Question Re-purposing an old rig, destroyed it's Z68X mobo, need advice on options.

[SkyBum]

Was hoping to pass an old gaming rig (GA-Z68X-UD7-B3 / i7-2600k / GTX 1060) to my girlfriends son who is interested in moving over from console gaming. Unfortunately I have destroyed that mobo socket (RIP MOFO). My quandary at this point is whether it makes sense trying to find a used Z68 or just bite the bullet and buy a new processor and mobo for him. Was hoping not to go out of pocket but now I'm committed, he has already purchased a PSU and monitor for the project. Given that I still have functional: 2600k / GTX 1060 / 16GB DDR3 what makes more sense here, ditch the 2600k and go for new mobo/CPU/Memory or do I still have options finding a decent z68 board? What would you do in this situation.

I should also mention that the rig I built for my GF could also play a role here, in that I could possibly upgrade her rig and use those parts for her sons rig rather than buying new parts just for him.
Her rig is : i5-8400 / Z370-A Pro / 16GB DDR4 / GTX 1080

Just stuck on what to do, had I not destroyed the mobo, this should have been cheap and painless, now I'm just confused. Could really use any advice from AT on what makes sense.

 

[Muadib]

I gave my old 2600k rig away several years ago, and he kept it about 3 years, before he wanted an upgrade.
Mom's rig would work for now, but unless she's a gamer, just get the kid a new rig.

Do know what games he's looking to play?

 

[vailr]

If wanting to save some $$ and re-use the DDR3, the most recent Intel system that still uses DDR3 is the Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI & similar generation boards. Would also require obtaining a new or used CPU to match the Intel chipset.
A refurbished Dell desktop machine can be found on Amazon fairly cheaply.
Craigslist.org & eBay are other possible sources for a new or used CPU & motherboard, or a complete PC.
One recent example:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/COMBO-GA-Z...0K-CPU-Coolermaster-Hyper-212EVO/283993163615

 

[VirtualLarry]

Get a refurb HP ProDesk 400 G3 mini-tower with the i5-6500. It's a micro-ATX compatible board, with ATX power connections. I've seen them as low as $160 w/8GB DDR4.

Then get a case to suit, re-use PSU and GTX 1060 that you have. Do a mobo transplant "total conversion".

Edit: Or check @compcons FS thread here, he's got a pair of Acer gaming PC semi-barebones.

 

[fralexandr]

you can get z68/z77 motherboards that support the i7 2600k for ~$60 on ebay buyitnow mostly from china
there's currently an asrock z68 from california for ~$65

otherwise an upgrade for cpu/mobo/ram 3600 +b550 +2x16gb runs ~$400.
However with the wonky prices at the moment and zen3 supposedly coming out before the end of the year, who knows if it's a good time to upgrade.
PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/MsL2tp

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($94.00 @ Best Buy)
Memory: OLOy OWL 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($103.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $397.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-09-05 13:45 EDT-0400

 

[SkyBum]

Thanks guys, I just bit the bullet and purchased him a Ryzen 3600 and and the Asus x570 Tuff Gaming Plus Wifi board. I have 16gb DDR 4 laying around to pair with it. Sucks that I ruined what could have been a somewhat decent entry level rig for him but now he'll have no worries anytime soon as far as upgrading goes. Thanks for your help, as always I really appreciate the advice here on the AT forum.