Gaming PC build: Upgrading with old parts for under $750

Hey everyone,

I’ve got a PC rig that I originally put together back in 2008. Since I still have some of these parts lying around, I don't think I need to replace everything at once, but I am looking to build a new one specifically for gaming. I’ll list out all the components I currently have, and I’d appreciate it if you could tell me which ones aren't worth keeping. Over the years, I’ve done a few incremental upgrades, but I also had some parts die on me, and since money was a bit tight at the time, I just patched things together—so it's a bit of a mixed bag:

Case: A Corsair big tower; I'm not sure of the exact model, but it looks similar to this:
http://img.dooyoo.de/DE_DE/orig/1/0/2/4/6/1024639.jpg
Power Supply: Corsair TX650W http://www.corsair.com/~/media/Corsa...650-angled.png
Processor: An old Core 2 Duo E8400. It can't handle anything modern anymore and is a massive bottleneck.
GPU: My old HD4850 died.
My current card is an AMD Radeon HD 6850 (about 4.5 years old).
Memory: G.Skill 2 + 2 + 2 (6 GB total).
Hard Drives: 80 GB + 160 GB + 120 GB (brand doesn't matter; they're just old drives pulled from retired PCs because the Western Digital 500 GB I bought with my newer build failed).
Motherboard: ASUS P5Q Pro https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5Q_PRO/
Monitor: Samsung 24-inch LED Full HD (bought mostly back in 2013 and it still works great).

So, those are the specs. For the new build, I could probably set aside about $1667 maybe even 6 $0.00 thousand dollars if I decide to take my time. My thought is that I could hang onto the power supply, monitor, keyboard, mouse, case, and speakers, while everything else (besides the data on my drives) goes either on a shelf for nostalgia or straight into the trash. Now, I'm wondering if it makes sense to wait for next-gen graphics cards, or if this AMD Radeon HD 6850 might actually hold up for medium settings if I paired it with something like a Skylake i5 or i7 while waiting for the new series to drop. I'm patient. I'll likely be playing World of Warcraft, League of Legends, Company of Heroes 2, and some other lighter titles, so the AMD Radeon HD 6850 shouldn't be too bad.

The main reason I'm looking to do this now is that I'm moving to a new place for work, relocating from Napa Valley to Monterey (and honestly, lugging this massive case around won't be fun). My other option is to just buy a high-end gaming laptop for a much higher price and just bring my monitor along, but I suspect building a desktop is the more cost-effective and better route. What do you guys think? If you could suggest a few build options, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

Shopping Cart
Intel Core i5-6402P
$518

MSI B150M Bazooka (LGA 1151, DDR4, USB 3.0, SATA III, LAN) mATX
$215

2x Kingston HyperX DDR4 2133MHz, CL15, 4GB
$109

Seagate Barracuda 1TB HDD, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance
$147

SanDisk X400 256GB SSD, 2.5” 7mm, SATA 6 Gbit/s, 60mj.
$216

Cooler Master Z3+
$133

Total $1338

Regarding the case—you can grab it or skip it, your call.
You could also just go with a 120 GB SSD (that’s what I’d do; enough for the OS, some apps, and maybe one game).

Definitely hang onto your current GPU for now, then pick up something new in about 6 months for roughly $500

P.S. Most shops offer free shipping at these price points. You can just have it delivered to Monterey if you don't feel like hauling a case around.

If someone's already out in Monterey, they might as well grab it from the local shop...

It’s similar to the setup wiredotter14 put together. If your current graphics card is still holding its own, you might honestly just want to wait for the new releases this summer. There probably won't be much in the budget segment—say, around $220—right out of the gate. Even if something does drop, we might not see a massive leap in price-to-performance ratios. Honestly, if your current rig is doing the job, you've got nothing to lose by waiting, especially since those games you mentioned aren't exactly heavy hitters.

If you were to pick up an Intel Core i5-6500 from UziShop, you could pair it with a budget-friendly option like the MSI H110M PRO-VD, or if you want to step things up, go for the pricier MSI Mortar + MSI Interceptor bundle.

Seagate 1 TB HDD Barracuda, SATA III, 1000 GB
You could go with two sticks of Kingston HyperX Fury 4GB DDR4 2400MHz CL15 DIMM—provided you pick up a motherboard with four slots—or...
If you opt for two slots, you'll be looking at Crucial DDR4 8GB (1x8GB) 2133MHz CL15.

I’ll probably pick up another monitor down the road, but that’s a conversation for another time... once I find someone worth falling in love with. For now, this gaming rig is mainly going to double as my workstation for system administration and programming, so having two or three monitors would definitely be a huge help.

In practice, that means I'll have a massive amount of software running in the background—everything from cloud services and MySQL to various IDEs and virtual machines like VMware or VirtualBox.
Given that setup, do you think it would be a smart move to go with 16 GB of RAM and a beefier processor?
I'd most likely be playing some Overwatch by Blizzard Entertainment on the side, though I don't think that's quite as demanding as my work stuff.

frozenridge2 said:I’d probably pick up another monitor down the road, but that’s a whole different conversation... you know how it is when you fall in love with a setup! Honestly, since this rig is going to double as my workstation for sysadmin tasks and programming, having two or even three monitors would be a total game-changer.

That means I'll have a ton of stuff running in the background—everything from cloud services to MySQL, various IDEs, and virtual machines (like VMware, VirtualBox, etc.).
Do you guys think it would be a smart move to go with 16 GB of RAM and a beefier processor in this scenario?
I’ll most likely be playing some Overwatch by Blizzard too, though that might not be super demanding...

$1.75 ($6,000) and that already includes the power supply and the case? 😁 (I actually own that case, and honestly, it's nothing to write home about... 😁 )

1. Intel Core i5-6500 - $550
2. MSI B150M Bazooka - $221
3. (2x) Kingston HyperX Fury 2x4, 2133 MHz - $221
4. ASUS TURBO-GTX960-OC-4GD5 - $613
5. Trion 150 Series 480GB - $327
6. ID-Cooling SE-214X - $82

(Newegg - $2.00)

Or maybe

1. SanDisk SSD PLUS 240GB SSD - $195
2. MSI B150M Bazooka - $233
3. Corsair 2x8GB DDR4 2133 C13 - $228
4. COOLERMASTER Hyper 212 EVO - $100
5. Intel Core i5-6402P - $522
6. GIGABYTE NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 GAMING GDDR5 4GB/128bit - $648

(Rolling Stone - $2.00)

What’s the point of a $250$100 cooler for a 65W processor that runs perfectly fine on the stock one? The LC-CC-95 is top-tier, sure, but only if someone is chasing absolute silence. Even then, an LC95 won't even break a sweat on an Intel Core i5.

Is this some kind of superstition, or what?

A 480GB Trion SSD paired with only 8GB of RAM?

jadebison17 said:$1.75 ($6,000) and you already have the power supply and case? 😁 (I actually own that case, though it’s nothing special... 😁 )

1. Intel Core i5-6500 - $550
2. MSI B150M Bazooka - $221
3. (2x) Kingston HyperX Fury 2x4GB, 2133 MHz - $221
4. ASUS TURBO-GTX960-OC-4GD5 - $613
5. Trion 150 Series 480GB - $327
6. ID-Cooling SE-214X - $82

(Newegg - $2.00)

or

1. SanDisk SSD PLUS 240GB SSD - $195
2. MSI B150M Bazooka - $233
3. Corsair 2x8GB DDR4 2133 C13 - $228
4. COOLERMASTER Hyper 212 EVO - $100
5. Intel Core i5-6402P - $522
6. GIGABYTE NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 GAMING GDDR5 4GB/128bit - $648

(Rolling Stone - $2.00)

I don't really need a new graphics card right now; my current one still holds its own. I'm not the type of person who needs everything cranked up to "Ultra" settings, nor am I playing competitive shooters or the latest Tomb Raider titles. I can always pull the trigger on a GPU in six months or a year. That’s where I want to save money—by reinvesting those funds into better, newer, or higher-quality components elsewhere. I'd rather focus on the RAM, the Processor, and an SSD paired with a 1 or 2 TB HDD (honestly, a 480 GB SSD feels like overkill for me).
$5,000 up to $2000 is my rough estimate, but if I'm not seeing any real gains from upgrading to an i7 or a newer i5, then I could probably stay under $1667.

I’ve been looking over what you guys have on offer, and after tweaking some of your suggestions, I’ve put together my own custom build. I also have a few questions afterward:

Intel Core i5-6600 for about $600
MSI Mortar + MSI Interceptor combo for about $200 (honestly, a really solid deal)
16 GB HyperX Fury Black 2x8 GB $203
SanDisk X400 256GB SSD $217
Seagate Barracuda 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance $147

I already have the power supply, monitor, case, keyboard, and speakers (I'm assuming a 650W TX unit is sufficient for this setup).

Now, for the questions. I noticed everyone keeps recommending the Intel Core i5-6402P. Why is that, especially since this one is only about 200 $100 more, and looking at some benchmarks, it seems significantly better for gaming?
Secondly, do I actually need an aftermarket cooler, or will the stock one suffice if I don't mind a bit of noise and don't plan on overclocking—unless a better cooler is already bundled with it? If an extra cooler helps extend the component lifespan, I'll definitely grab one...
Also, is this RAM a good choice?
Does the SSD come with a 2.5" mounting bracket (it's easy enough with the HDD since it's a standard 3.5" drive), or do I need to buy that separately?

The Intel Core i5-6402P is a solid recommendation since it’s basically the cheapest i5 out there. It fits tight budgets, and honestly, most gamers won't even notice the difference—it's rare for a game to push enough cores to make turbo boost feel insufficient anyway.
So, fundamentally, it offers better value than the 6400 or 6600.
But look, it all depends on where you're shopping. You have to check the actual price tag.
If the gap is only $15.00 at $600, I'd actually argue the 6600 is worth it, especially if you're doing professional work on top of gaming. Plus, like you mentioned, that price difference is often even smaller.
Since raw processing power is your priority, for an extra 200-$100, you're getting solid value in my opinion.

Check my previous post regarding coolers.

Honestly, the Intel Core i5-6600 just isn't worth it. You're better off grabbing an Intel Core i5-6402P or an Intel Core i5-6500. There’s only a tiny 100MHz difference between the 6500 and the 6600, which barely shows up in benchmarks, yet the price gap is often more than $50.

Regarding your build, you'd probably have the best luck at UziShop like I mentioned before. They have a branch in Monterey, so their prices tend to be much more reasonable than somewhere like Rolling Stone.

If I were you, I'd definitely go for a new case—maybe a Cooler Master Z3+ for just about $100. Honestly, you can probably get rid of those old bulky parts for almost that same amount.😬

In terms of CPUs, the Intel Core i5-6500 is likely the most cost-effective option there. But since you aren't picking up a dedicated GPU, maybe consider putting a bit more into the processor, especially if you're doing things other than just gaming. An Intel Core i7-4790 paired with an Asrock B85 Anniversary and 2x8GB DDR3 RAM would run you about $1167 total.

wiredotter14 said:Why spend $250$100 on a cooler for a 65W processor that runs perfectly fine on the stock one? Honestly, the LC-CC-95 is top-tier, but even then, you only need it if you're chasing absolute silence (the LC95 won't even break a sweat on an i5)

I’ve gotta ask—is this some kind of tech superstition or what?

An SSD with 480GB from Trion, but only 8GB of RAM?

- Both setups actually have 16 GB of RAM (2x 2x4 GB = 4x4 GB)
Regarding the cooler, the case airflow is pretty terrible—honestly, a total disaster. In my book, it's much better to grab an EVO 212 than to stick with the stock heatsink.

_________________________

If you aren't planning on buying a dedicated graphics card, based on everything you guys just laid out, I would definitely suggest pivoting to these better components:

1. Intel Core i7-6700K - $0.95
2. ID-Cooling SE-214X - $83
3. MSI B150M MORTAR - $223
4. Kingston HyperX Fury 240GB - $223
5. HyperX Savage DDR4 16GB 2400MHz CL12 DIMM (Kit of 2) - $248
6. Western Digital 2TB SATA II 7200RPM 64MB - $233

((You can always upgrade with another 16 GB of RAM later if you need to, and that i7 6700K is going to hold up for at least 7-10 years on basically any build. I personally use an SSD and I am absolutely loving it, plus that motherboard looks solid for both gaming and heavy workloads. If I were in your shoes, I'd do a little more Googling on parts, especially when you're dropping this much cash. That cooler should easily handle the i7 even when it's hitting turbo boost (4.4 GHz) without breaking a sweat, and don't forget, the i7 6700k has great integrated graphics 😉 ))- totaling $2.00

Prices are pulled from Newegg; if you want to double-check, you'll find similar pricing over at Best Buy

jadebison17 said:Regarding the cooler—the case airflow is pretty terrible, a total disaster. In my opinion, you're better off grabbing an EVO 212 than sticking with the stock cooler.

1. Intel Core i7-6700K - $0.95
3. MSI B150M MORTAR - $223

Honestly, just go with liquid cooling. 😵
You could cool a 65W chip by smearing Nestlé ice cream over the processor and blowing on it.
Source: At work, when I push an Intel Core i5-2400 (which hits 95W at full load), the stock cooler barely breaks a sweat, and that CPU is four generations old. People are running 6-8 core AMD setups on cheap budget builds at 4 GHz.

A 6700K paired with a board that won't let you overclock? Not worth it. Much better to just grab an Intel Haswell i7 (K or non-K) like the other guy suggested.

wiredotter14 said:Honestly, he’d be better off just going with liquid cooling 😵
because you could probably cool a 65W chip by just smearing some Nestlé ice cream over the processor and blowing on it!
Look, I know what I'm talking about—at work, I deal with an Intel Core i5-2400 that pulls 95W at full load, and even then, the stock cooler barely breaks a sweat, and that chip is four generations old now. I see guys running 6 or 8-core AMD setups on LC-CC-95 at 4 GHz all the time.

Pairing a 6700K with a board that won't let you overclock? That’s just not worth it. It makes way more sense to grab an Intel Haswell i7 (either the K or non-K version) like our buddy suggested here.

Yeah, you're right, my bad! 😉 I can't overclock in the BIOS, but for this price point, the motherboard is actually fantastic. When you look at the gap between an Intel Core i7-6700 and the 6700K, the "K" series is a total beast by comparison. In maybe 7 or 10 years, just grab a new motherboard and go wild with the overclocking! 😉

With the case he's currently using, I actually had to mount three 80mm fans up front, two 120mm fans in the back, plus use that extra 120mm fan from the power supply just to keep a temperamental Intel Core i7-950 cool during Turbo Boost along with the GPU... let alone if I had tried to overclock it! 😁 Even with a Q6600, I managed to keep things at 52 degrees... using basically the same parts, just different motherboard and CPU...

Trust me, I know my stuff... here are a few shots for ya! :P







Tested, proven, and fully modded... 😉

wiredotter14 said:Honestly, he’d be better off just going with liquid cooling. 😵
With a 65W chip, you could basically smear some Nestlé ice cream over the processor and blow on it to keep it cool.
My experience comes from work; if I push an Intel Core i5-2400—which pulls 95W at full load—that old 4th gen stock cooler barely breaks a sweat. I've seen guys running 6 or 8-core AMD chips on basic air coolers at 4 GHz without much trouble.

An Intel Core i7-6700K paired with a motherboard that doesn't allow overclocking? That’s a waste of money. It makes way more sense to go with an Intel Haswell i7 (either K or non-K) like our friend suggested here.

Look, I haven't really messed with overclocking before. It's not that I'm not interested, but my budget hasn't really allowed me to play around with that kind of stuff, even though I probably could start dabbling now.

Is this MSI Z170M motherboard a good match for the Intel Core i7-6700K mentioned above?
https://www.bestbuy.com/product/...mortar/1274119

I still love gaming, but life happens—work and age mean my PC isn't primarily for gaming anymore. I need to dive into virtual machines and run a whole bunch of different operating systems on them. Plus, there's a stack of other tools for cloud work and administration, ranging from Windows remote desktop and PuTTY to TeamViewer. I'll likely experiment with video streaming too, since that interests me. I imagine 16 GB of RAM and a beefier processor will be absolute must-haves. Since I've been out of the loop for a bit, I'm not entirely sure what the current standard is, but I figure getting the latest architecture is the best way to ensure the machine stays reliable for the next 5+ years.

frozenridge2 said:Look, it’s not that I haven't messed with overclocking before. It's just that my bank account wasn't exactly cooperating back then, you know? Even though I could probably start dabbling in it again now if I wanted to.

Is this MSI Z170M motherboard actually a good match for the Intel Core i7-6700K processor mentioned above?
https://bestbuy.com/webshop/product/...mortar/1274119

I still love gaming, but life happens—years pass, jobs get busy—so my PC isn't really my primary gaming rig anymore. I really need to dive into tinkering with virtual machines and running a whole bunch of different operating systems on them. Plus, there's a ton of other software for cloud stuff, everything from Windows remote desktop and PuTTY to TeamViewer. I'll probably experiment with video streaming too, since that sounds like a blast. In my mind, having 16 GB of RAM and a beefy processor is pretty much a non-negotiable requirement here. Since I've been a bit out of the loop lately, I'm not entirely sure what the current "meta" is, but I figure grabbing the latest architecture is the way to go so I can just relax and not worry about my setup for at least the next 5+ years...

I'm typing this to you on an AMD Turion 64 X2 that I've pushed from 1.9 GHz up to 2.35 GHz, paired with 4 GB of RAM and a 120 GB SSD. This laptop is a relic from 2007! Even today, I'm out here fixing people's computers remotely via TeamViewer and using Kali Linux in a virtual machine to help the neighbors crack passwords. I also have an Intel Core i7-950 and an Intel Core i7-4770K in my arsenal. I actually need to bump that Intel Core i7-950 up to 3.7 GHz just to handle modern games on Ultra settings, whereas I can keep the Intel Core i7-4770K on stock speeds for at least another 4 or 5 years and still run just about anything... let alone that Intel Core i7-6700K... 😁 So honestly, why is everyone stressing out so much, folks? 😁

jadebison17 said:Yeah, you're right, my bad.😉 You can't overclock via the BIOS, but honestly, it's a fantastic board for what you're paying. When you look at the difference between an Intel Core i7-6700 and the 6700K, that "K" series processor is in a completely different league. Just stick with this for now, and in maybe 7 to 10 years, grab a new motherboard and go wild.😉

With the case he's running, I actually had to mount all three 80mm fans up front, plus two 120mm fans in the back along with that 120mm fan from the power supply. I even had to throw a Rajintek Temesis in there just to keep that temperamental Intel Core i7-950 cool during turboboost, let alone the GPU... 😁 And I was only running a Q6600 at 52 degrees with those exact same components, minus the motherboard and CPU swap...

Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. Here are a few shots for you to see. :P







Tested, proven, and tweaked... 😉

I don't have that exact case, but I have one similar to it (it's black) that's a bit wider. The power supply sits at the top, and it only has one vent for the cooler at the bottom. It features two heatsinks on a side-panel board that unlocks with a key.

Why would anyone say the Intel Core i7-6700K is actually "better" than the i7-6700? They’re running at the same clock speed. The only thing the K-series brings to the table is overclocking potential, and if you aren't planning on messing with voltages, that extra cost is just wasted money.

And honestly, looking at how people build these rigs, most of you have no clue what you're doing. You're just throwing random parts together that don't even make sense.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:So what makes the 6700K actually better than the 6700? Honestly, they run at the same clock speed! The only real perk of getting a "K" model is that you can overclock it, but if you aren't planning on messing with settings like that, why even bother? You don't need the extra cost of the K version at all.

And honestly, looking at some of the builds I've seen lately, people just aren't making sense when they put parts together. It’s like they’re picking components that just don't vibe together at all.

The Intel Core i7-6700 hits 3.4 GHz base and bumps up to 4.0 GHz Turbo.
But the Intel Core i7-6700K starts at 4.0 GHz, goes up to 4.20 GHz Turbo, and—here's the kicker—it has an unlocked multiplier.

Now, don't get me wrong, I might not be a master at building PCs, but pairing an AMD processor with an Intel motherboard? That's just asking for trouble!👍

jadebison17, you're comparing a "pathetic" Core i7 950 to a 65W chip. That CPU pulls well over 100W—if you overclock it even a little, you're looking at 150W minimum.

Corpse eater, people are selling a Core i7 6700 for like $250 on the used market right now.

That would definitely be worth it.

Anyway, it all comes down to the budget and how you pair parts. Given what you need—since it’s not just for gaming—you're better off grabbing a Haswell i7 rather than some brand-new i5.
So, either go with a non-K i7 like Smartic suggested, or drop the extra cash for a Haswell i7K if you actually plan on overclocking.

But look, a Core i7 6700K is pricey, and it makes zero sense with that motherboard jadebison17 picked out. This isn't about GPU bottlenecking like he's claiming; you just need raw CPU power for your workflow. Buying a K-series chip and not overclocking it is a waste of money. Not to mention, buying a new motherboard after seven years is just insane.

What Smartic suggested with the Core i7 4790 is a killer deal for that price.