Description

This PC was built for the purpose of moderate gaming and just for build practice. I figured, if i could build my first PC in an older stock case, basically handicapping myself to less room and odd constraints, that i would be able to build a better PC with newer, more accommodating cases.

I had a couple of issues that were a little hard to troubleshoot, being my first build. For one, i had a micro ATX case which made me think i needed a micro ATX psu. I was wrong, i had to go to best buy and grab an ATX psu, which was a happy accident because... Problem number two was that i didn't have enough power to my system. Jack wouldn't post, which troubled me. I checked the RAM, i checked the pins on the CPU, i checked all my connections, and i couldnt figure it out. The system would boot, LEDs would turn on but no power to my keyboard, and my monitor showed no signal. It looked like the USB and HDMI ports were getting power though, so i plugged my phone into a usb 2.0 slot and got a pop-up that said there was a shoddy power transfer to the phone. When buying my ATX psu from best buy, i went for way more than needed and sure enough, everything posted!

Installing windows 10 from my boot drive and making the partitions for my SSD and HDD was extraordinarily easy. Honestly this was a lot of fun, sure i ended up spending $720 on a system that was ultimately only worth $650 after shipping, but it was a nice learning experience and i have a lot more confidence for when i go to build my next computer.

Also, theres no cable management and i had to basically tape the SSD down because there arent any 2.5" brackets in this 13 year old case. So theres that

Part Reviews

CPU

Intel Core i5-6500 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Processor

This is a great CPU. Runs quiet and cool. I'm not an overclocker but it runs perfectly fine at core speeds. The stock cooler is a bit ugly but its inside the case and i dont have to worry about that ;)

A great skylake cpu, would definitely recommend for a budget build

Motherboard

MSI B250M GAMING PRO Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

My first Micro ATX board and it was really easy to use. The red LEDs are a super nice touch that sprawl throughout the board. Aesthetically speaking, this board is great.

functionally, its a great board, im only giving it 4 stars because it doesnt support 8th gen intel CPUs so upgrading CPUs means upgrading mobos

Memory

Patriot 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory

As far as RAM goes, it was pretty straight forward. Got it in the DIMM slots and they were instantly recognized in the bios. Patriot makes some good RAM for a reasonable price

Storage

Inland Professional 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

It feels kinda cheap, but it works fine. Was able to install my OS to it and partition it out without a problem.

Storage

Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Your standard cut and dry WD HDD. Can never go wrong with this one

Video Card

Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4 GB Mini Video Card

Honestly a great card, it plays 1080p 60fps on high without a hitch. Theres no need for a separate pci-e cable, so you just pop it in your pci-e 16 slot and its ready to go

Comments

  • 17 months ago
  • 5 points

Highly suggest replacing the psu

  • 17 months ago
  • 1 point

Yeah, it wouldnt be my first choice but it was the only psu i could pick up the same day for under $70. Thank you for the suggestion!

  • 17 months ago
  • 2 points

Nice! I was thinking about doing the same in my Presario 5000 from 2001. That thing's a beaut!

+1

  • 17 months ago
  • 1 point

Isopropyl alcohol and a can of air duster cleaned this case up NICE. I would love to see a battle station in a Presario 5000 xD

That thing looks like an old Mac G3 lol

  • 17 months ago
  • 2 points

What, my case? It sure does!

  • 17 months ago
  • 2 points

It is what it is. How else are you going to deter thieves, prying eyes? Form follows function. Substance vs. Style. "That's how you're gonna beat 'em, Butch. They keep underestimating you." —Pulp Fiction.

  • 16 months ago
  • 1 point

At least nobody will steal it!

  • 17 months ago
  • 0 points

Oh nostalgia! When I first bought new parts to upgrade my PC, I had a Compaq Presario too. I installed the new parts into it. Then later, I got a bigger but cheap case for free from my neighbor. I then moved all the parts to that. Then later on, over the years, with my tax refunds I slowly but surely built the PC I have today. All newer parts than I had before as well as a case. A new monitor and desk too. I now have a GTX 1080, 2k resolution monitor with monitor arm and vesa mount mounted to my desk for full adjustability, 32gb ram, went from a quad core to an 8 core cpu, ASUS Sabertooth mobo, 3 hard drives and a sata for Windows 10. A single rail psu. The only thing I do not have is RGB lighting. You will get there. You are well on your way.

  • 17 months ago
  • 1 point

I'm glad you see potential in me haha. It's almost sad that this was just a practice/ messing around run. It'll be a shame to see it go because its honestly a little better than the prebuilt HP i have now, but i have much greater plans for my first real custom pc. 1080, 16gb ram, water cooling, rgb leds, the works!

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Jy7nGG

  • 17 months ago
  • 1 point

No problem. Looks like a good build. Just out of curiosity, what is that Raspberry pi component for? Also, I see that you have chosen a Seagate drive. I know they are cheap but they are cheap for a reason. I honestly would not go with Seagate. Every hard drive I ever owned from Seagate and every hard drive that someone I've known has had which was a Seagate have all experienced the same issues. They fail and I would not trust that brand ever again. They might as well be Maxtors. lul. Go with Western Digital. I know a vendor on Newegg that sells the WD Black series 7200RPM for around 60 bucks brand new.

  • 17 months ago
  • 1 point

I'm going to place is on the front SSD mount and use it to display system temperatures :D

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  • 17 months ago
  • 1 point

Well the answer to your question is yes and no. I got the USB 2.0's and the front panel audio to work without a catch, but the connections for the Compact Flash, and Smart Media weren't able to be saved to my current level of knowledge.

The interior is a MESS lol. I used some zip ties to bundle my excess case fan wires and keep them against the case wall, but the excess non-modular psu cables are a disaster. The Sata cables and data cables aren't so bad but it wouldn't hurt to bundle and tie some of those excess psu lines.

I added the line about the tape as a joke because i really didnt expect people to view or comment on this lol. On the side of the HDD bracket, theres a grate that separates the HDD from the rest of the case. Between the grate and the case walls, theres a LOAD of room, so what i did was basically use the grate as a bracket and screwed the SSD to that so it wasn't floating around. Theres no tape in this....anymore

Thank you for your comment!

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