Urgent - Should I pull the trigger or pass?

Hey guys, I need some quick advice!

So, here is what my current rig looks like:

i3 8100
16GB DDR4 2400
240GB SSD
GTX 970
EVGA 550
A Cooler Master case, and I can't remember which CPU cooler I used (bought it ages ago), but it was about $50

Anyway, everything is running totally fine, but I was thinking about either grabbing a whole new PC next year (once prices settle down)
or just upgrading right now.

Today at Walmart, I stumbled upon this:

It was originally around $400 if I remember right (it's been sitting there forever), but today I see it's marked down to just $150!

https://www.aldi-sued.de/de/p.multim...000706736.html

I know it's definitely not worth $400, but $150? That's actually a pretty sweet deal.

I was thinking about picking it up, using everything inside, and just swapping in my own graphics card. I might even move all the parts over to my current case since it's way better, and throw my own CPU cooler in there too...

Based on the benchmarks, that processor is noticeably faster than mine—like, a huge jump.

The only thing is, I have no clue what kind of motherboard they used.

Should I pull the trigger or nah?

I have no idea what you’re actually using this PC for or why you even want to upgrade, but here’s the breakdown:

1. The CPU is a step up, but it won't fit your current socket. You can't just swap it onto your existing motherboard; they have to be bought as a set.
2. We don't know what the motherboard is, which is the massive issue here. There's no way to tell how many RAM slots it has, what chipset we're dealing with, or if it's ATX or mATX. Bottom line: there's no guarantee your current parts will even plug into it.
3. The RAM is faster, sure, but it's only 8 GB and you already have 16 GB. If you try to mix them, they'll default to the lower speed—if they even work together at all. Compatibility isn't a given. Plus, with the unknown number of slots on that board, you might not even be able to fit all your current sticks in.
4. The SSD is fine. You could grab that.
5. No dedicated GPU, just integrated graphics.

In short, you get a slightly better CPU. Fine. But again, I don't know your workflow or if you actually need this. You'd also get a 540 GB SSD. Maybe some other bits are useful—there's a wireless controller if you care about that, and the power supply might be an upgrade or a downgrade for all we know. You're gambling on the RAM if there aren't enough slots. Is your 16 GB setup 2x8 or 4x4? If it's 2x8, you're probably okay since most boards have at least two slots.
The price is fair for what it is, but depending on what you do with the computer, you might not notice any difference at all. An upgrade like this only makes sense if you're running CPU-heavy applications and that's your specific bottleneck.

So, I pulled the trigger! I know full well it won’t fit on my current motherboard, but honestly, the processor itself is such a beast that even if I have to drop some cash on a new board (assuming this one is total junk), it'll still be worth it...

Anyway, the bottom line is I bought it. The power supply is just some cheap 250W piece of trash, so obviously, I'm swapping that out for my own immediately...

Long story short: I'm gonna move everything over to my own case and just use my existing RAM for now since it's two sticks. Besides, RAM is dirt cheap right now, so if everything works out, I might just grab a 2x16GB kit

I'm definitely using my own GPU instead

To be real, I don't even know why I grabbed it—I just figured $150 was a killer deal no matter how you slice it, maybe as a backup workstation or something. $150 isn't exactly breaking the bank, plus it comes with a 3-year warranty...

Office PC setup.
Just for office work, browsing, and general stuff.
It’s brand new—honestly, don't even bother opening it up. Either take it as-is or just sell it.

So, for $150 you basically walked away with an i3 8100, a motherboard, an SSD, and a bunch of loose parts just sitting there unmounted?

The whole damn bucket from that link above

dustyowl29 said:The whole damn lot from that link above.

But what’s actually inside the rig versus what’s just sitting on the desk?

Here’s what my current rig looks like:

h310
i3 8100 paired with an Arctic Freezer cooler
16GB DDR4 2400
240GB SSD
EVGA 550 power supply
GTX 970

So, looking at the $150 I dropped on this whole setup (honestly, just the SSD, motherboard, and CPU alone feel worth more than that)

My original plan was to scavenge the motherboard, CPU, and SSD to beef up my main PC, then either flip the rest of the parts or just give them away to a buddy

But man, jumping from an 8100 to a 10100 makes such a massive difference in everything! Looking at the benchmarks, the performance boost is seriously noticeable.

I might even look into grabbing a slightly better board since this B460 only has two RAM slots, which is kind of limiting.

Sean Taylor7 said:maybe I'll grab a better board later since this B460 only has two RAM slots

Is the motherboard proprietary (custom layout) or just a standard one from somewhere like ASUS or MSI?
A B460 chipset in a budget rig like that isn't bad—it's a step up from your H310.
You might not even need to swap it.

Also, is the power supply a standard ATX unit or does it have weird, specific connectors?
You could honestly just swap out the parts and flip the whole PC with the i3 8100 on Craigslist for maybe $100.

https://techplanet.today/post/intel-...reading-matter
They used a 2080 Ti for this test, but you're running a GTX 970, so keep that in mind.

Alexander Moore67 said:https://techplanet.today/post/intel-...reading-matter
They used a 2080 Ti for those tests, but you're sitting there with a GTX 970. Keep that in mind.

Plus, that's using 3200MHz CL14 RAM, which I doubt you can even hit on a B460 board.

Still, if he lets the rest go for $100, fine. You'll see a massive difference in certain games.

just a heads-up, you won't really feel that memory speed difference unless you're actually putting it through its paces in real-world usage—you'll see a way bigger boost going from single to dual channel instead!

Sean Taylor7 said:don't forget that you won't actually feel the memory speed difference in real-world use; you'll get way more of a boost going from single to dual channel.

That’s not even the point. The gap between an i3 8100 and a 10100 in that specific test is just being pushed to the extreme. In your case, it'll be much smaller.

Look, I’ve seen it all before... Honestly, I'm just over it. I went ahead and listed this whole rig on Craigslist, so now I'm just sitting tight and waiting for the next generation of processors to drop. Once that happens, I'm going to pull the trigger on a total overhaul—just set aside a chunk of my paycheck and call it a day. If I can keep the whole build under $2,200, I'll be set and stress-free for a good few years.