I feel a new build coming on, not sure I really need it but I've stopped
using my HP Z620 and I'd like to use the case which is designed like a
Rolls Royce.

My last build was based on an Asus Z170K board and it's still in use as my
main machine. Got really pissed off building it as I scrunched up the pins
on the first board so had to bin it and start again. Even so it has served
well and still does.

Use is Office stuff and Visual Studio.

What board/CPU is the modern equivalent of the Asus?
Would it have significant benefits (apart from the satisfaction of
building it)?

thanks!

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not
expect to sit.

On 28 Aug 2023 at 11:03:46 BST, ""Jeff Gaines"" <jgnewsid@outlook.com>
wrote:

>
> I feel a new build coming on, not sure I really need it but I've stopped
> using my HP Z620 and I'd like to use the case which is designed like a
> Rolls Royce.
>
> My last build was based on an Asus Z170K board and it's still in use as my
> main machine. Got really pissed off building it as I scrunched up the pins
> on the first board so had to bin it and start again. Even so it has served
> well and still does.
>
> Use is Office stuff and Visual Studio.
>
> What board/CPU is the modern equivalent of the Asus?
> Would it have significant benefits (apart from the satisfaction of
> building it)?

Not really.

CPUs are a bit faster now, which won't affect office/browsing at all. If
you compile big things in VS, you might get a 30% reduction in time that
takes. Is that worth spending a grand on?

I'm still using my 2016 build (Asus Z170i with i7 mumbleK, 2080Ti later
update) as my gaming PC, still hits 4k60/1080p120 happily with modern
games. Absolutely no point upgrading.

Cheers - Jaimie

--
Sent from my Sinclair ZX-81

Jaimie Vandenbergh <jaimie@usually.sessile.org> wrote:
> On 28 Aug 2023 at 11:03:46 BST, ""Jeff Gaines"" <jgnewsid@outlook.com>
> wrote:
>
> >
> > I feel a new build coming on, not sure I really need it but I've stopped
> > using my HP Z620 and I'd like to use the case which is designed like a
> > Rolls Royce.

I would check it takes standard parts. Some HP/Dell/Lenovo desktops use
weird sized motherboards, strange power connectors and similar.

> > What board/CPU is the modern equivalent of the Asus?

You'd need to be more specific for what you want but I'd look at Ryzens,
either the current crop or the previous generation.

> > Would it have significant benefits (apart from the satisfaction of
> > building it)?
>
> Not really.
>
> CPUs are a bit faster now, which won't affect office/browsing at all. If
> you compile big things in VS, you might get a 30% reduction in time that
> takes. Is that worth spending a grand on?
>
> I'm still using my 2016 build (Asus Z170i with i7 mumbleK, 2080Ti later
> update) as my gaming PC, still hits 4k60/1080p120 happily with modern
> games. Absolutely no point upgrading.

The other reason is power consumption. I have a dual Xeon E5-2670v1
workstation (no GPU, just VGA) which takes about 100W idle and 400W peak -
I'm sure I could get that down to say 20W idle 100-150W peak on a modern
machine. If I used it a lot it would eventually pay in terms of electricity
bill. (it is taking 10W just being 'off', running the BMC)

Also, if you want to run Windows 11 there's the arbitrary cutoff of 'too
old' things that it won't run on, although that can be bypassed.

Theo

On 28 Aug 2023 at 12:18:33 BST, "Theo"
<theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
>
> The other reason is power consumption. I have a dual Xeon E5-2670v1
> workstation (no GPU, just VGA) which takes about 100W idle and 400W peak -
> I'm sure I could get that down to say 20W idle 100-150W peak on a modern
> machine. If I used it a lot it would eventually pay in terms of electricity
> bill. (it is taking 10W just being 'off', running the BMC)

A z170 board takes CPUs with decent idle power profiles :) Mine runs at
about 24W when it's not doing anything, 290W when it's caning it with
benchmark gpu+cpu loading.

Cheers - Jaimie

--
If you are not paying for it, you're not the customer; you're the product being sold.
-- blue_beetle

On 28/08/2023 in message <Ptj*IcYoz@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk> Theo wrote:

[snipped]

Many thanks Jaimie and Theo :-)

Looks as if there's no point in upgrading. It's a really nice case but as
Theo said perhaps too customised to take a standard ATX board.

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day.
Tomorrow, isn't looking good either.

On 29/08/2023 in message <xn0o65t75p2vc79016@news.individual.net> Jeff
Gaines wrote:

>[snipped]

Just a follow up. I have re-installed the old mainboard. All my efforts to
remove 300 screws were wasted as the holder under each screw has a nut one
end, a slim "neck" and then a ball. Fit them all to the board first, put
the board in place, slide it by half and inch, screw the plastic holder in
place - job done!

The connectors are colour coded and are so neatly tied in place it's
impossible to connect them incorrectly.

I forgot to put the memory fan back and got a BIOS warning that it wasn't
in place so sorted that.

I have one jumper that I found in the case. It boots without it and my
service manual doesn't seem to cover jumpers, I will continue to
investigate.

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
We chose to do this not because it is easy but because we thought it would
be easy.