I have an old Dell box with an i5 sandy bridge in it..

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S

Shyatic

Platinum Member
Apr 5, 2004
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LGA 1156, if I recall properly. Can't seem to find any motherboards for it. Is it worth me going down this road and repurposing this chip/ram for my kids?

The goal is to get a motherboard I can put a graphics card into (the Dell they have doesn't take one other than passively cooled crap) and start their PC builds for something that expands over time. Or is there a budget way I can go about this, by just buying a new mobo/chip combo? I don't need top of the line performance, it's for Minecraft, Heroes of the Storm and maybe a handful of the Lego games on Steam, and putting it into a new case with a new motherboard also allows them to learn how to build a PC and give them a basis for the future of their PCs as time goes by.

Appreciate any thoughts!
 
Brainonska511

Brainonska511

Lifer
Dec 10, 2005
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What kind of Dell is it? Why can it only take something passively cooled? If it has an appropriately sized PSU and a PCI-Ex16 slot, I don't see why a standard video card would not work.
 
S

Shyatic

Platinum Member
Apr 5, 2004
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Burpo said:
Boards are plentiful once you know what model number you have, like this Dell Optiplex 790 motherboard.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-OPTIPL...809986?hash=item542862b382:g:elUAAOSwNyFWermt

I would just fix it and add a GTX 750 or some other video card.. much cheaper than buying board, case, PS, etc.
Click to expand...

Case is because I want to get my kids started on having their own PC... I am buying a cheap case (I have 2 kids so I buy the same for both of them) and I don't want fights over "his has red lights and mine doesn't" -- plus it allows me to have something that's expandable later.

As for the motherboard... it's a mini box so I'd need a new PSU because that wouldn't transplant into the new case (screw holes wouldn't fit) and I'm okay with that. I don't want a Dell motherboard if I can help it, and I don't think there's room for a full length PCIe16 card, even if it was passively cooled. I think the chip in the PC is fine, which I'd yank but finding a board to match it... well that's the challenge.

Question is, is there a motherboard/CPU combo that would run for $50-75 that competes with an i5 SB, or not? Otherwise then it makes more sense for me to find the motherboard but it seems difficult given they aren't made any more.
 
S

Shyatic

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Apr 5, 2004
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Not looking for an i5/ and board for $75, but what is out there that I'd get for $75, anything comparable in performance? Otherwise it makes more sense to just get a board for the CPU. The board you linked is an 1155 board which I would be fine with, but I believe the CPU is 1156 so don't think it would work, would it?
 
M

MrTeal

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2003
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Shyatic said:
Not looking for an i5/ and board for $75, but what is out there that I'd get for $75, anything comparable in performance? Otherwise it makes more sense to just get a board for the CPU. The board you linked is an 1155 board which I would be fine with, but I believe the CPU is 1156 so don't think it would work, would it?
Click to expand...

No, Sandy Bridge requires a LGA1155 board. It really would help people help you if you could give the Dell model number and processor model though.
 
VirtualLarry

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,587
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If you want two identical rigs for your kids, I've got a pair of G3258 (Haswell 1150 Pentium Anniversary Edition - unlocked and overclockable) and Gigabyte H81M-DS2V v1.0 boards that I'm decommissioning. 8GB Gskill Sniper DDR3-1600 (runs at 1333 with the G3258).

Slap the CPU / board / RAM into a micro-ATX case, add PSU, DVD, SSD and/or HDD, and a discrete video card for Minecraft, and you would be set. (I recommend the MSI GT740 cards @ Newegg for $59.99, the 1GB GDDR5 version.)
 
Charlie98

Charlie98

Diamond Member
Nov 6, 2011
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MrTeal said:
No, Sandy Bridge requires a LGA1155 board.
Click to expand...

OP, we really need to find out what processor that is... you can use a free utility like CPUz to find out, or if you know how to use the Device Manager you can find it that way.

Resale market for i5 Sandy is still pretty strong (but waning...) you might be able to sell it and use the funds to help with 2 new mobo/CPU combos (since you want everything equal for the kids.)
 
ElFenix

ElFenix

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Mar 20, 2000
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1156 was lynnfield and clarkdale nehalem/westmere processors. if it's an i5 and 1156 then it's either a lynnfield quadcore with turbo (worth keeping though getting long in the tooth at this point) or a clarkdale dual core with hyperthreading and turbo (not really worth keeping, but they make interesting overclockers).
 
S

Shyatic

Platinum Member
Apr 5, 2004
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So here is the CPUz info... Pardon the quality, was a quick snap from the PC. http://imgur.com/KqlwKqi

It's a dell optiplex 790, with 4gb ram. I just need a board that has more slots and is more capable. If an lga 1155 works, would appreciate a budget board you can recommend.
 
M

MrTeal

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2003
3,919
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Which of these Optiplex 790s is it?
790FAMILY.jpg


With the smallest USFF one you might be out of luck, but I think the small form factor one and larger use standard board mounts. You might just be able to port the motherboard over to a new case. Electrically there's no limitation on running a more powerful GPU with that motherboard.
 
S

Shyatic

Platinum Member
Apr 5, 2004
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Can't port the board because all the connections are proprietary. It's the one on the right. Will an LGA1155 work? If so would be great to have an idea for a budget (no OC needed) board.
 
Charlie98

Charlie98

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Nov 6, 2011
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Excellent! It's a decent i5/2400 Sandy Bridge chip, and you need an 1155 socket board.

Bad news is the 1155 boards are getting fewer and far between, but Newegg still has a few...

Biostar mATX

Gigabyte mATX

There are others, but the price really starts to go up. I like Gigabyte boards, but not particularly that one... the SATA plugs are right under where a longer GPU would be, and it doesn't have HDMI out. You might want to look for something a little better on the used market, if you have more time. In any event, I would pair the board up with a new PSU no matter what.... that Dell is probably a ~300w Delta, not the best.
 
M

MrTeal

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2003
3,919
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Shyatic said:
Can't port the board because all the connections are proprietary. It's the one on the right. Will an LGA1155 work? If so would be great to have an idea for a budget (no OC needed) board.
Click to expand...

The 790 Desktop?
1012775.jpg

Those use a standard ATX MB and ATX power supply connectors, so you would be good to just move it to a new case. The only thing proprietary about them is the fan connectors, but if you keep the CPU cooler that's not a huge issue either. If you really want to swap MBs it won't be too pricey, but keeping it could save you $50.
 
S

Shyatic

Platinum Member
Apr 5, 2004
2,164
34
91
MrTeal said:
The 790 Desktop?
1012775.jpg

Those use a standard ATX MB and ATX power supply connectors, so you would be good to just move it to a new case. The only thing proprietary about them is the fan connectors, but if you keep the CPU cooler that's not a huge issue either. If you really want to swap MBs it won't be too pricey, but keeping it could save you $50.
Click to expand...

They have proprietary pins for power/reset/led etc... that's the problem with the MB :)

Already checked or I would have transplanted it.
 
M

MrTeal

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2003
3,919
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Shyatic said:
They have proprietary pins for power/reset/led etc... that's the problem with the MB :)

Already checked or I would have transplanted it.
Click to expand...

Ah yeah, that can be a pain. Some cases (like my Coolermaster CM690) have individual pins for each signal, so you can work around that. Other's it's more of a pain. Either of the boards Charlie98 recommended would work well.

Are you buying two identical cases and MBs now?
 
mvbighead

mvbighead

Diamond Member
Apr 20, 2009
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Here are some 'bare minimum' custom components to get that CPU up:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xBTZ6h
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xBTZ6h/by_merchant/

CPU Cooler: Thermaltake CLP0556 39.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($9.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: MSI H61M-P31/W8 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H25 ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $98.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-14 07:42 EST-0500

Definitely not a super cheap proposition, when comparing it to something like to some of those Ebay links using Dell towers. Presumably the memory can be transferred as well as the CPU. The drives will also be transferable.

Not a terrible price though to bring a SB i5 to life.
 
cbn

cbn

Lifer
Mar 27, 2009
12,968
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Shyatic said:
They have proprietary pins for power/reset/led etc... that's the problem with the MB :)

Already checked or I would have transplanted it.
Click to expand...

What is the power supply rated on the 12v rail(s)?
 
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