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Repurposing a rock solid case/PSU with new internals

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Folks,

I have an older IBM eSeries mid-tower server taking up space in my closet. The mainboard failed, and I figure it's time to move onward and upward.

The case and PSU are rock solid and have performed well for me over the years. And the case accepts a standard ATX mainboard too. Only downside is that the PSU is only rated at 340 watts.

I'm not a gamer, with the exception of 1 minute online chess. But I do run multiple biz apps and browser sessions simultaneously. And I'd like to be able to use the machine to stream video as well.

I was thinking about using an i3-550 because of the lower power, but I'm concerned because it only has 2 cores.

The i3 combos I've seen at Newegg are running about $340 for the mainboard, CPU and 4gb memory. That is about the top end I want to pay.

My picks are:

GIGABYTE GA-H55M-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128429

Intel Core i3-530 Clarkdale 2.93GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115222

Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134786

Appreciate your thoughts about the picks, and if you have alternatives in mind that can save a few shekels and still give a good accounting, I'd surely appreciate it!

Thanks,
Rick

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Homebuilt system Authority

Your other option is an AM3 motherboard with onboard video (about the same price) and then you have a choice of AMD Athlon II and Phenom II x2, x3 and x4 CPUs ranging from $50 to $200. An Athlon IIx3 at $75 or Athlon IIx4 at $100 would be good options in your price range.

If you can wait 3 weeks I suggest waiting. The changeover to usb 3 is gathering steam the first week of March. Cebit 2010 starts March 2nd and announcements will be made and product will be in the pipeline.

Of course if you are happy with an i3 you should buy now, but I think you'll be able to do better.

vanekl said:
If you can wait 3 weeks I suggest waiting. The changeover to usb 3 is gathering steam the first week of March. Cebit 2010 starts March 2nd and announcements will be made and product will be in the pipeline.

Of course if you are happy with an i3 you should buy now, but I think you'll be able to do better.


Makes sense - the mainboard I selected in the original post is USB3.0 compliant, but perhaps there will be other options at my disposal soon.

I've lived this long without that machine, I can wait a little longer.

Thanks,
Rick
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