Would this make a good machine?

[glzsqd]

Lenovo TS140 Thinkserver

I can get one of these new for cheap from a friend, It would come with 4 Gigs of ram, Core I3 but no HDD (I have a few old ones I can throw in there). It would be configured as a desktop, no raid or anything along those lines.

What I want to know is if the Processor would be strong enough to handle things such as Video editing(entry level recreational BS) and Games(Play some older shooters, I don't mind if the graphics aren't turned up). I would probably throw another 4 or 8 gig stick of ram in there, run the OS off a SSD, and add a Graphics card. Do you guys think it would be worth it?

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Lenovo TS140 Thinkserver

I can get one of these new for cheap from a friend, It would come with 4 Gigs of ram, Core I3 but no HDD (I have a few old ones I can throw in there). It would be configured as a desktop, no raid or anything along those lines.

What I want to know is if the Processor would be strong enough to handle things such as Video editing(entry level recreational BS) and Games(Play some older shooters, I don't mind if the graphics aren't turned up). I would probably throw another 4 or 8 gig stick of ram in there, run the OS off a SSD, and add a Graphics card. Do you guys think it would be worth it?

How much is cheap? The main question is that can you build a new one cheaper and does the machine have a minimum x8 PCI-E 2.0 slot...

[glzsqd]

How much is cheap? The main question is that can you build a new one cheaper and does the machine have a minimum x8 PCI-E 2.0 slot...

Honestly, he'd probably just give me the tower without a HDD, but I'd throw 100$ or so his way anyhow.


These are the PCI slots

◦1 x PCIe GEN3: HH/FL x16 mechanical, x16 electrical
◦1 x PCIe GEN2: HH/HL x1 mechanical, x1 electrical
◦1 x PCIe GEN2: HH/HL x16 mechanical, x4 electrical
◦1 x PCI 32-bit/33 MHz: FH/HL

[Bizman]

You can get those new for $426. For what I found in the specs there would be no such video card that would suit your needs. So you'd need a video card and also a power supply to feed it. Also notice that it uses ECC memory which costs twice as much as the standard RAM.

[glzsqd]

You can get those new for $426. For what I found in the specs there would be no such video card that would suit your needs. So you'd need a video card and also a power supply to feed it. Also notice that it uses ECC memory which costs twice as much as the standard RAM.

The one I would be getting is new, just no HDD.

When you say there's no video card that would suit my needs, do you mean there's no video card I can add or that comes with the machine?

[Bizman]

I couldn't see any video card mentioned in the specs. That doesn't mean there would be no video card at all, probably there's an Intel chip capable of doing Office and such. The specs list seems to say, though, that there's a pci-e 16x slot (also in your list above) which means that you should be able to add one. Adding a decent gaming level video card would need more power than the original power supply would be able to produce.

Anyway, getting that computer to run AH or even less demanding games at a playable level would cost at least $200 or more, add another $100 for added RAM.

[633DH98]

Core I3 have built-in GPU.

[glzsqd]

I couldn't see any video card mentioned in the specs. That doesn't mean there would be no video card at all, probably there's an Intel chip capable of doing Office and such. The specs list seems to say, though, that there's a pci-e 16x slot (also in your list above) which means that you should be able to add one. Adding a decent gaming level video card would need more power than the original power supply would be able to produce.

Anyway, getting that computer to run AH or even less demanding games at a playable level would cost at least $200 or more, add another $100 for added RAM.

I run AH on a Celeron laptop currently, you really think the onboard video is that weak on this desktop?

Not that it would matter since I would put a video card in it anyhow, my main concern is whether or not the Processor is up to the task.

[Bizman]

I run AH on a Celeron laptop currently, you really think the onboard video is that weak on this desktop?

Not that it would matter since I would put a video card in it anyhow, my main concern is whether or not the Processor is up to the task.

Oh well... I guess anything is better than a Celeron laptop. Anyway, as 633DH98 said i3 has a built-in GPU which means Intel Graphics. They don't interact with gaming code. Grey boxes instead of icons etc. But since you're going to get a real video card anyway, you're right, it won't matter.

As for the processor, the i3-4130 clocks rather high at 3.4 GHz which should run AH very well. My E8500 runs at 3.16 GHz and with a Radeon HD 6970 I can get all the eye candy I need. For video editing... Well, I know people who do that on a Celeron laptop running Windows Vista. Depends on the program you're using and the time you can spend among other variables. As for the price, I just noticed that they sell that computer without HDD on Amazon for "$224.99 & FREE Shipping"... Also bear in mind that they come without any operating system, Windows7 prices starting from $100 depending on version.

[glzsqd]

I have a HDD and an OS already. Ill probably put an SSD in to run the OS and programs off of, and set it to save files on the Hard Disk.

[glzsqd]

Well I went ahead and got the Lenovo TS140. cost 225$ for the tower with a Core I3 (3.5GHZ) 4G of ECC ram(will also take regular DDR3)

I have a 1TB HDD and a Windows 7 and 8 Coa lying around so the only things I'll need for it at this point is a Graphics Card, Power Supply, and more RAM.

I'll probably throw a 120g SSD into it also and run the OS off of that.


Anyone know of a "bang for your buck" Video card that would make sense to throw in there?

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Well I went ahead and got the Lenovo TS140. cost 225$ for the tower with a Core I3 (3.5GHZ) 4G of ECC ram(will also take regular DDR3)

I have a 1TB HDD and a Windows 7 and 8 Coa lying around so the only things I'll need for it at this point is a Graphics Card, Power Supply, and more RAM.

I'll probably throw a 120g SSD into it also and run the OS off of that.


Anyone know of a "bang for your buck" Video card that would make sense to throw in there?

Google for 'best gpu for the money' you'll find an article comparing cards.

[glzsqd]

ITS HERE 

[edog1977]

^Just read your original post and decided to check out the computer you mentioned. One of the first reviews on amazon had this to say about RAM:

Memory - be very careful ordering memory. I ordered from Amazon 3 times thinking I was getting correct memory and it wasn't. Most of the memory advertised is not compatible. If you try to buy the exact ram that ships, you'll pay 5x the going rate. It turns out that Lenovo sells ram directly that is supported and it's only about 20% above the going rate. After a lot of research and talking with Kingston, Crucial, and Lenovo, I ended up getting Kingston memory. Here are the models to look for:

ktl-ts316elv/4g - single rank
ktl-ts316elv/8g - dual rank
The system does not support rdimm and you must use udimm… these models are low voltage 1.35v… and can add the 1 4G and later add 2 8G

Another thing I noticed in the reviews was the optical drive is read only. May not be a game changer for you but thought I would point it out.

Good luck.

[Bino]

Core I3 have built-in GPU.

According to the charts over at Tom's Hardware, the "GPU" on a core i3 ("Intel HD Graphics 4600") is roughly equivalent to an HD 3670. 

Which is to say, it's not very good.