Sub £300 download and streaming box

aquous · 11 Sep 2020 at 23:03

Looking to build a download box that's mainly going to be used for Usenet downloads + unpacking + streaming across the network.

Idea is to get a micro or mini ATX PC which will have 1 x NVM slot for a fast boot drive, and 4 x 3.5 HDD slots (already have the drives).

CPU wise - not sure what to get, have always favoured Intel a little more than AMD but happy to go with whatever offers better bang for buck.

Machine will also act as a Plex media server for streaming to different devices across the house.

Stuff I don't need - OS, Keyboard, Mouse, Display and Storage drives

Any help appreciated.

andy_mk3 · 11 Sep 2020 at 23:38

I'd pick up a used Dell Optiplex, something like a 7050 model. That gets you a 6th or 7th gen Intel cpu, nvme support etc well within your budget.

Adam123 · 12 Sep 2020 at 19:34

also interested in this so following for ideas.

A refurbed Dell Optiplex 7050 looks like a decent spec - just cannot see (only from a quick search) how many HDDs it can fit

aquous · 12 Sep 2020 at 21:10

Thanks. Had a quick look and there seem to be 2 versions of the Optiplex.
The SFF one only seems to be able to host 1 x 2.5 and 1 x 3.5 HDD.

Can’t figure out what the full tower will be able to do.

Shall I take it a custom build at that price is not doable then, and a refurbed one off eBay is the best option?

Saul Farrell · 14 Sep 2020 at 18:04

Definitely get a used dell optiplex and then stick an ssd in it if it doesn't already have one...

andy_mk3 · 14 Sep 2020 at 18:30

aquous said:
Thanks. Had a quick look and there seem to be 2 versions of the Optiplex.
The SFF one only seems to be able to host 1 x 2.5 and 1 x 3.5 HDD.

Can’t figure out what the full tower will be able to do.

Shall I take it a custom build at that price is not doable then, and a refurbed one off eBay is the best option?

You definitely get a lot more for your money in these old Dell systems IMHO. A custom build is always doable, it's just a case of sourcing all the second hand parts to work together. The full tower you should be able to fit 4 drives into, one way or another!