TR Forums

I kickstarted the latest Battletech game, and now find myself without a machine capable of running it. Money for this endeavor is tight, so I'm looking to spend the least amount possible to build, buy, or buy-then-modify a machine to run it. The system requirements are:
OS: 64-bit Windows 7 or Higher
Processor: Intel Pentium Core i3 3210 3.20GHz or AMD FX 4300 3.8GHz
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 660 GTX or AMD Radeon HD 7850
DirectX: Version 11
Recommended:
OS: 64-bit Windows 7 or Higher
Processor: Intel Pentium Core i5 3450 3.10GHz or AMD FX 6300 3.5GHz
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 or AMD Radeon HD 7900 Series
DirectX: Version 11

If I go the build route, I have a few parts I can reuse like a perfectly good 22 inch monitor, a 512GB SSD, a 1 TB spinny disk, and an ancient ATX mid-tower case (easily 10 years old). I also have a Radeon HD 6950, but that doesn't even meet the minimum specs. The "budget box" build from the TR system guide ( https://techreport.com/review/32474/the-tech-report-system-guide-september-2017-edition/10 ) would run me about $425 (plus ~$100? for Windows), but I'm just casting around for even cheaper alternatives. Any thoughts/suggestions?

What do you have at the moment? Any decent CPU at all?

I'm quite a big believer in upgrading cheap second hand Dell boxes. Try to get something with a Sandy Bridge i5 or better (preferably Haswell i5), and put in a Geforce 1050ti.

NTMBK wrote:

What do you have at the moment? Any decent CPU at all?

I'm quite a big believer in upgrading cheap second hand Dell boxes. Try to get something with a Sandy Bridge i5 or better (preferably Haswell i5), and put in a Geforce 1050ti.

This. Or you can go with the i3-8100 and GTX 1050Ti.

Dell and HP business PCs with Core i5 3470, 8GB RAM, and some storage are all over the market for $150-$220. Includes a Windows license and a open PCIe 16x slot. Throw in a video card and you're good to go. This is the route I'd go. When I was on a tight budget I always bought used, never had any major issues honestly. There are TONS of HP and Dell systems with Ivy Bridge generations CPUs. Haswell generation are generally quite a bit more but if you're very diligent you could maybe find some out there for similar.

How about this to start?
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/YPkL6X

Microcenter has good M-board and CPU bundles:

In particular:

http://www.microcenter.com/product/4853 ... _Processor

and

http://www.microcenter.com/product/4741 ... otherboard


That's $30 off of the total for bundling the two together, AND

-another $20 off of the total for the rebate.


So about $160 plus tax for the combo after rebate. That's a pretty good deal for an unlocked set.

Cheapest DDR4 16 gig (2 x 8 gig stick combo):

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6820313771

-sales not going to last for much longer though.

Based on the used recommendations above, how about this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Optiplex- ... SwU1FaCdvc
And this:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/contro ... ku=1292188

$322 total, shipped to your door.

Thanks guys - I think I'm leaning towards going the ebay Dell Optiplex route and slapping in an upgraded graphics card. As much as I want to build my own, it looks like this is the most cost effective route.

notinuse wrote:

Based on the used recommendations above, how about this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Optiplex- ... SwU1FaCdvc
And this:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/contro ... ku=1292188

$322 total, shipped to your door.

Those are really nice for the price. Can't beat that.

Turkina wrote:

Thanks guys - I think I'm leaning towards going the ebay Dell Optiplex route and slapping in an upgraded graphics card. As much as I want to build my own, it looks like this is the most cost effective route.

..based on the spec's you've given us, you'll need to double that amount of ram. (..and you'll need to know how many ram slots are on the board and how many are filled and by what amount.) IF there are 4 slots and all are filled then you won't be able to upgrade without getting all new ram (total 16 gb).

IF you think you can get by with only 8 gig, then no prob..


It's too bad about the video cards. Prices were about 20% lower a bit before and during Black Friday. (..you could have almost gotten a 1060 3 GB for the price of a 1050ti at this time.)

This is about the best offer I could find for video cards:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 05D&cm_sp=

-gone in 5 hours, and quite a bit more GPU than the 1050ti for only about a 22% premium.


http://promotions.newegg.com/NEemail/la ... 00ba5d0INT

-again, more GPU than the 1050ti for a modest premium with rebate. (..needs an email signup to get the better deal.)