[SOLVED] Looking for advice on a craigslist deal, first pc so I'm a little nervous!

[Dryeetz]

Hey all!

I've been looking at getting a gaming pc for over a year now. I'm obsessed with Squad and post scriptem, (thanks alot karmakut! haha) and I think I'm finally going to pull the trigger and switch over to PC gaming. I don't have a lot of money to spend so I'm going for a very budget first pc.

Goal: be able to play squad at 1080p at 60+fps.

I found what seems to be a very good deal but I would love some advice about buying a used pc and whether this seems like a good deal that has some legs left to game another year or 2 on it. Thanks so much in advance, looking forward to your advice!

Heres the deal: https://images.craigslist.org/00r0r_jz7RzHMaM1Y_600x450.jpg The description: System was built by me in

2013
No hard drives
Intel i7-3770k overclocked to 4.5Ghz (running stable since 2013) Cooler Master Hyper 212+ HSF Gigabyte z77x-ud3h motherboard rev 1.1 Corsair DDR3 1600 RAM MSI Geforce 780ti reference card Chinese Special 5 port USB 3.0 expansion card Corsair TX750 PSU LG optical drive NZXT Switch 810 case, gun metal color
System has been solid since the first day I built it.
All the case fans have been replaced over the years as they failed.
Dusted and cleaned, but not detailed. Cash only. Price negotiable.

 

[USAFRet]

Several issues:

1. No drives.
2. Which means no Windows
3. Do you know how to test the parts you DO get?
4. It IS a 6 year old system. What is the price on this?

 

[Dryeetz]

Several issues:

1. No drives.
2. Which means no Windows
3. Do you know how to test the parts you DO get?
4. It IS a 6 year old system. What is the price on this?

The price is $250 OBO, I figured that if I would try to get them down to $200. After that I thought I'd put in a SSD and then get a bootable usb drive with windows 10. I know I'm super naive, I just thought that this might be a really good deal I might want to pass up. I was planning on moving slower and building one myself as I research and learn more.

 

[DSzymborski]

That's not a bad deal at all for $200, even with needing to shell out $90 for Windows.

 

[USAFRet]

For a novice, I'd recommend against a used, partial system.

For that...I wouldn't go over $150.

 

[Dryeetz]

That's not a bad deal at all for $200, even with needing to shell out $90 for Windows.

I don't think that there is any way that I could match that kind of gaming potential if I build my own, even with all used parts so it is really tempting. And I've heard of people using unlicensed windows 10 for free, I was thinking about maybe doing that to save the money there.

 

[Dryeetz]

For a novice, I'd recommend against a used, partial system.

For that...I wouldn't go over $150.

Yeah, I know there is a big potential to get burned here. I figured if I did get burned the case, psu, and mobo would be worth around 150 at least and I could take the build from there and make it work. Does that sound about right?

 

[USAFRet]

Yes, you can install and run Win 10 and leave it Unactivated. $0.

Add an SSD. 500GB-1TB.
$60 - $120

Crucial MX500, Samsung 860 EVO are the go to choices.

An 8GB flash drive to install the OS with.

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[Dryeetz]

Yes, you can install and run Win 10 and leave it Unactivated. $0.

Add an SSD. 500GB-1TB.
$60 - $120

Crucial MX500, Samsung 860 EVO are the go to choices.

An 8GB flash drive to install the OS with.

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

What are some things that you think I should read up on or be aware of if I end up going this route? Money wise it seems to be a great deal but I know that I'm very naive at this point.

 

[DSzymborski]

Microsoft can change the policy, but right now, the consequence of not activating Windows is missing personalization options and a watermark in the bottom right corner requesting you activate Windows.

 

[USAFRet]

What are some things that you think I should read up on or be aware of if I end up going this route? Money wise it seems to be a great deal but I know that I'm very naive at this point.

This is one of the reasons I recommend against a partial used system for a rank novice.
You don't know what you don't know.

Supposedly those parts work OK. But you can't really test it until you get a drive and working OS in there.
Now...if it fails to install and boot up the OS...is that due to broken parts, or your inexperience in installing the OS?

 

[USAFRet]

But, at $200...its not a huge investment for a potential good learning experience.

 

[Dryeetz]

This is one of the reasons I recommend against a partial used system for a rank novice.
You don't know what you don't know.

Supposedly those parts work OK. But you can't really test it until you get a drive and working OS in there.
Now...if it fails to install and boot up the OS...is that due to broken parts, or your inexperience in installing the OS?

Yeah I definitely see your point. Do you think that I would have the same potential problems if I elected to build my own pc as a rank novice? My other option was to buy a used workstation with a decent cpu and then just add a gpu in, mostly likely replacing the psu too. I would know that the pc would most likely run but I would not get the same gaming power for the money.

 

[Dryeetz]

But, at $200...its not a huge investment for a potential good learning experience.

Yeah, I kinda mentioned this in my last post but it seems like it might be worth the risk for the gaming power and since I'm just learning about working on, playing with and building pcs. If I end up getting burned its a learning experience nevertheless. I airsoft and am learning to tech and have probably, no definitely wasted more money on parts and builds that didnt work out than if i had paid to have it done but it has been alot of fun learning how to do it and thats why we mess with this stuff in the first place I think.

 

[USAFRet]

Building from all new parts removes the possibility of something used being broken.

 

[Dryeetz]

Building from all new parts removes the possibility of something used being broken.

Thats a good point, but in my case I would probably use mostly used parts to save money and end up in pretty much the same position so either way I think I'd be taking a similar risk. I'm going to look into some other deals here locally for used workstations that I know will be in working condition that I could just add a gpu to.

Is it really that risky to just add a gpu to a pc with an oem psu? I've heard that it can be risky.

 

[Sheepofdoom]

Assuming it all works, it's a pretty good deal (but feel free to haggle). PC performance has largely plateaued since like...2011, so old equipment like this is really just fine unless you're pushing a 1440p/4k/VR screen. The 780 GPU is pretty ancient, but also very easy to upgrade. See if you can get a used/cheap 1080p monitor with good image quality, buying a new 1080 monitor might be a bit of a waste but you can chug along quite a while and reuse the case/PSU indefinitely. You could probably find similar systems but LESS old for like $300, but this is a good learning opportunity.

They're right though, a bare system with no drive in it is a good way to get scammed on a broken PC. Ask the seller if they can plug a drive in and demonstrate the PC still operates okay. If he built it himself & kept it running this long, he should be able to see your concern and be willing to prove his nerd-cred at the very least. Hell, ask if he'll let you get that SSD/thumbdrive install running before you buy if he doesn't have anything on-hand. (I'd recommend above 500 GB SSD, 500's enough but also getting easy to fill up nowadays)

If it's still running okay, then I say go for it. Down the road do a cheap GPU upgrade first then new Mobo/CPU/Ram/Monitor guts next generation, but at 1080p you're sitting pretty until something dies. You can't get that level of Case & PSU for $200, so that's almost worth it alone (assuming the PSU isn't wearing out).

 

[Dryeetz]

Assuming it all works, it's a pretty good deal (but feel free to haggle). PC performance has largely plateaued since like...2011, so old equipment like this is really just fine unless you're pushing a 1440p/4k/VR screen. The 780 GPU is pretty ancient, but also very easy to upgrade. See if you can get a used/cheap 1080p monitor with good image quality, buying a new 1080 monitor might be a bit of a waste but you can chug along quite a while and reuse the case/PSU indefinitely. You could probably find similar systems but LESS old for like $300, but this is a good learning opportunity.

They're right though, a bare system with no drive in it is a good way to get scammed on a broken PC. Ask the seller if they can plug a drive in and demonstrate the PC still operates okay. If he built it himself & kept it running this long, he should be able to see your concern and be willing to prove his nerd-cred at the very least. Hell, ask if he'll let you get that SSD/thumbdrive install running before you buy if he doesn't have anything on-hand. (I'd recommend above 500 GB SSD, 500's enough but also getting easy to fill up nowadays)

If it's still running okay, then I say go for it. Down the road do a cheap GPU upgrade first then new Mobo/CPU/Ram/Monitor guts next generation, but at 1080p you're sitting pretty until something dies. You can't get that level of Case & PSU for $200, so that's almost worth it alone (assuming the PSU isn't wearing out).

Lots of great advice here, I'll be referring back to it as I try to carry out this deal. Part of me wants to just keep researching forever before I dive in and the other part wants to just dive in and take some chances. I've been considering switching over to PC for years and keep putting it off. I also am on a serious budget so I don't see myself moving past 1080p gaming on a used screen for years to come so this pc should be all I need for as long as it will last, hopefully a few years.

My other idea was to look for deals here locally for used workstations that I know will be in working condition that I could just add a gpu to. Is it really that risky to just add a gpu to a pc with an oem psu? I've heard that it can be risky. If I have to replace the psu with a quality one and then add a decent used GPU I feel like i'll end up spending a good bit more than I would on this craigslist deal for a comparable pc.

 

[Sheepofdoom]

I kinda assume you pulled the trigger on something at this point. My only concern with a workstation is that there's a good chance it was built for running word & spreadsheets. Competent but somewhat bare bones, and a decent chance that it won't be able to power better graphic cards. As GPUs keep creeping over 100W, your stock workstation might only have 2-400 power, and the risk of it not working will only get worse. (I don't believe it'll HARM anything, the PC just won't power on.)

IF that PC is working, it's a much better deal than what a comparable workstation will probably have. Assuming that Power Supply hasn't been abused, you can reasonably expect that PSU and case to last indefinitely, and you'll be able to run whatever guts you want.

Just make sure it's not a brick, otherwise it's gonna be tough finding similar bang for the buck.

 

[Dryeetz]

I kinda assume you pulled the trigger on something at this point. My only concern with a workstation is that there's a good chance it was built for running word & spreadsheets. Competent but somewhat bare bones, and a decent chance that it won't be able to power better graphic cards. As GPUs keep creeping over 100W, your stock workstation might only have 2-400 power, and the risk of it not working will only get worse. (I don't believe it'll HARM anything, the PC just won't power on.)

IF that PC is working, it's a much better deal than what a comparable workstation will probably have. Assuming that Power Supply hasn't been abused, you can reasonably expect that PSU and case to last indefinitely, and you'll be able to run whatever guts you want.

Just make sure it's not a brick, otherwise it's gonna be tough finding similar bang for the buck.

That's a good point, I was a little late on the draw and this computer was sold. I'm still looking at all the used apps and what not and might have a deal on a purpose built gaming pc with a I5-4950, 1060 gb for 150 with mechanical keyboard and mouse. Seems like a steal! If it works that is.. haha