Can this PC be made into a gaming computer?

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Jatam87

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Apr 20, 2017
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Hi. I am new here and i would like to see if someone would be able to help me.

I am really interested in getting a gaming PC but i do not have a strong budget.

A family friend has a Dell PC for sale and will give this to me for $150.

This is the PC right here

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883156711

Basically what i need to know is would i be able to upgrade the graphics card to a good one with a pci express x16 low profile slot?

And if so, would this be ideal for gaming not on the very highest level but at minimum above average?

I do appreciate any help i can get because i need to make a decision on buying his PC right away.

Thank you
 
Solution
LucoTF
We can do a $750 build, but that dell with windows + haswell i5 + 8gb ram for 150 is a steal. Stick a $150 gpu in there and you won't get anywhere close to that performance for $300 or even $400 anywhere else
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bboiprfsr

bboiprfsr

Honorable
Dec 23, 2013
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my two cents. Yes, it can be upgraded into a gaming pc.

my story: i actually bought a dell optiplex 790 for $100. It came with an i5-2400 8gb memory 250gb hard drive and 240w power supply. I bought a gt 730 for $45 that was used on amazon, so altogether with an additional $20 usb dongle, it could play MOBA and CSGO for about $165 haha

So yeah, you could invest in a low profile 1050 or 550/560? for around $150, and play 1080p games pretty solid.
 
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Jatam87

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Apr 20, 2017
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Thank you for the responses. I thought that the i5 was considered pretty fast, i was mostly concerned about fitting a good graphics card in because of the low profile pci express slot. Its been over 10 years since i built my own pc so i have no clue what the good stuff is now. Somthing clicked the other day and now i just want a gaming pc so bad. I currently have an iMac ( lol ). Got it more cause of my girlfriend wanting it.

Now im on a serious budget

i was hopeing to save a ton of money buying this computer.

Is it possible to spend say $750 on a computer that can play a game like Skyrim on full settings at a very high frame rate?

Am i aiming to high here? lol

again any help appreciated.
 
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LucoTF

LucoTF

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Sep 6, 2013
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Sorry for the wait...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-7500 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($188.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($69.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($55.45 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 480 4GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($56.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.98 @ NCIX US)
Total: $739.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-20 17:37 EDT-0400
 
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J

Jatam87

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Apr 20, 2017
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510
So it sounds like i should go for this PC and upgrade the graphics card and power supply ? Is it possible to leave out the power supply?

Could anyone recommend what i should go for? Because if im only spending 150 on the pc i have some money to play with for a graphics card.

 
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J

Jatam87

Prominent
Apr 20, 2017
5
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510
nice pc build thanks luco.

If i was going to buy this pc for 150$ and upgrade the graphics card would it make it close to that build that you suggested for 750 ?
 
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LucoTF

LucoTF

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Sep 6, 2013
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Ok here's the rub.

You cannot upgrade the power supply in that optiplex. Therefore you are stuck with choosing a graphics card that will work with the existing power supply. The best gpu available in this category would be the GTX 1050 ti: http://pcpartpicker.com/product/Hnhj4D/msi-geforce-gtx-1050-ti-4gb-video-card-gtx-1050-ti-4gt-lp

HOWEVER!

When you get the PC, measure the distance between all the screw holes on the motherboard. if they conform to ATX standards, then the whole system could be transplanted into a standard tower with a standard power supply at a later date

Edit: looking at the mobo for the 3020 online and the screw holes look all wrong. So that might be a non starter
 
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Jatam87

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Apr 20, 2017
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510
Ok. Now how does that graphics card compare out there ? Would that one be considered pretty good?

Im looking to play games like battlefield 1 and elder scrolls skyrim at top settings.

Basicly im looking at around $300 getting the pc and then upgrading it.

Or am i better off just spending roughly 700? Will it be that much better?

I do appreciate all the info by the way , you are being a big help.
 
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LucoTF

LucoTF

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Sep 6, 2013
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Bf1 max settings you would prob need a $900 budget for. Skyrim (unmodded) is easy though. The rx 480 can play bf1 on high settings and look damn good doing it, but not max

I think you should get the best you can afford right now. Even though the dell is good value, it does pigeonhole you against future upgrades and it does fall far short of what 750 can get you in performance.
 
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LucoTF

LucoTF

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Sep 6, 2013
6,414
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$900 build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-7500 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($188.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($101.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX300 275GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($90.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING Video Card ($230.39 @ Amazon)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($56.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.98 @ NCIX US)
Total: $927.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-20 19:16 EDT-0400

16gb ram, added a fast solid state drive, and changed GPU to the 6gb gtx 1060.
 
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D

dontlistentome

Glorious
Sep 5, 2016
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You have the right idea, buy an older i5 pre-built computer and add a videocard to it to make a cheap(relatively) gaming PC. The problem is that small form factor computers are the wrong choice for this approach. There are always issues with limited sizes in upgrades and inadequate power supplies that can't be upgraded.

Look for a Dell, or other company, computer that comes in a mini tower, not SFF and not that flat 'desktop' style. Those are the ones that allow full size cards and just as importantly almost always use standard size power supplies.
 
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