Building a gaming rig for my dad...

[ratdude747]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

if it's 1080p, the bottleneck would usually be the video card. CPU would probably not be used much

But it makes it expandable for future games

Understood.

I may have a tradebait lead on a board, RAM, CPU, and cooler. It's actually older than what came out, but would get the job done (Single CPU Xeon with a relative buttload of RAM (24GB?), Supermicro X8SAX). Not sure if that's the way I want to go... but if it works, it works?

(I'll let the current owner of such chime in if he wishes... although likely y'all can guess who that is, given how my trading's been lately).

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

It's listed in the cpu support since bios 0204, which is earlier than any listed bios

Good. While the MSI B450 Tomahawk, even when mine included a late enough BIOS, didn't support Matisse at the first BIOS release. Honestly looks like that's because they most likely first came out in 2018 and I have a late revision of the same motherboard. Looked like mine was manufactured in 2019.

Matisse came out in 2019. (third-gen)

[Uranium-235]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

It's listed in the cpu support since bios 0204, which is earlier than any listed bios

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

When it comes to gaming, get new.

You should consider an older ryzen. Like the 3600. It's faster than the i9-9900 for like $199

https://www.newegg.com/amd-ryzen-5-3...82E16819113569

motherboard
https://www.newegg.com/asus-tuf-gami...82E16813119357

With a B450 motherboard, there's a possibility that the BIOS isn't even late enough to support Matisse! (the 3000 series, which is the third-gen Ryzen) Luckily, mine was.

Possibly need to get a B550 or an X570 motherboard to have a late-enough BIOS included. That's the problem, with B450 motherboards, might be required to flash with a Pinnacle Ridge! (the 2000 series, which is the second-gen Ryzen)

(Or a Picasso, which is an IGP Ryzen, that is also a second-gen-based Ryzen) (Ryzen 3x00Gs, despite being called "3x00", isn't third-gen-based)

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

if it's 1080p, the bottleneck would usually be the video card. CPU would probably not be used much

Looks like it's the CPU these days for 1080p bottlenecking. (unless the video hardware is weak)

That does appear to be true OTOH for 1440p. (CPU not used as much for 1440p)

[Uranium-235]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

if it's 1080p, the bottleneck would usually be the video card. CPU would probably not be used much

But it makes it expandable for future games

[ratdude747]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

When it comes to gaming, get new.

You should consider an older ryzen. Like the 3600. It's faster than the i9-9900 for like $199

https://www.newegg.com/amd-ryzen-5-3...82E16819113569

motherboard
https://www.newegg.com/asus-tuf-gami...82E16813119357

Noted. That said, he's not running 4K and anything super intensive... By no means heavy gaming. Seems something like that would be a bit overkill (and would make the 1060 the bottleneck?).

[Uranium-235]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

Goes to show how, despite being "young" (age 28.5), I'm way out of touch.

Wouldn't have thought on a cheapo board they'd go to the effort. It's not like with PcChips and the fake Cache IC's...

---

Need to figure out the rest of the system. Not sure if I should build new, or get a used newer OEM system and upgrade using the GPU and SSD. Ryzen's not worth the $$$ right now, and Intel's offerings are netburst 2.0 , so leaning towards the latter (or building with used/NOS parts).

When it comes to gaming, get new.

You should consider an older ryzen. Like the 3600. It's faster than the i9-9900 for like $199

https://www.newegg.com/amd-ryzen-5-3...82E16819113569

motherboard
https://www.newegg.com/asus-tuf-gami...82E16813119357

[ratdude747]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

Decided to look at the PSU closer... Those skinny caps are 6mm(ish) 470uf 16V Capxon's (Apparently they also make a GF series). Which, of course, literally nobody makes (at least on Digikey), let alone in a reputable brand rated for PSU usage and there isn't really room to go up in diameter. Thanks OCZ/FSP

I guess that makes the PSU scrap... Not sure it's worth the mess. Per a review I found, it dates back to 2008 (must have been NOS, the insides were very clean!), and was mainly praised for "value for cost"...

[Topcat]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

But... are you the king, and if so, does that make me a prince?

Indeed..... I don't know if I'd want to reveal jst how many decommissioned SM systems are floating around this place!

[ratdude747]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

This post made me LOL hysterically!!

But... are you the king, and if so, does that make me a prince?

(I also edited a few links... there's more than 9 threads; a few turned into other threads' systems).

[Topcat]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

Preaching to the choir... If Topcat is the king of SM, I'm likely one of his princes. I have 5 SM based systems running with 4 more decommissioned. Every single one of them has a thread if you're curious.

That said, I'm pretty sure the Xeon I have, being a 2xxx model, is single CPU only. Even if I went that road, I'd buy newer and better chips (I think Ivy Bridge uses the same socket?).

I'm not thinking that's the way to go since it's sorta going to be in the wild. Sure, it's my dad (not Joe Stanger), but I try to avoid shipping out anything that's "special" like that unless it's somebody I *know* has the knowhow on such a thing runs and works.

This post made me LOL hysterically!!

[ratdude747]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

Find yourself matching Xeon to make a pair, and find an X10 variety of supermicro board and compete with 9th gen i7's. Plenty of comparisons of Dual E5 systems topping Core series systems. Especially, with games like Battlefield V that scale across all the cores you can give it.

Preaching to the choir... If Topcat is the king of SM, I'm likely one of his princes. I have 5 SM based systems running with 4 more decommissioned. Every single one of them has a thread if you're curious. (but not in that order... The server and anything new enough to run Win10 is active, the windows 7 and lower units are retired. Also, two started as Tyan builds but were converted to SM when Tyan issues cropped up )

That said, I'm pretty sure the Xeon I have, being a 2xxx model, is single CPU only. Even if I went that road, I'd buy newer and better chips (I think Ivy Bridge uses the same socket?).

I'm not thinking that's the way to go since it's sorta going to be in the wild. Sure, it's my dad (who is a "Joe", but not Joe Stranger), but I try to avoid shipping out anything that's "special" like that unless it's somebody I *know* has the knowhow on such a thing runs and works.

[Logistics]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

Find yourself matching Xeon to make a pair, and find an X10 variety of supermicro board and compete with 9th gen i7's. Plenty of comparisons of Dual E5 systems topping Core series systems. Especially, with games like Battlefield V that scale across all the cores you can give it.

[ratdude747]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

Those two things are actually pretty common today. From your description, I thought it would have only two wires running to each connector and jumpers to the other pins. I saw that once on a cheap power supply.

Goes to show how, despite being "young" (age 28.5), I'm way out of touch.

Wouldn't have thought on a cheapo board they'd go to the effort. It's not like with PcChips and the fake Cache IC's...

---

Need to figure out the rest of the system. Not sure if I should build new, or get a used newer OEM system and upgrade using the GPU and SSD. Ryzen's not worth the $$$ right now, and Intel's offerings are netburst 2.0 , so leaning towards the latter (or building with used/NOS parts).

[lti]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

What I thought was an abnormally wide audio isolation slot is actually mobo bling bling... it's backlit!

Why I originally thought it had a noname gutless wonder was the use of jumper wires linking multiple GPU plugs together to save wire

Those two things are actually pretty common today. From your description, I thought it would have only two wires running to each connector and jumpers to the other pins. I saw that once on a cheap power supply.

[ratdude747]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

Time for some crappy pics:

Didn't get one of the case as a whole, but it's one of these:

http://www.azza-tek.com/m/2010-1275-122655.php?Lang=en

Specifically, the 250 version (3x USB 2.0, 1x USB 1.0).

Feels cheap and flimsy. I've seen (and dealt with) worse (at least they fully hemmed any exposed sheet metal edges!).

Mobo before extraction:



No brand name on the board, but is marked as "X79 turbo". Seems to be readily avialble on Aliexpress.

Whoever built it wanted to be absolutely sure there'd be a working PC speaker:



Blew money on that, but didn't invest any in a decent mobo???

Noname cooler:



Noname RAM to go with it:



At least they used a brand name CPU socket:



(as shown, it is indeed LGA 2011)

I bench tested the board one last time... nada. no lights or activity.

What I thought was an abnormally wide audio isolation slot is actually mobo bling bling... it's backlit!



(Yeah my bench is a bleeping disaster right now. Why the pics are selectively framed )

Turns out the PSU is actually an OCZ, not a noname gutless wonder?



Why I originally thought it had a noname gutless wonder was the use of jumper wires linking multiple GPU plugs together to save wire:



Then again, it is an OCZ:



...full of Samxon GF caps:



...in impossible to replace skinny sizes. Now I remember why the two 800W OCZ's I have are still in the junk box in my parents basement

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

OTOH, the PNY CS1111 and the PNY CS2211s seem solid in comparison! And it looks like those are earlier models. Wouldn't be surprised if they got discontinued.

[ratdude747]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

He has to have Win 10 due to software compatibility reasons.

I want to do him better than this POS with a new board. I haven't torn it down, but based on the thin wire and jumper wired PCIe plugs, I'm sure the PSU is a gutless wonder.

[Per Hansson]

Re: Building a gaming rig for my dad...

Sounds like a fun project, maybe you could get it all going with just a new mainboard and not be out by much?
If your dad prefers older operating systems remember that Win7 only works natively with some generations older CPU's.