Question Budget desktop recommendations - - - - - Is this used gaming PC worth it ?

[gggirlgeek]

Is this used gaming PC worth it (see below)? Should I buy a new budget gaming system instead? I plan on offering $500 to start negotiations. I am thinking of upgrading it with an Nvidia 3060 Ti soon-ish.
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Used PC on Nextdoor App
Custom-built gaming PC, Red Dragon keyboard, mouse & gaming headphones
Asking Price: $650
Custom-built gaming PC, Red Dragon keyboard, mouse & gaming headphones. * Processor: Core 3.59 GHz AMD * Ryzen 7 3700X Graphics card: * Invidia 1070 RAM: 16 GB * Windows 10 Pro * Monitor: Samsung TV Model: UN32FH4005FZP * Custom-built keyboard & mouse * Red Dragon gaming headset & mousepad * Motherboard B450MHDV R4.0 * SSD *
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I didn't ask about the PSU yet because I will simply have to benchmark it to see if it's stable. Buying a new PSU might be an option. For drive space, I have many extra HDD's and SSD's at home.... I don't care about the extras he is offering... I don't care about software. The Samsung monitor is nice.

Question: It looks like I also might be able to upgrade the motherboard & CPU in a couple years and keep all the rest since it has DDR4 RAM and a nice looking case. Am I correct?

Other Recommendations for my budget? Maybe for Prime day?


Use case: For my husband -- Must play Doom Eternal and other Steam games on external 1080p TV. I'm interested in gradually collecting parts and upgrading. I can build systems but, right now, the prices are too crazy for that.
Budget: $1200 now, $1000 additional over 2 years.
Other: I'm cheap. I don't plan to buy another gaming system for 6 years. Just tweak it as I go.

Thanks in advance. You guys helped me build my beloved "SmartyPants" rig 9 years ago and it's still going strong.

 

[Lutfij]

Ideally you should ask for the specs like so:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:

and list the age of each component(not the OS, heh) after learning of it from the seller.

From what you've provided, I'm very skeptical about the board, considering it's actually a bottom of the barrel style board. You should ask about the make and model of the PSU and ofc it's age but in any case, I think it'd be moot since you're going to need to invest in a reliably built 750W PSU if you want to work with an RTX3060Ti.

I recently scoped out a system for a colleague...came up with this;
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($274.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Fractal Design Celsius+ S28 Dynamic X2 PWM 85.71 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($177.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING B550M-PLUS WIFI II Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB RT 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($147.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP33 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Corsair MP600 CORE 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 6600 XT 8 GB NITRO+ Video Card ($369.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($114.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Fractal Design Ion+ 2 Platinum 660 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($134.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1530.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-07-06 05:23 EDT-0400

So you're actually getting a lot more value for money when going brand new...and not having to deal with someone else's mistakes.

 

[gggirlgeek]

Your case and motherboard don't support USB 3.0 Gen 2. I am also not convinced that water cooler will fit in that small case if 2 HDD's are mounted, or the ram modules have heatsinks, or the SSD's have heatsinks. It's tight in there. I like the cooler though, will put it on my wishlist.

Also, the case is very open to dust. I would wrap many surfaces and fans in black pantyhose (pantyhose mod) to keep cat hair and dust out. (We have 3 cats, and it's very dusty where I live.) I did this to my old desktop and it's still sparkling clean inside.

Since I don't want to spend $1500 right now, and I'd rather spend money on better graphics, I think buying a good PSU and a decent graphics card (maybe 3060 Ti, maybe 6600XT) is the best idea. The mobo on that used system will do fine until I upgrade it along with a 5800X CPU in a year or so. The only problem I foresee with it is possibly heat. But I can get that water cooler in a few months. I can also avoid overclocking and limit the CPU to 99%.

I'm just thinking out loud here. Helps me process.

I think I'll look at the used PC and ask the guy to run a game for a half hour and see how it does. The only other thing I'm concerned about is space in the case for HDD's along with water cooling. I'll have to look at it to see. I have an old, roomy case here but it would need PCI cards to use USB 3.0 gen 2. It might just be the thing though.

 

[Why_Me]

https://www.amazon.com/Phanteks-PH-EC360ATG_DBK01-Ultra-fine-Performance-Digital-RGB/dp/B08KKF38XV/

Phanteks Eclipse P360A Mid-Tower Computer Case $89.99

Rear exhaust fan for that case.

https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-F12-PWM-PST-Technology/dp/B08WH3XV6G/
ARCTIC F12 PWM 120mm 4-Pin Case Fan $9.99

https://www.newegg.com/phanteks-amp-series-ph-p650g-us01-650w/p/N82E16817987009
Phanteks AMP 650W 80+ Gold Modular Power Supply $79.99 + $10 off w/ promo code 4THBUA75, limited offer

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144528
MSI MAG B660M BAZOOKA DDR4 $129.99

https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i5-12400f-core-i5-12th-gen/p/N82E16819118360?Item=N82E16819118360
Intel Core i5-12400F $154.99 + $5 off w/ promo code FTPBU8562, limited offer

Amazon.com: DEEPCOOL GAMMAXX400 CPU Air Cooler with 4 Heatpipes, 120mm PWM Fan and Blue LED for Intel/AMD CPUs (AM4 Compatible): Computers & Accessories

Buy DEEPCOOL GAMMAXX400 CPU Air Cooler with 4 Heatpipes, 120mm PWM Fan and Blue LED for Intel/AMD CPUs (AM4 Compatible): CPU Cooling Fans - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

DeepCool GAMMAXX GTE CPU Cooler $14.99

https://www.newegg.com/team-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820331354
Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z DDR4 3200MHz 16GB (2x8GB) CL16 $48.99

https://www.newegg.com/team-group-1tb-cx2/p/N82E16820331561
Team Group CX2 2.5" 1TB SATA III 3D NAND Internal SSD $62.99

https://www.newegg.com/msi-geforce-rtx-3060-ti-rtx-3060-ti-ventus-2x-8g-ocv1-lhr/p/N82E16814137673
MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Ventus 8GB Video Card $499.99

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-11-USB/dp/B09V6R9QZZ
Microsoft Windows 11 (USB) $139.00

Total: $1215.91 *including promo codes & shipping

A better look at those components.

http://www.phanteks.com/Eclipse-P360A.html

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660M-BAZOOKA-DDR4

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...2400f-processor-18m-cache-up-to-4-40-ghz.html

i5 12400 / 12400F gaming benchmarks.

 

[gggirlgeek]

I've realized, by putting this on "paper", that what I'm looking for is a cheap, minimum CPU /Motherboard/RAM combo to allow me to use a decent GPU worthy of Doom Eternal at moderate settings in 1080p. I'd like to get the nice graphics and PSU now, then upgrade the CPU etc. in a year or two. So what I need is a future-proof case, GPU, PSU, and RAM. I need the cheapest DDR4-capable motherboard with no bios restrictions.

So, to me, a used custom build, or Asus desktop would be the way to go.

 

[gggirlgeek]

I've found some used destops on Backmarket. Is that a legit site? Is it a good idea to buy a shipped, used computer that is "certified" working with a 30 day warranty?

 

[Why_Me]

I've realized, by putting this on "paper", that what I'm looking for is a cheap, minimum CPU /Motherboard/RAM combo to allow me to use a decent GPU worthy of Doom Eternal at moderate settings in 1080p. I'd like to get the nice graphics and PSU now, then upgrade the CPU etc. in a year or two. So what I need is a future-proof case, GPU, PSU, and RAM. I need the cheapest DDR4-capable motherboard with no bios restrictions.

So, to me, a used custom build, or Asus desktop would be the way to go.

You can buy used but that's always a gamble. I posted a solid build up above within your set budget.

 

[gggirlgeek]

Thank you! That's awesome. I didn't realize it was possible to build a decent system affordably in the current economy. I will look at those parts and post back on the choices I end up with.

 

[gggirlgeek]

OK. So the build is finally done! Here's what I ended up with. https://pcpartpicker.com/user/gggirlgeek/saved/tFxPJx

Husband is a happy camper, or gamer if you will.

Next we need to get him a gaming monitor. Our 4k TV doesn't really do this GPU justice.

 

[gggirlgeek]

Here's the list:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor (Purchased For $163.85)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 V2 64.5 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For $34.99)
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (Purchased For $184.95)
Memory: Crucial CT2K8G48C40U5 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR5-4800 CL40 Memory (Purchased For $94.92)
Storage: ADATA SP900 M.2 128 GB M.2-2242 Solid State Drive
Storage: Inland 1TB Performance 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (Purchased For $99.00)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR 8 GB XC GAMING Video Card (Purchased For $519.00)
Case: Segotep Phoenix ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $74.99)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GT 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $79.99)
Custom: ARCTIC F14 PWM PST (Lot de 5) - 140 mm (Purchased For $38.99)
Total: $1510.90
Prices only include newly bought items. Some parts were recycled from old systems. This list is not complete. See link for additional accessories.
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-08-09 23:42 EDT-0400

 

[gggirlgeek]

We officially named her from the show, Ted Lasso. Thought it was a cute name but it's too adult to repeat here.

I got seduced into DDR5 RAM because it was Prime Day and there just wasn't much difference between a DDR4 combo and DDR5. I needed to move fast. Since then I've explored returning various parts for others but didn't see any justifiable benefit.

The stupid thing I'm most excited about is the 90-degree flipped motherboard in the chassis. The Segotep Pheonix case has the IN/Out ports on top of the case under a lid. Woo hooo! I don't understand why all cases aren't made this way. Really sick of trying to reconnect my Ethernet cable blindly because I don't want to pull my PC out. It never works and always makes me cuss!

I also bought my hubbie a bunch of super-long cables so he can game in the living room or bedroom at will. He's pretty happy with that. The system's home will be under the desk in the bedroom, but we like to hang together on our computers in the living room.