Fully working PC fished out from a dumpster and rehabbed — trash-binned system can still run Linux and light games

An eagle-eyed Redditor noticed an entire gaming PLC sitting in the dumpster, so they decided to remove it, clean it up, and see if it still worked. According to u/AcordeonPhx, they fished out the system with a broom and then thoroughly disinfected it inside and out, including using compressed air to blow out all the dust and then bathing it in alcohol after spending an unknown amount of time in the trash. After all that, they repasted the CPU, updated the BIOS and drivers, and the system is ready to rock ‘n roll.

The PC itself is powered by an Intel Core i5-6600, launched in September 2015, with 8GB of RAM, and an AMD Radeon R9 380 from the same era. They’re mounted on a Gigabyte GA-H100M-A motherboard and powered by a Seasonic SS-520GB 520W power supply. The system boots up to Windows 11 IoT Enterprise, which was installed in July of last year.

We don’t know the reason why this particular system was discarded, but its operating system provides some clues. The IoT Enterprise version of Windows 11 is designed for use on embedded systems and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Given that it has a rather decent GPU for its time, this PC is unlikely to be used as just a simple POS terminal or record-keeping station. It’s likely used for rendering user interfaces or signs, or maybe even for some light 3D work. Nevertheless, its former owner has thrown it out, likely because they’ve upgraded their system and have no longer use for it.

Thankfully, u/AcordeonPhx spotted it and saved it from becoming one more piece of e-waste. Although it won’t run the latest AAA games today, it’s still capable of handling some older titles and casual gaming. And if you don’t want to deal with Windows’ shenanigans, you can simply install Bazzite into it, maybe add an extra 8GB of RAM, and give it another 10 years as a Linux gaming machine in your living room. In the end, the Redditor said they gave it to their brother after upgrading it with an AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a new SSD, as well as replacing the CPU fan.

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