On August 10th， according to a report from Kuaikeji， a Reddit user by the username u/AcordeonPhx discovered a complete， albeit discarded， older gaming PC in a dumpster. Driven by curiosity and a desire to give the machine a second life， the user decided to undertake a thorough cleaning and assessment to see if it could still function.
The user recounted retrieving the computer tower from the trash with a broom. Following this， a meticulous cleaning process commenced， involving wiping down both the interior and exterior of the chassis with disinfectant and alcohol solutions for thorough sanitization.
The refurbishment continued with the reapplication of thermal paste to the CPU and updates to the BIOS and drivers， effectively rejuvenating the dormant machine.
The restored PC is equipped with specifications from around 2015: an Intel Core i5-6600 processor， an AMD Radeon R9 380 graphics card， 8GB of RAM， a Gigabyte GA-H100M-A motherboard， and a Seasonic SS-520GB 520W power supply. At the time of its release， this configuration was considered fairly capable for gaming and general use.
The system was pre-installed with Windows 11 IoT Enterprise， an operating system typically designed for embedded and Internet of Things devices. This choice of OS might indicate the machine’s original purpose was not solely for traditional gaming.
While the overall specifications are now considered dated， the R9 380 graphics card was a strong performer in its era. It’s plausible that the PC was used for tasks such as rendering user interfaces or light 3D workloads before its owner upgraded to newer hardware and subsequently discarded it.
Fortunately， u/AcordeonPhx’s intervention rescued this machine from becoming electronic waste. While it may not run the latest AAA titles， it remains capable of handling older games and casual gaming experiences. Its resurrection is a testament to the durability of certain PC components and the potential for repurposing older hardware.
For those looking to avoid Windows， there’s also the option of installing a Linux distribution， further extending the PC’s usability. With an additional 8GB of RAM， it could be transformed into a functional Linux gaming machine， offering a different avenue for its continued use.
Ultimately， the Reddit user decided to further upgrade the salvaged PC by installing an RX 6600 XT graphics card， increasing the RAM to 16GB， fitting a new solid-state drive， and replacing the CPU cooler. This significantly revitalized machine was then gifted to the user’s brother， providing a practical and thoughtful repurposing of discarded technology.
