[SOLVED] Buying a second-hand PC

[Wishbone1]

I am after a cheap PC to do some gaming.I was going to buy this one HP 400 G1 MT i5 4TH GEN 8GB RAM/500GB HDD WIN 10 PRO QUAD CORE 3.2GHz But i have looked at the sellers other stuff and saw this
6TH GENERATION TOWER COMPUTER i3 3.7GHZ SSD HDD 8GB DDR4 it is a custom build by Powerc,com.
PROCESSOR : i3 6TH GEN 6100 3.7 GHz ASUS H110M-PLUS MOTHERBOARD WITH O/B SOUND NETWORK USB 3.3.1+ 2 ETC
120GB SSD WITH O/S INSTALLED
8GB DDR4 RAM 1 X 8GB
ONBOARD INTEL HD 530 GRAPHICS
It is only 15 pound more than the HP one it seems to good to be true.It looks very dusty but that is easy to sort out.I must say that the seller offered me 5 pound less. for the HP not that that is much of a discount Should i wait and see if he gives me something off that one, or should i buy it before someone else dose ./https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/fEsAAOSwSJdgkVIf/s-l1600.jpg. https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/wlAAAOSwLjxgkVIe/s-l1600.jpg

 

[lvt]

Of course the second sale is more interesting.

Does the seller have any sort of warranty for his goods?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

if i was really desperate for quick access to an old low end desktop,
i might give somebody $40 for the i3-6100.
the HP 400 mentioned i may offer $25.

 

[norcalsc]

neither will be adequate for modern gaming, what games were you hoping to play? also what is your intended budget? you will need a graphics card to run any games as the integrated graphics won't cut it.

 

[animekenji]

When you're talking 4th or 6th gen, you're going to need an i7. i3 and i5 from those generations are going to be overwhelmed by the newest games. They don't process enough threads. The i7 6700 in my Asus G11CD is still hanging on in some older games, but I'm already having to turn down some settings in newer ones. Even the i7 8700 only runs on par with the i5 10400, maybe a few frames faster. Not enough to justify the prices people are asking for them right now compared to used i5 10400 hardware. Games are only going to become more demanding when it comes to cores and threads, and those older i3's and i5's aren't going to cut it anymore with only 4 and 6 threads available, respectively. I can live with it a while longer, but I have a 10th gen i5 on the way to cushion myself a bit until the next generation of hardware comes out.

 

[Wishbone1]

Of course the second sale is more interesting.

Does the seller have any sort of warranty for his goods?

neither will be adequate for modern gaming, what games were you hoping to play? also what is your intended budget? you will need a graphics card to run any games as the integrated graphics won't cut it.
[/QUOTE]

Of course the second sale is more interesting.

Does the seller have any sort of warranty for his goods?

Thats what i thought.Only the use-all thing most of them give on eBay 30 days.

 

[Wishbone1]

neither will be adequate for modern gaming, what games were you hoping to play? also what is your intended budget? you will need a graphics card to run any games as the integrated graphics won't cut it.

Yes i know that ,i am new to gaming.Its just that there all doing it on youtube. Mostly with with the Dells

View: https://youtu.be/uLAloVAmQ5s?t=32

View: https://youtu.be/p-U011Vc5sw?t=4
everyone is doing it.The prices of those machines have gone up since these videos.I thought i would go for something else.I want a seconded machine for Linux.I am not going to pay the over price the graphics cards are going for now.With the shortage

View: https://youtu.be/y2rHtY8vOfI?t=9

 

[Wishbone1]

if i was really desperate for quick access to an old low end desktop,
i might give somebody $40 for the i3-6100.
the HP 400 mentioned i may offer $25.

Prices in the US are a lot cheaper than in the uk.
Your a fan of Zeppelin i take it .

 

[SamirD]

Yes i know that ,i am new to gaming.Its just that there all doing it on youtube. Mostly with with the Dells

View: https://youtu.be/uLAloVAmQ5s?t=32

View: https://youtu.be/p-U011Vc5sw?t=4
everyone is doing it.The prices of those machines have gone up since these videos.I thought i would go for something else.I want a seconded machine for Linux.I am not going to pay the over price the graphics cards are going for now.With the shortage

View: https://youtu.be/y2rHtY8vOfI?t=9

These people have an agenda to push. Modding older Dells is NOT easy at all, and can end up being more expensive with less performance.

 

[Nichabell]

Just not going to happen without a graphics card.
8GB of mem is going to run out really quick and you will hit the page file bad.

That being said my 10 year old I7-920 paired with a 1060 still does decent job pushing out 60 fps. Problem is the 1060 is a $120 card selling used for 300
A GTX 260 is selling for 20 dollars but it is so old it may be DOA. It could also not but supported any more but if it works you could still expect 30ish fps which is playable.

Just a tough time to get into gaming sadly. Best bet is to wait for crypto to crash and build an appropriate PC then. I hear the 960s or 970s are starting to be unprofitable so we may see the market flooding with used low end mining cards to get something that is playable.

I am guessing this guy bought a used systems for 300, took out the 1060 in it and sold it for 300 and is now trying to unload the rest.

 

[Wishbone1]

Just not going to happen without a graphics card.
8GB of mem is going to run out really quick and you will hit the page file bad.

That being said my 10 year old I7-920 paired with a 1060 still does decent job pushing out 60 fps. Problem is the 1060 is a $120 card selling used for 300
A GTX 260 is selling for 20 dollars but it is so old it may be DOA. It could also not but supported any more but if it works you could still expect 30ish fps which is playable.

Just a tough time to get into gaming sadly. Best bet is to wait for crypto to crash and build an appropriate PC then. I hear the 960s or 970s are starting to be unprofitable so we may see the market flooding with used low end mining cards to get something that is playable.

I am guessing this guy bought a used systems for 300, took out the 1060 in it and sold it for 300 and is now trying to unload the rest.

I relise that will not cut it on its own with out a graphics card..Wow your i7 is old coming up for 13 years old now according to CPU Boss.The one in the HP is i5 4570 which is what a lot of the people in the videos are using. The cheapest new GTX1060 3gb on ebay uk price 275..Yes it is i don,t know when it is all going to and.There are still all those fake GTX cards from china people are still buying them i don,t know why.I think i will get the HP 400 G1 i can get a new 1050tI for £170 or do i go for a second hand Gtx1050 at a very good price of 70 pounds. i only what to play basic games anyway.170 is as much as i want to pay for a card. And 90 is max i want to pay for a second hand PC.Your lucky you as you in the USA where electronic goods are cheaper there.The custom Powerc,com PC has been sold now i should have bought it .The HP looks the best bet at the present time.

View: https://youtu.be/wrNd8ul8Df8?t=137

 

[animekenji]

These people have an agenda to push. Modding older Dells is NOT easy at all, and can end up being more expensive with less performance.

Linus turned an old SFF computer into a fairly competent game console, but he was only aiming to match the capabilities of an XBox or Playstation, not a full blown gaming PC.

 

[Wishbone1]

Linus turned an old SFF computer into a fairly competent game console, but he was only aiming to match the capabilities of an XBox or Playstation, not a full blown gaming PC.

I like Linus very informative guy, i am learning more and more tech from him and other computer guys on there .I just tried changing a cpu but it was making beeping noises so i checked the ram and that got it fixed, I m not sure i about changing the power supply though i keep on watching people doing it.At least i know how to change the CPU now .eBay is over loaded with those Dell SFF machines.I made the mistake of buying the only one that had the PCI Slot next to the power supply you could only fit up to the 1030 in it.That was the 3020.
It was to late for me to send it back to eBAYI don,t see so many HP SFF on there.I will be getting one of those Dells just have to wait tell one comes up at the right price. Some of them are asking silly prices for them.

 

[Eximo]

With a budget like you are wanting, I think the GTX1050 is a decent purchase. If you can find a micro ATX tower refurbished business PC, that is probably fine. Make sure the GTX1050 doesn't require a 6-pin PCIe cable, and that the motherboard in the PC can supply 75W through the PCIe slot. Many OEMs limit it to 35W. If so, then you WANT the GTX1050 with the 6-pin connector.

I've built around an Optiplex 9020 (i7-4790). Transplanted it to a full size case, added a decent power supply by making a PSU adapter, and slapping a GTX970 in it. Mounted a deepcool CPU cooler as well without removing Dell's proprietary backplate/CPU socket. All that took quite a bit of resources and as others have mentioned, not exactly painless. Front I/O was more or less left off, and had to hardwire the PSU to start, so the on/off was basically the PSU switch.

Still, I agree with many of the other posts. A DDR3 based system now, might not be worth it. If you can squeeze into a 6th CPU i5 that would be ideal. Maybe even tracking down a used Ryzen platform, would at least give you some upgrade options for the future.

 

[Wishbone1]

With a budget like you are wanting, I think the GTX1050 is a decent purchase. If you can find a micro ATX tower refurbished business PC, that is probably fine. Make sure the GTX1050 doesn't require a 6-pin PCIe cable, and that the motherboard in the PC can supply 75W through the PCIe slot. Many OEMs limit it to 35W. If so, then you WANT the GTX1050 with the 6-pin connector.

I've built around an Optiplex 9020 (i7-4790). Transplanted it to a full size case, added a decent power supply by making a PSU adapter, and slapping a GTX970 in it. Mounted a deepcool CPU cooler as well without removing Dell's proprietary backplate/CPU socket. All that took quite a bit of resources and as others have mentioned, not exactly painless. Front I/O was more or less left off, and had to hardwire the PSU to start, so the on/off was basically the PSU switch.

Still, I agree with many of the other posts. A DDR3 based system now, might not be worth it. If you can squeeze into a 6th CPU i5 that would be ideal. Maybe even tracking down a used Risen platform, would at least give you some upgrade options for the future.

Funny you should say that was thinking about the GTX1050 in face last week there was a seller selling a few of them on eBay for 70 pounds ,i don,t know weather it was a scam.I clicked on a few others selling the 1050ti at a really low price and it came up with we can,t find it.A lot of them on youtube say it can.I bet it did. with all the proprietary stuff Dell puts in them.I wish i got the custam PC.I mentioned on here. Talking about transferring the Dell to a new case i am surprised there are not any being sold on eBay i did see one it was a very small case i thought he put one of those SFF in there but it was not it was the 3020 mt.The guy made a few of them he must have sold them now.Thanks for all that info hope your having a good day.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/3a0AAOSw8A5gK5Ai/s-l1600.jpg

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/xV8AAOSwgvdgK5Al/s-l1600.jpg

. This is the one it is to small for the 3020 mt.
Cronus Leto Micro Tower Black Desktop Computer PC Case | MATX | USB 3.0 USB 2.0. £30

 

[Eximo]

Yeah, separating legitimate GPUs from scams will be a challenge.

The scam GPUs almost always have the same cooler designs with no branding. Stick to known brands when buying used. ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, Galax (Galaxy/KFA), PNY, EVGA, Palit.

A few legitimate ones at the moment running around 100, but bidding is still happening:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334022739244?epid=26032168900&hash=item4dc54e852c:g:riYAAOSw5QVgpCYf

Looks like a few real 1050 Ti have sold in the past few weeks. 80 for an MSI low profile, 100 for an EVGA unit (I had one like that), etc. So on a good day, 100. Nicer ones with bigger coolers are selling for around 125-150

These are what the scam ones generally look like:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164896275960?hash=item2664957df8:g:fp0AAOSwQplguMRN

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224483794775?epid=12045652572&hash=item344446df57:g:QqsAAOSwv~xguDA1

 

[Wishbone1]

Yeah, separating legitimate GPUs from scams will be a challenge.

The scam GPUs almost always have the same cooler designs with no branding. Stick to known brands when buying used. ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, Galax (Galaxy/KFA), PNY, EVGA, Palit.

A few legitimate ones at the moment running around 100, but bidding is still happening:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334022739244?epid=26032168900&hash=item4dc54e852c:g:riYAAOSw5QVgpCYf

Looks like a few real 1050 Ti have sold in the past few weeks. 80 for an MSI low profile, 100 for an EVGA unit (I had one like that), etc. So on a good day, 100. Nicer ones with bigger coolers are selling for around 125-150

These are what the scam ones generally look like:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164896275960?hash=item2664957df8:g:fp0AAOSwQplguMRN

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224483794775?epid=12045652572&hash=item344446df57:g:QqsAAOSwv~xguDA1

Yes people are still buying that fake Chinese stuff ,it has been going on some time now.And a lot of them on Wish and ALI Express.
What do you think of that tiny case the guy put the Dell in.?

 

[Eximo]

I would have to check that out to see. I follow a lot of tech channels, but I'm not sure I caught that one.

If you want tiny, looking for older Mini-ITX boards could get you started on that path.

 

[SamirD]

Linus turned an old SFF computer into a fairly competent game console, but he was only aiming to match the capabilities of an XBox or Playstation, not a full blown gaming PC.

Again, probably a lot of specialized work. Very easy for someone to do with sponsors, an advertising budget, and a workshop. Not for everyone and definitely not for newbies.

 

[SamirD]

I like Linus very informative guy, i am learning more and more tech from him and other computer guys on there .I just tried changing a cpu but it was making beeping noises so i checked the ram and that got it fixed, I m not sure i about changing the power supply though i keep on watching people doing it.At least i know how to change the CPU now .eBay is over loaded with those Dell SFF machines.I made the mistake of buying the only one that had the PCI Slot next to the power supply you could only fit up to the 1030 in it.That was the 3020.
It was to late for me to send it back to eBAYI don,t see so many HP SFF on there.I will be getting one of those Dells just have to wait tell one comes up at the right price. Some of them are asking silly prices for them.

I have the 3020 SFF. Not a gaming machine, but I put in a 4790k, got the 'high performance' hsf combo used on ebay, upped the ram to 16GB (or maybe it came that way? I forgot) and it's a decent machine for just regular stuff. I have been wanting to put a gpu in it, but aside from a quadro, there's not many low profile 1-slot cards with any real speed.

 

[SamirD]

What do you think of that tiny case the guy put the Dell in.?

I wouldn't even think of moving the 3020 SFF guts--those motherboards are more proprietary than even the MT versions. I would simply sell the system locally if you don't want it as you should be able to get your money back out that way.

 

[Wishbone1]

Can a 8 gen cpu be used in a 4 gen computer? someone is selling a
DellOptiplex 7020 MiniTower PC with a i5 8500. ?
Specification:

Processor:Intel (R)Core (TM) i5-8500 CPU @ 3.00GHz

Memory:8GB RAM
Hard Drive: 500 GB HDD
OS: Windows 10 Pro (Activated)
The Intel Core i5-8500 is a desktop processor with 6 cores, launched in February 2018. It is part of the Core i5 lineup, using the Coffee Lake architecture with Socket 1151

 

[InvalidError]

Can a 8 gen cpu be used in a 4 gen computer?

No. 8th-gen CPUs only (officially) go into 7th and 8th-gen motherboards. 4th and 5th generations use a physically different socket that makes compatibility with anything else physically impossible. HP and Dell reuse some model numbers for different things in different markets, so it isn't entirely impossible that there is a market where Dell may have used the 7020 model for 8th-gen products.

For example, my Compaq laptop from Canada had the same model number as a US model but the US model was Intel-based while the Canadian model used AMD.

 

[Wishbone1]

Specification:

Processor:Intel (R)Core (TM) i5-8500 CPU @ 3.00GHz

Memory:8GB RAM
Hard Drive: 500 GB HDD
OS: Windows 10 Pro (Activated)

No. 8th-gen CPUs only (officially) go into 7th and 8th-gen motherboards. 4th and 5th generations use a physically different socket that makes compatibility with anything else physically impossible. HP and Dell reuse some model numbers for different things in different markets, so it isn't entirely impossible that there is a market where Dell may have used the 7020 model for 8th-gen products.

For example, my Compaq laptop from Canada had the same model number as a US model but the US model was Intel-based while the Canadian model used AMD.

Thats what i thought This e is the one it comes withDELL Optiplex 7060 | Intel 8th Gen i5-8500 (6 Core) He has got pictures of the 7020 one i wonder if he made a misstake with the number.I sent him a message i don,t suppose he will get back to me though.He is a new seller so he could have made a misstake.
*DellOptiplex 7020 MiniTower PC
Thisis an ex-corporate machine which has been removed from a fully workingenvironment and refurbished by us, tested to be working perfectly, in completeworking condition.*
That looks like a cut and paste job his copied off of someone else.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

what exactly is the obsession with refurbishing a crappy old Dell OEM system?
just tying to save a few dollars vs full do-it-yourself building?
under the false assumption that due to Dell OEM system's popularity in the office & educational arena that they would have more trustworthy components that are worth recycling?

in the majority of these systems;
they are using crap cases with little to no airflow, proprietary cutouts, proprietary wiring and limited upgrade options.
garbage untrustworthy power supplies that could easily cause damage to any higher-end hardware you may try using with them.
low quality, low frequency, high timing memory modules with no heatsinks.
low speed, small capacity HDDs.
there's usually really nothing but a lower tiered CPU that may be worth re-using.
plus zero warranty unless purchased yourself through a certified Dell distributor.

i haven't noticed you mentioning any super low price(s) that may make any of these deals a worthwhile investment.
or mention any budget that could be better used towards decent hardware.