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[JRace]

I would suggest upgrading your current PC instead of going with a relatively newer off-lease system. With the off-lease name brand systems you are always going to be somewhat restrained by proprietary parts like you found in your Compaq. Most of the off-lease business class PCs only contain 250 to 350 watt power supplies, so you'll be in the same boat again when using your dedicated GPU.

Upgrade your current system and then dual boot Windows 10 and your favorite version of Linux. Use Linux as your daily driver and use Windows to play the games that Wine or Proton still doesn't support. You can still get Windows 10: https://www.ebay.com/itm/266156234625

I have a system on my work bench that dual boots between Windows 7 and PopOS. Heck, if you really want to , you can triple boot between Windows 7, 10, and Linux if you want.

I've been going back and forth in my mind, considering the implications of a manufactured PC, leaning toward using it as a stopgap until I finally go whole-hog on building a new one.

@JRace - New computers hardly cost anything these days; no comparison to earlier times. If necessary, pay it off in two or three installments.
Assembling a computer yourself was perhaps an alternative more than 25 years ago, maybe (from a German point of view). In addition, when assembling a computer yourself, there are a some things that you cannot take into account yourself because you lack the options: The coordination of the individual components with each other. Just go by the technical data, that doesn't work - only by accident.
Buy a new one: New & Refurbished

It's not about the cost of a new PC, it's about the operating system.  New PCs ship with Window 11, which is unacceptable to me.

Regarding the pros & cons of building a PC, I've always liked having control over what goes into the new machine.


Most likely I'll just upgrade the RAM & HD on my current desktop and stick with Win7 for a little longer, until I relegate Windows to a VM or ditch it entirely.