Buying Used CPUs?

[smokeydragon97]

Hey everyone!

I have been looking to buy or make a second PC for streaming (encoding and screencapture), I have a basic understanding for what I need and have been looking at used hardware.

What age is in the "danger zone" for used hardware such as a CPU or motherboard?

I am currently looking at buying used computer parts;
I7 2600k (sell claims never overclocked)
GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 LGA motherboard + 4x4GB 1600MHZ DDR3 RAM

Is that a good purchase?

Thanks everyone!

Edit: I forgot to add a price! I saw an ad for $300 CAD, going to try and lowball for $250.
And to clarify I do have a high end rig for gaming, this one will simply be for capturing and rendering/encoding content

 

[2sidedpolygon]

Honestly, there really isn't one. Not sure about a 2600K for streaming, though. What's your budget, and what do the parts you're currently looking at cost?

 

[jaslion]

Hey everyone!

I have been looking to buy or make a second PC for streaming (encoding and screencapture), I have a basic understanding for what I need and have been looking at used hardware.

What age is in the "danger zone" for used hardware such as a CPU or motherboard?

I am currently looking at buying used computer parts;
I7 2600k (sell claims never overclocked)
GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 LGA motherboard + 4x4GB 1600MHZ DDR3 RAM

Is that a good purchase?

Thanks everyone!

How much is all of this? The 2600k is basically a ryzen 1400 but slightly slower. Not a streaming cpu at all when being used for gaming but seperatly it will be fine.

 

[tejayd]

If youre saying your using it as a second pc to stream from while gaming on another its probably fine. I've never tried that, but I'm guess it works well. You're also probably fine with a cheaper new cpu if you are doing it that way.

 

[smokeydragon97]

Not sure why the reply function isnt working on mobile..
[strike]
Anyways, this computer will be capturing footage from my main gaming rig, from my understanding it doesnt need to be powerful since its just using a capture card as the link.

As for price the one I am looking at is $300 from a local ad, going to try getting it for cheaper
And ive been looking at anything and everything for a bit.
[/strike]

 

[dontlistentome]

There is no 'danger zone' as such. Really the idea of buying used is to choose an older CPU that does what you need, but since it's older you can potentially save a lot of money.

A separate issue is the question of overclocking. I think it's a good idea to assume any overclocking oriented component has been overclocked. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but i think it's naive to assume it has not been overclocked. Back when it was new it cost a lot more due to being unlocked, not many besides overclockers would pay extra for that.

 

[2sidedpolygon]

Not sure why the reply function isnt working on mobile..

Anyways, this computer will be capturing footage from my main gaming rig, from my understanding it doesnt need to be powerful since its just using a capture card as the link.

As for price the one I am looking at is $300 from a local ad, going to try getting it for cheaper
And ive been looking at anything and everything for a bit.

$300 for a second gen chip? That's completely absurd. Or is that the whole computer? Anyway, if you're just capturing footage from your other computer you should be fine

 

[smokeydragon97]

Honestly, there really isn't one. Not sure about a 2600K for streaming, though. What's your budget, and what do the parts you're currently looking at cost?

My budget is really non-existant. I could buy new but I feel like it would be a waste for my use-case. I am using the machine purely as an encoder.

How much is all of this? The 2600k is basically a ryzen 1400 but slightly slower. Not a streaming cpu at all when being used for gaming but seperatly it will be fine.

The price for the motherboard, RAM and CPU is $300 CAD

$300 for a second gen chip? That's completely absurd. Or is that the whole computer? Anyway, if you're just capturing footage from your other computer you should be fine

It is 300 CAD for all items, realistically the RAM by itself is close to that price (wow that feels terrible to type out.)

 

[2sidedpolygon]

Honestly, there really isn't one. Not sure about a 2600K for streaming, though. What's your budget, and what do the parts you're currently looking at cost?

My budget is really non-existant. I could buy new but I feel like it would be a waste for my use-case. I am using the machine purely as an encoder.

How much is all of this? The 2600k is basically a ryzen 1400 but slightly slower. Not a streaming cpu at all when being used for gaming but seperatly it will be fine.

The price for the motherboard, RAM and CPU is $300 CAD

$300 for a second gen chip? That's completely absurd. Or is that the whole computer? Anyway, if you're just capturing footage from your other computer you should be fine

It is 300 CAD for all items, realistically the RAM by itself is close to that price (wow that feels terrible to type out.)

Is RAM still super expensive up in Canada? Dang. Anyway, I think that machine should be good for your use case. Like you said, no reason to waste money on buying newer/higher end parts.

 

[jaslion]

Honestly, there really isn't one. Not sure about a 2600K for streaming, though. What's your budget, and what do the parts you're currently looking at cost?

My budget is really non-existant. I could buy new but I feel like it would be a waste for my use-case. I am using the machine purely as an encoder.

How much is all of this? The 2600k is basically a ryzen 1400 but slightly slower. Not a streaming cpu at all when being used for gaming but seperatly it will be fine.

The price for the motherboard, RAM and CPU is $300 CAD

$300 for a second gen chip? That's completely absurd. Or is that the whole computer? Anyway, if you're just capturing footage from your other computer you should be fine

It is 300 CAD for all items, realistically the RAM by itself is close to that price (wow that feels terrible to type out.)

Another option you could look at is some completes or older workstations. Something like a dell T3500 or I7 mid tower would be under your budget, a complete system and has everything you need to go in it (apart from the capture card).