- Jan 6, 2017
- 10
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- 1,510
I recently got done modifying/building out an existing machine into an upgraded machine with a second machine to go beside it, and I find myself with spare parts that with an additional small purchase or two could easily make a third machine. My question, generally, is: What do you think I should do with this third machine?
Specifically, left unused in my possession I have:
An Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (G0) 3.4 Ghz CPU
An ASRock G41C-GS R2.0 Motherboard (Compatible with the Q6600)
2 2GB Sticks of DDR2 PC8600 Ram (also compatible)
A Hyper 212 EVO CPU Fan (Ditto)
A Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 GPU.
To this collection of parts (with or without the here-overpowered GPU, depending on the primary intended use for the final build) I would purchase and add a fresh SSD for running the OS, a power supply, and a case.
As for my existing computer ecosystem:
I have one tower with a Skylake i5 6700k with 30GB DDR4 (Ram overkill, yes, bundle was on sale) and a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070. This has a dual installation of Ubuntu GNOME 16.04 LTS and Windows 7 Ultimate, and a variety of graphic design/video production/fine art (and a few gaming) peiphials hooked up to it. It is my daily-use, "workhorse" rig, as well as serving a side use as a gaming machine. We split the cost of a black-friday discounted HTC Vive (online), and that's hooked up to this too. Well. Wired so I can plug it in with one cable that's easily accessible.
I have one Xenon Server with a quad-NIC Supermicro motherboard and 32GB Ram, several multi-TB HDDS hooked up to it and an M.2 SSD for running the OS. (Currently a slightly expanded Ubuntu Server pack with ZFS, but I'm playing with VMs of Linux and BSD distros to decide my ultimate choice.) The Server acts as a Media Server, by housing the drives as well as hosting the Lampstack which I use as my custom Media Library on the home network. This is additionally accessed by my phone, my workhorse rig described above; and roommate's laptop, tablet, and two graphic design rigs. (We work in overlapping creative fields and live in a jointly live-work space with separate bedrooms. My roommate is not good with computers beyond how to use them to make pretty pictures, so I mostly handle administration even on his machines. One is an HP Z800 fitted for Graphic Work, the other a Mac Pro tower.)
I also have 1 AMD A6 5400 CPU (on sale on Newegg for $32!!) which I plan on turning into a small, power efficient, pfsense build to run as a hardware firewall for dividing up my network security. Perhaps 2, at that price, if I like the performance.
The thing about the Q6600, it isn't energy efficient for shit. With all these machines as is, I don't want to run it all the time.
So...
Build it out and give it to someone without a computer, or a less capable one? (It's my first CPU, still running! I'd prefer to keep it... Plus the GTX 760 is essentially still current, if not high end.)
Set it up as a headless system backup, to be turned on via magic packet when backups need to happen? (Once a day? I'm not sure how to go about calculating how much power consumption this amounts to.)
Throw the 760 in and put it beneath the livingroom TV as a dedicated game box? I've played Skyrim on this CPU/Ram/GPU combo in a different motherboard, before, so it should be able to play games of relatively recent vintage, especially if I add to the Ram, and I can stick all our older games on there, so my workrig is only really needed for the Vive and current gen AAA titles. (How much longer can we really get gaming love out of these components? Will we play old games often enough or is the thrill mostly short lived nostolgia, there? Old split screen games might get lots of party play.)
Any ideas?
Specifically, left unused in my possession I have:
An Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (G0) 3.4 Ghz CPU
An ASRock G41C-GS R2.0 Motherboard (Compatible with the Q6600)
2 2GB Sticks of DDR2 PC8600 Ram (also compatible)
A Hyper 212 EVO CPU Fan (Ditto)
A Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 GPU.
To this collection of parts (with or without the here-overpowered GPU, depending on the primary intended use for the final build) I would purchase and add a fresh SSD for running the OS, a power supply, and a case.
As for my existing computer ecosystem:
I have one tower with a Skylake i5 6700k with 30GB DDR4 (Ram overkill, yes, bundle was on sale) and a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070. This has a dual installation of Ubuntu GNOME 16.04 LTS and Windows 7 Ultimate, and a variety of graphic design/video production/fine art (and a few gaming) peiphials hooked up to it. It is my daily-use, "workhorse" rig, as well as serving a side use as a gaming machine. We split the cost of a black-friday discounted HTC Vive (online), and that's hooked up to this too. Well. Wired so I can plug it in with one cable that's easily accessible.
I have one Xenon Server with a quad-NIC Supermicro motherboard and 32GB Ram, several multi-TB HDDS hooked up to it and an M.2 SSD for running the OS. (Currently a slightly expanded Ubuntu Server pack with ZFS, but I'm playing with VMs of Linux and BSD distros to decide my ultimate choice.) The Server acts as a Media Server, by housing the drives as well as hosting the Lampstack which I use as my custom Media Library on the home network. This is additionally accessed by my phone, my workhorse rig described above; and roommate's laptop, tablet, and two graphic design rigs. (We work in overlapping creative fields and live in a jointly live-work space with separate bedrooms. My roommate is not good with computers beyond how to use them to make pretty pictures, so I mostly handle administration even on his machines. One is an HP Z800 fitted for Graphic Work, the other a Mac Pro tower.)
I also have 1 AMD A6 5400 CPU (on sale on Newegg for $32!!) which I plan on turning into a small, power efficient, pfsense build to run as a hardware firewall for dividing up my network security. Perhaps 2, at that price, if I like the performance.
The thing about the Q6600, it isn't energy efficient for shit. With all these machines as is, I don't want to run it all the time.
So...
Build it out and give it to someone without a computer, or a less capable one? (It's my first CPU, still running! I'd prefer to keep it... Plus the GTX 760 is essentially still current, if not high end.)
Set it up as a headless system backup, to be turned on via magic packet when backups need to happen? (Once a day? I'm not sure how to go about calculating how much power consumption this amounts to.)
Throw the 760 in and put it beneath the livingroom TV as a dedicated game box? I've played Skyrim on this CPU/Ram/GPU combo in a different motherboard, before, so it should be able to play games of relatively recent vintage, especially if I add to the Ram, and I can stick all our older games on there, so my workrig is only really needed for the Vive and current gen AAA titles. (How much longer can we really get gaming love out of these components? Will we play old games often enough or is the thrill mostly short lived nostolgia, there? Old split screen games might get lots of party play.)
Any ideas?
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