HP Elitedesk 8200 SFF with 3 months warranty
Intel® Core™ i5-2400 Processor 3.1GHz 4 cores, 4 threads
4G RAM
500GB HDD
Integrated Intel® 82579LM Ethernet LAN 10/100/1000
1 half height PCIe x16 1 half height PCIe x16 (wired x 4)
10 External USB 2.0 ports (4 front, 4 rear)
1 VGA
1 Display Port
Windows 10 Pro installed
Quite an old PC but could serve as a decent Linux machine or media PC or home router (with additional NICs).
However without USB 3.0, transferring in and out would be a pain.
2nd gen is kind of getting to the point where i cant be bothered.
get 4th gen at least.
Agreed, the 4th gen ones are not much more expensive. This belongs to a museum
use PCI-E USB3.0 card for 10 bucks
The photos explicitly point out that they're USB 3.0??
The photos are likely stock, the 8300 has USB3 and looks the same.
The description doesn't mention them.
"10 External USB 2.0 ports (4 front, 4 rear)"
I didn't know you can turn an old PC into a router..?!
I'll obviously have to do some research, but is it difficult to make/use? Been waiting ages for a good deal on a high-performance router for VPN etc. and getting a bit tired of waiting!
What kind of bandwidth you talking to need a super powerful VPN endpoint?
nothing super duper powerful, I was thinking more like an Asus RT-AC86U or something like that to use as a dedicated VPN router for TV streaming
@pe arl: Just an FYI - I just got rid of an RT-AC88U because it wasnt powerful enough to run a router level VPN faster than 50mbit p/sec - maxed out its CPU.
pfsense on a little PC is the only way to go if you have 100mbit + nbn connection and want router level VPN to run at full speed.
Search for DIY pfSense build guides… One of the best routing options IMHO.
thanks, will check it out :)
Just make sure you get a chip that supports AES if you want the VPN side of things. I think 4th gen intel and above. You will also want a two port or more intel network card. You can get away with non intel sometimes but easier to stick with something you know will work first time around.
AES-NI, while definitely a nice to have, is not a strict requirement to get a VPN configured but will definitely help with VPN performance/throughput.
Tinkering is cool and fun and all but what exactly does your setup do that's worth all the extra power draw compared to using a standard switch or router?
Any recommend dual nic cards for these SFF machines?
Intel i350 quad ports are popular, a few fakes going around though.
Anyone know if you could install windows XP of these. My old man needs an upgrade and refuses to advance
Looks like XP drivers still available from the HP site so should be fine - https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-compaq-8…
XP is super insecure though…
Windows XP is fine if your Dad does NOT connect to the internet. Otherwise I would strongly advise Windows 10.
Don't worry, I have strongly advised him also. He doesn't shop online or use anything but youtube and sometimes card games, so not harm yet. Going to try King's suggestion of linus mint and if that fails maybe a tablet
See if you cab coax him onto Linus Mint? Pretty easy and familiar coming in from XP or 7.
Using XP live these days is (obviously) a very, very bad, insecure idea
Might give it a shot. I installed 7 on his computer and he didn't like it. He just watches videos on youtube, so hopefully, Linus might be the a good option
Mint is extremely peasy.
I got sick of endless driver problems and updates on W10 and put my wife laptop onto Mint. Its been stable as rock since and she wouldn't know Linux from a hole in the ground.
It really works well.
Is this alright for kids PC i.e. Minecraft/Roblox? Assuming also usual things can be upgraded GPU (low-profile) and memory?
It would work, but wouldn't be ideal.
If you can go up to around the ~$300 - $350 mark you can pick up a brilliant platform to pop a GPU into.
That money is getting something like this on any ordinary day…
i5-4th gen+
8GB ram+
256GB SSD+
Win 10 Home / Pro
Waiting for a special you're looking a getting a nice little uptick on each component, something like…
i5 / i7 4th - 6th gen
16GB ram
500GB SSD
Win 10 Pro
If you're lucky enough to pickup the above and drop a low profile GTX1050 into it it would scream along nicely pushing a 1080p display.
Thanks ill use the above as a guide
The low profile GTX1050 costs more than the PC itself.
Should be able to spend less than that on that spec. Try for $200 if you hunt around.
UNO is on to it but you should be spending less.
UNO is on to it but you should be spending less.
Pretty hard to find anything under the $217.30 (UNO's link) currently.
@RSmith: I got an immaculate HP G1 with 8 Gb RAM and i5 4670 for $180 2 months ago off eBay. Win 10 Pro. Added an old spare SSD to the 500 HDD and some extra RAM I had lying around.
Perfect lounge PC. Display port to HDMI cable was $6 eBay.
Thanks yeah thats the spec I'm looking for for a virtual pinball project. It's good to see you feel the same.
There is always the HP 8300 here:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/555105
Which offers USB3, however GTX 1050tis are about $250 ATM. I'm running an 8300 with an i7 3300 and 1050 ti which will run Skyrim S.E. @ 4K adequately enough for solo play.
Good way to get a Win 10 pro key ?
would you have to deal with ms changed hardware rule.
I did it using an old PC lying around and coverted it to Linux.
Easy as.
Only if you have a use for the rest of the hardware.
Otherwise you're just going to have extra e-waste for only saving a small amount of money on the Win10 Pro key.
If you're that desperate to save some money on a key, go to some of the key reseller sites that sell them for ~$50.
Go on reddit marketplace
Whoa! Old.
You be better off paying more and getting a 4th Gen i5 box, they are quite powerful even now, still cheap.
Something like this:
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Lenovo-Thinkcentre-M93P-Desktop-…
Got this yesterday to play around.
What's your opinion of the machine? Worth it?
old isn't that much of an issue, but if you're running them 24/7 power costs add up to the point the newer gen stuff works out better value in the long run
24/7 power costs
If you want old Intel, get a Pentium III. Ever since then, Intel chips have been power hogs. :-)
There is little difference in CPU power between 2nd gen and 4th gen - you will not notice.
But the newer i5 has better integrated graphics, and the chipset has USB3.
(age of the power supply and HDD is also a factor)
If you're in Sydney and can pick up, this can be had for $88.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/621353442056245/
IMO, this would be a good PC for those who literally just do browsing, YouTube, and really basic stuff.
I bought a Dell Optiplex from this seller (https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Dell-OptiPlex-7020-SFF-Core-i3-4…) which should serve my parents very well; I'll just swap the HDD over to a spare Kingston SSD I have and they'll be set for the next few years methinks.
Shipping kills the deal.
![[Refurb] HP Elitedesk 8200 SFF Core i5-2400, 4GB, 500GB HDD, Win10 Pro $120.45 Delivered @ Knncomputer eBay](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/40/555240.jpg?h=9ac1849d)
Exactly my thoughts, have a similar spec box running pfsense best router ever