Rebuilding A Commodore 64

[Lunacat78]

Hi, I have been here before, about a year ago actually when I built my first computer. It was a huge success, but now I had a new idea. You all know those 1980's Commodore 64s, right? Well Commodore USA (www.commodoreusa.net) is selling them again, and you can buy the barebones for pretty cheap. So, I want your expert opinion on this. Here is some information.


Approximate Purchase Date: Whenever I find out how much it will cost

Budget Range: $900 American dollars (including the Commodore 64 case)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Not much, just wanna see this old beauty work again.

Are you buying a monitor: Yes, but not included in budget

Parts to Upgrade: Going from scratch

Do you need to buy OS: Yes (Windows 7 OEM most likely, don't include in budget)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com amazon.com and tigerdirct.com

Location: USA, no part stores near me

Parts Preferences: I would prefer nVidia graphics and Intel processor, but that isn't happening

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: I will figure that out on my own.

Additional Comments: I want it to be old looking, but do things well

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Cause I can


Thanks,

Lunacat78

 

[GhislainG]

That case supports mini-ITX motherboards, but cooling may be rather limited and that's probably why they sell it with an Intel Atom D2700 CPU.

I would prefer nVidia graphics and Intel processor, but that isn't happening

The C64x Supreme includes NVIDIA GeForce GT 520 Graphics. That configuration probably is as powerful as you can go with such a small case and avoid overheating issues.

 

[Lunacat78]

That case supports mini-ITX motherboards, but cooling may be rather limited and that's probably why they sell it with an Intel Atom D2700 CPU.

I would prefer nVidia graphics and Intel processor, but that isn't happening

The C64x Supreme includes NVIDIA GeForce GT 520 Graphics. That configuration probably is as powerful as you can go with such a small case and avoid overheating issues.

I'm not getting the Supreme, I am just getting the case, nothing inside of it.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

looking at the case, I'll suggest an AMD APU build:

[fulPCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A8-3870K 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.00 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS8900 Extreme CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock A75M-ITX Mini ITX FM1 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 300W 80 PLUS Gold Certified TFX12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $312.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[swifty_morgan]

something I read in their magazine a while back...

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/how-tos/build_it_modern_commodore_64

 

[GhislainG]

looking at the case, I'll suggest an AMD APU build:

[fulPCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A8-3870K 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.00 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS8900 Extreme CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock A75M-ITX Mini ITX FM1 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 300W 80 PLUS Gold Certified TFX12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $312.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Are you sure that such a large cooler will fit in the OP's selected case? How about the PSU? With a 4cm fan, heat would sure be a serious issue. The link provided by swifty_morgan details a good solution with an 18W CPU and an external PSU.

 

[vrumor]

Check your IMs lunacat. Send you an IM upper right corner, in the box.

 

[Lunacat78]

something I read in their magazine a while back...

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/how-tos/build_it_modern_commodore_64

I got the inspiration from that, but I wanted something with a bit more horsepower.

 

[obsama1]

I'd get the low wattage CPU's from Intel. The i3 3220 is 55w. You could get it with a 7750 which will use very little power and it won't output much heat.

 

[GhislainG]

I'd get the low wattage CPU's from Intel. The i3 3220 is 55w. You could get it with a 7750 which will use very little power and it won't output much heat.

Commodore sell a pre-built version with a 10W Intel Atom D2700 and a NVIDIA GeForce GT 520 GPU which also is low power. The 4cm fan can't keep the enclosure cool with the suggested CPU and GPU. The motherboard or CPU has to include graphics since a low-profile discrete GPU most likely won't fit in that small case. If you look at the MaximumPC build, you'll see that there isn't much space between the motherboard and the keyboard. A low-profile CPU fan probably can't fit either.

http://www.mini-box.com/s.nl/sc.8/category.15/it.C/.f They have a good selection of motherboards, but bear in mind that their fanless case is well ventilated and larger than the Commodore 64.

 

[obsama1]

It's $1K for an Atom and 520. Too much, IMO. You'd be better off with a mATX or ATX computer. A lot of space/heat issues w/ a Commodore.

 

[swifty_morgan]

if you have to use an external power supply why not also use an external video card ?.............. pci-e extension cable........ got to look and see what's out there and adaptable. I did see a rather long one somewhere.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

I think the Llano/Trinity build without a GPU will work better

 

[swifty_morgan]

...........never thought of that you "nut"