| Component | Recommendation | |-----------|----------------| | | Phenom II X4 965 BE (95W version – rare) or Athlon II X4 640. Do NOT use FX-8350. | | RAM | 2×8 GB DDR3-1333 (double-sided, 2Rx8). Avoid high-density 4Gbit chips (won’t POST). | | GPU | Up to GTX 1650 / RX 6400 (ensure low power, no external 6-pin if PSU is stock HP 250W). | | Storage | SATA SSD (Kingston A400, WD Green) – but performance limited to SATA II (~250 MB/s). | | PSU | Standard 24-pin ATX – replaceable. Stock HP units are 250W–300W (Delta or Lite-On). | | Cooling | Any AM2/AM3/AM4 cooler with clip mounting (e.g., Hyper 212 – check clearance). |
Keep it if it’s in your closet; recycle it if you are buying parts. But for the tinkerer looking to prove that old office PCs can still play GTA V and CS2 —the MSI 2AB4 is a perfect, ugly little soldier. msi 2ab4 motherboard