upgrading old workstation

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phantom

phantom

PCHF Member
Apr 11, 2023
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hi i have a hp z220 sff and am looking to upgrade it to a machine that will be my companinion for the next little while
my question is what cpu and gpu should i get for this machine as i'm not sure which are supported, would provide the best value, and be a good pair
i'd like it to handle gaming mostly
current budget is $150 but feel free to give any suggestion for the cpu and gpu
(the parts i currently own are)
2 hdd's (500gb, 2tb)
i3 3220 and i5 3450
2 pairs of 4gb ram
i'm thinking on selling all this except the 2tb as to add to my budget

(info page)

HP Z220 Small Form Factor Workstation Product Specifications | HP® Customer Support

Specifications page for HP Z220 Small Form Factor Workstation.
support.hp.com support.hp.com
 
g'day phantom and welcome to the forum. :)

first up, probably not the best PC for gaming, certainly not for high-end games.
mainly due to airflow and finding low-profile GPU's to fit in the case.
than you have the small form factor PSU to consider and whether it could provide enough power, and if not, are others even available?

in short, a lot of effort (research and money) into a rig that will be limited; in specs, options, and longevity.

but that's just my opinion, but for me, my money would be better spent on selling that ol' gal and getting a more modern, full sized, PC.

what games did you have planned?
does the PC currently work?
 
hello bruce and thanks for the warm welcome :)
the reason i was considering this route first is budget but also because i already have everything at hand for free at that all i need is to get something like a i7 3770 and a decent gpu that matches it and im set from what i've seen it can play most games well enough albeit it has no upgrade path but i'll probably only keep it for a year or two after which i'd give it away or sell it and i'd have enough to build a proper pc by then as for gaming i don't plan on playing high end games but maybe i'd dabble but I'll mostly be playing valorant and indie games which is why i might be going this route

but i see the sense in what you're suggesting
what would you say i do if i have a max budget of let's say $300
 
all good - let's stick to the z220. (y)

why not use the i5 3rd gen you already have, getting an i7 3rd gen won't improve the overall performance too much.

I would absolutely be getting a 500GB SSD, that's where you'll see the biggest improvement for the smallest outlay.

then all you are chasing is a good GPU, within your budget, that is low profile to fit in the SFF case, is compatible with the games you'll play, and has the ports to run whatever monitors you'll use.
 
yea i've already got a 500 gb ssd the case has about 6.5" of leeway lengthwise which gpu should i get?
 
as what card to get, I'll leave that to you.
something like this is what you'd be chasing; https://www.umart.com.au/product/asus-geforce-gt730-gddr5-2g-low-profile-graphics-card-60644+
but the GT730's came out like 10 years ago.
low-profile, current cards aren't too common as gaming rigs aren't by nature put into small form factor cases.

but as said previously, you're going to have to check your case and the GPU dimensions to see if it fits (length and height), see if it's compatible with the motherboard and whether a BIOS upgrade may be required, check it'll run your games, and that is has the ports needed to plug your screen into.
 
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