premium); C: Crucial M500 120GB SSD; D: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE 24x DVD-RW
History

Built 2014-03 for $440
Fully updated 2023-02 for no fuckin reason
Replaced 2023-03-25 by Toothypaste
RAM, GPU, and PSU reused in PC5023

Useful Links Best Thermal Paste Effectiveness: TG Kryonaut, Balance: Noctua NT-H2, Value: Arctic MX-4 Logical Increments Suggested custom builds for every budget from $300 to $3000. PSU Tier List Crowdsourced guide to reliability of ATX power supplies. Unicomp Model M Keyboards The best $150 you'll ever spend on an input device.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

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