USED pc buying tips, 101?

B

BerniniCaCO3

New Member
Hi!

Alright-- *finally* found someone selling a used pc, for less than I could build it off of newegg.

I can't assume that everything's perfect, or even that the warranty would apply to the 2nd owner if it weren't.

What steps would you take to make sure that all is hunky-dory?
This shouldn't be quite as bad as buying a used car: but I still do want to make sure that I don't just hand over cash, walk off with a nice case, and find out it has parts from 1995 stuffed inside of it :-D

OK, I wouldn't fall for that.
But do you recommend not only booting it up, and checking the specs, but also running the diagnostics just to make sure it doesn't find any problems in the more expensive components (cpu, gpu)?

The price IS good enough that I can afford one replaced part, or even 2; but it wrecks a good deal if that turns out to be the case.
 
BerniniCaCO3 said:
OK, I wouldn't fall for that.
But do you recommend not only booting it up, and checking the specs, but also running the diagnostics just to make sure it doesn't find any problems in the more expensive components (cpu, gpu)?
Click to expand...

Yes and yes. Make sure you get not only the specs, but the brand and model of every component, especially the mobo and power supply. PSU is most important with a used one. You have to make sure there's no issues and not likely to be any, because you have no warranty with a used machine.

If it doesn't have an Intel Core i3/i5/i7 or an AMD Phenom II/Athlon II, don't bother. Those are the current-gen platforms. Witht he AMD ones, DDR3/AM3 would be best.
 
I wasn't even thinking about the power supply: power supplies are "cheap"
(part of the reason wanting a good deal on a used computer: if a $90 part dies, I'll have $90 in cushion to replace it).

HOWEVER-- can a bad power supply create a surge and damage additional, much more expensive components?

Yeah; i7 920.
The 2 graphics cards are no longer stocked at newegg, but they were very high-end just a year ago, so they should be up to date.
 
GOOD power supplies are not particularly cheap. $50 at least for a ~500W unit, if you get a good deal. More for a really good one. Mine is 550w and retailed for ~$100 when I bought it. (got it on sale for $60)

They're honestly the most important thing in your computer...akin to your heart and lungs combined. A cheap one can most certainly take out other components when it fails, which is MUCH more likely than with a good unit. Cheap PSU's also typically don't put out anywhere near the power they're rated for, and they often quote peak wattage rather than sustainable wattage on top of that.

A particularly bad unit may say "500W" on the sticker, but only really be capable of ~200W before it fries and takes some of your parts with it.
 
Last edited:
Well: I meant cheap in the scheme of things. I'm looking to build a $1000-$1200 computer, starting with this used one for some of the premium parts. So $100 for a power supply is OK.
After all, the motherboard is $150+, the graphics card $200, the cpu $200; those are the most singularly expensive things. If I get that ssd, there's $200. I'm getting a smaller monitor, $150.

I don't want to be like my neighbor, who shelled out every dime for a 2nd hand porsche for 15k, instead of buying a new budget hatchback that he could have afforded: and then had trouble paying for new brakes and rotors when it needed them ($600 on a porsche), and complains every time he takes it in for the 15 quart synthetic oil change. Whoops :-)

$100 for a psu to protect a $1000 computer is no problem.
Heh: sounds like cheap speakers. If you're smart you go by RMS wattage and frequencies, anything else is hopelessly distorted.

But thanks for the advice: I've been focused on all of those major parts, and not really considering the quality of the psu. Maybe just replace it preemptively, why not?



I was embarrassed to mention it, but there are two reasons I'm getting a good price on this computer. It was a company purchase for someone else, so he hadn't shelled out $2000 of his own money just last year with delusions of recouping most of it. But also, it was apparently poorly shipped.
Case is scuffed, the cpu cooler makes noise ($60 for a good one, I can pony up), and even one of the of the fans on one of the 2 gpus (radeon 4890s? good cards?) makes noise. The gpu fan might be harder to fix... or just take the 2nd one out. It's still a good deal.

But the kind of abuse that would cause two fans to become damaged, what else should I be looking for errors in?
Again, if it's even a major component, this computer is still a good 2nd hand deal. It's not a good deal if it's multiple major components. Specs below....

The psu is (was?) a good model, corsair 1000W: any possible damage, or are they durable units?












$550
EVGA X58 3x SLI\Xfire Mother board
Intel Core i7 920 Quad Core 2.66GHz Socket LGA 1366.
4GB Corsair RAM.
2 x ATI Radeon HD 4890 Video cards.
1000W Corsair PSU (HX1000W)
PNY SSD 128GB
DVD Reader\Writer
Antec Case
 
Last edited:
Fifteen quarts of oil!? My car uses like 5! o.O And yes, it's exactly like picking car speakers in that respect.

That seems like a good rig. Corsair makes some of the best units on the market, and that one in particular is awesome...no worries there. :good:

The only aging components are the graphics cards, but the only thing you'll really lack is DirectX 11. Two 4890's is still a monster setup. You should be able to play any game on max, likely with 100+ fps.
 
Sounds good :-)
I ended up buying it... for $550, I couldn't touch that price building off of newegg.

Regarding the porsche: it has a rear engine, and is "air-cooled," which actually means that instead of running water&antifreeze through a radiator, it runs the engine oil itself up to the front of the car and through an oil-filled radiator... so you're filling all those lines with oil, too. The average car takes about 2gallons antifreeze, and in this car, those 2 gallons antifreeze are replaced with an extra 10qts oil. The engine/ oil pan itself is still probably only your usual 5qts.
I suppose they have their reasons... but it sure does make for an expensive oil change!

Ah, question here, doesn't quite merit its own thread:
Came with 4gb memory, he had bought this kit:
TR3X6G1600C9
But the third stick had died. He doesn't have it anymore-- if it would still be under warranty anyway.
It looks like that model number is only for the kit, not for individual sticks: can you recommend a single stick that will be directly compatible, or, a 4-stick kit that will be directly compatible? I was encouraged to try to match memory stocks, and not to just go with any other ddr3 stick

Second question, where might I find a replacement fan for the one graphics card...?
 
You've bought the system huh? Congratulations, it's quite nice.

If you want the eye candy of DX11, I would recommend selling your 4890's and buying a GTX 480, or if you wait, a Radeon 6000 series card. They aren't out yet but some places have them on preorder.

They have a new naming scheme so in terms of power, the 6870 is equal to a 5770, which in turn is a bit better than a 4870.

So ideally you want a 69xx card from AMD.

That board can do SLI and crossfire, so I would also recommend a dual GTX 460 1Gb setup, two of those in SLI have more power than a sinlge GTX 480, and consume less electricity, and make less heat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top