compromises between gaming computers

[benjos909]

I have been wanting to get a gaming computer for a while now on a budget. I was looking on ebay and i have found two options that looked pretty good but i wanted to know what the community would prioritize. The first computer has a 3rd generation i7. It has 4 usb 3.0 and 4 usb 2.0 slots, 8gig ram, 1.5 Tb storage.
The second computer has a 2nd generation i7, 10 usb 2.0 slots, 16g ram, 500g storage,comes with a wifi dongle, and a 1 year warranty. They both have the nividia gtx 1050ti 4gb. They both are approximately $500 and the sellers have good reviews and have sold many computers. My main concerns lie with whether there is a big difference in 1 generation cpu, the ram difference, and whether usb 3.0 is a must have.
I am obviously looking for the best value without spending over a thousand for a good computer, but both of theese seem like pretty good deals to me. I appreciate any input or alternate suggestions if there are any.

 

[Eximo]

I would avoid those. Not only can you buy used business PCs and add your own GTX1050Ti, but for only a little more you can get much better and brand new hardware.

See this model from Dell:
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/game/inspiron-gaming-desktop/spd/inspiron-5680-gaming-desktop

The i5-8400 is a 6 core processor that completely outclasses the 2nd and 3rd gen i7. Even the i3-8100 is still a quad core, more than equal to any 2nd - 7th generation i5.

Techbargains claims there is a $200 coupon on the GTX1060 model:
https://www.techbargains.com/category/357/computers/desktops

 

[Eximo]

Refurbished Dell 9020:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIADUM6YR6981
+
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/NndFf7/zotac-geforce-gtx-1050-ti-4gb-mini-video-card-zt-p10510a-10l

Mind that is an i7 with an SSD. If you drop back to 4th generation i5, you can get the desktop for about $200-225

So they are basically marking you up to $500 by using slightly older hardware. I would draw the line at 4th generation as well. Those are still more than relevant CPUs, maybe about 25% slower per core than current 7th and 8th gen hardware.

 

[Gyustarr]

If you're novice with hardware I'd suggest you avoid refurbished products. You could look into amd pcs, which are generally cheaper than their intel/nvidia counterparts. Finally, here is a small list of modern day budget gaming pcs. I'm not certain if they are delivered assembled, but that's a small hurdle.