My first PC ever built is sort of unusable in its current state, and there are a few things I could do:
- Update necessary parts and keep it as a retro-media-compatible PC/nas/server. I love how it has a floppy drive!
- Get rid of it and save money
If I wanted to replace it, I would need to get at minimum:
- motherboard
- ram
- CPU
I’m hoping I can keep using the following parts, some of which have been updated over the years:
- pcie 2.0 graphics card
- 500 W power supply
- monitor / peripherals
- optical / floppy drives
- SSD / HDD
- ATX case (the original case and motherboard PCI slots never lined up quite correctly…) Cooler Master centurion (?)
I’ve never done anything like this, and last time I built a PC was in 2006. I lack a lot of knowledge…
- Is my case likely to be compatible with a modern motherboard?
- Can I buy a modern motherboard/CPU that will be compatible with this other stuff?
- Would it be less expensive to buy another used PC and use its motherboard/CPU ?
Honestly, anything you spend on that PC is a waste. You can get a 5 year old computer for under $100 and move your updated parts over.
Search Amazon for a Lenovo Thinkcentre, Dell optiplex or anything with an Intel Core i7-4770. This is by far the cheapest route.
Alternatively, if you are looking for the adventure of getting back into PC building, check out the build guides at pcpartpicker.com.
https://pcpartpicker.com/guide/
This is very practical advice, thanks for the point in the right direction.