Question Prebuilt pc to replace laptop

[winnj101]

Hello

So I have this laptop currently https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus...7.3-wqhd-240hz-amd-ryzen-r9-79-lt-2kb-as.html

I have it hooked up to a 4k monitor. It does okay. But need something beefier. So question 1 if I was to sell the laptop am I best off going on Ebay? Or is there better sites for selling? What price should I be looking for?

Been looking at gaming desktop but not sure what graphics card I would need for smooth frame rates at 4k. Games I play are the assassin's creed franchise, nba 2k, f1 games, red dead redemption And looking at future release would like metal gear solid delta and gta 6 to run on it. What card would give me good frame rates at 4k?

I have been looking on scan.co.uk and have seen this one. But not sure if it is a bit overkill?

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/3xs...32gb-ddr5-16gb-nvidia-rtx-5080-2tb-ssd-win-11

Sorry it's a bit lengthy. Thank you in advance

 

[ak47jar3d]

I think ebay is fine for reselling laptops. I am in the US so no too sure on alternatives. 4080 laptop is basically a 4070 desktop in performance so a 5080 would be a massive upgrade. I don't either the 285k or 5080 for different reasons. The 285k is worst than intel own 14th gen and pretty much any am5 cpu in gaming. 9600x is a good cpu for gaming at 4k as its basically always gpu dependant. The 5080 costs significantly more than 5070ti and 9070 xt but only offers 15 percent more performance. Go for which is cheaper between those in your territory. I play a lot of the same games at native 4k with few exceptions. Future games? Hard to know. The ps5 pro would be much slower than those cards so I think gta and MSG should do just fine on pc (assuming competent ports) . I wouldn't expect gta on pcs for many years.

 

[Misgar]

So question 1 if I was to sell the laptop am I best off going on Ebay? Or is there better sites for selling? What price should I be looking for?

Her's a current ROG Strix Scar 17 on eBay but with an RTX4090 instead of a 4080 and an asking price of almost £2,200.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/22681526...jsAfZ3t0MLEJKJGRBx1HhfTic=|tkp:Bk9SR-r40r7uZQ

What price should I be looking for?

You need to spend some time watching eBay (two to three weeks). Check a few similar auctions all the way through to completion, then price your laptop accordingly. Don't be too optimistic.

Some people ask ridiculous prices, close to what they paid new. Ask too much and it'll remain unsold. Consider the depreciation on some luxury cars, which may lose half their value in two years.

At a very rough guess, you might get two thirds the price you paid new, or as little as half. It all depends on the age of the laptop and who's in the market, during the 7 to 10 day auction window.

You can set a high "Buy It Now" and dispense with an auction. Alternatively you can set a lower price, in the hope more than one person bids. If there's only one bidder, you'll wish you'd priced it higher.

Don't expect multiple bidders working against each other, throughout the entire auction period. It's common for nothing to happen until the last two days. If bidders are experienced, they'll "snipe" with their maximum bid, 10 seconds before the auction ends.

It's a lottery, because the highest bid still wins, but sniping can keep the selling price down. Good news for the buyer, bad news for the seller. When inexperienced bidders hike the price too much, snipers just wait for the next similar auction.

I'm not sure if eBay's new fee structure for sellers means you still have to pay listing fees if the item isn't sold (even after you voluntarily reduce the price and try again).

I sometimes buy old laptops on eBay for under £100, but I don't expect them to come with any remaining manufacturer's warranty. If I'm not in any great rush, I'll spend weeks until I get lucky with a £50 maximum bid for something that often sells for £75. No point wasting money.

When spending £2,000+ on a fairly common item, I prefer to buy new for a full guarantee. A few hundred quid off the list price isn't going to tempt me.

If something goes wrong with an eBay purchase, you might have difficulty getting the manufacturer or shop to honour the original buyer's warranty. The seller might not pass on the sales receipt so you won't know the date of purchase. The initial guarantee is normally with the shop, who may pass the item on to the manufacturer for testing. This may reduce the number of bidders, if they're concerned about continuation of any remaining warranty.

Provided you've described the item accurately as a seller and not hidden any known faults, if the buyer accepts your "No returns" terms and conditions, you're normally off-the-hook if something goes wrong at a later date. Professional sellers often give a 3 month warrany on second hand goods, to persuade more people to buy.

If there are any scuff marks or dents on the laptop case, photograph them in detail and mention them in the text. If a USB port is intermittent or broken, mention it. Be honest about even the slightest defect. For a £20 laptop you expect a few dings, but for a £2,000 laptop it's a different matter. It needs to be pristine.

If an eBay purchase is DOA and described as fully working, eBay will go out of its way to make sure the buyer gets a rapid refund. On rare occasions when I've complained to eBay about false descriptions, my money was returned almost immediately.

There's also the fact that eBay no longer pass the buyer's fee on to the seller immediately, but wait until the item has been delivered. This normally takes a few days, during which time you're out of pocket.

If the package is left unattended on the doorstep and stolen, you'd better hope you've got good insurance if you're the seller. Make sure the insurance covers laptops and the full sale price. It could be expensive if you get it wrong.

The way to avoid "lost" items is to mark the auction "Collection in person". That way, the buyer has to pick up the item and confirm receipt electronically in front of you, using a smart phone. I buy quite a few fragile/expensive items collect only.

With local collection you're severely restricting the number of prospective bidders to those prepared to drive some distance from home. This tends to result in a lower selling price.

For most collect items I set a 15 mile radius around home, but the furthest I've driven was 300-mile round trip, for a rare scanner costing £1,750. With a £2,000 laptop, you might find a similarly mad buyer, but don't count on it.

You can also offer to deliver the laptop yourself if you have transport and specify the maximum radius of catchment area around home (or work), e.g 25 miles. You'll probably increase the number of bidders slightly, depending on where you live, provided it's not Orkney.

 

[winnj101]

Thanks for the replies. Their really helpful. I do t have experience of an amd processor or graphics card. Always had Intel and nvidea.

Can see the amd one is about £500 cheaper. https://www.scan.co.uk/products/3xs...b-ddr5-amd-radeon-rx-9070xt-2tb-m2-ssd-win-11

Would this do the games mentioned in 4k at high settings?

 

[Misgar]

I do t have experience of an amd processor or graphics card. Always had Intel and nvidea.

My last two systems have been a combination of AMD CPU and NVidia GPU.

AMD CPU for lower power dissipation than similar Intel and NVidia GPU for better compatibility with video editing apps.

Can see the amd one is about £500 cheaper. https://www.scan.co.uk/products/3xs...b-ddr5-amd-radeon-rx-9070xt-2tb-m2-ssd-win-11

I see you're going for a pre-built, as opposed to a 'build-it-yourself' system where you have more choice of individual components. If you've never built a PC before and have two left hands, by all means buy a ready made computer, but if you manage successfully to build your own PC, you should end up with a better or cheaper system.

Scan don't mention the manufacturer and model number of the motherboard, but simply the B650 chipset. You have no idea if you're getting a basic, mid-range or high-end motherboard. Similarly, you don't know the manufacturer of the GPU. Main problem is the 850W PSU which might be a low-end, badly designed, short warranty item to keep costs down. Good PSUs come with 7, 10 or 12 years warranty. Bad PSUs with 3 years or less.

Would this do the games mentioned in 4k at high settings?

Have you checked the Recommended system specs for all games/programs you intend using? You need to match the CPU, GPU and RAM in your proposed system with all your favourite apps. Not difficult. Just type in "recommended system spec for xxxxx program" into a search engine.

 

[LOGAN54321]

Just for rough idea. I know that the cpu is not a "powerhouse". Because somebody will want to complain - let's repeat, for "illustration purposes only" , no part(component) is "set in stone". Yes, these are not "da best" parts, but they are not particularly bad either.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core Processor (£159.97 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: ID-COOLING FROZN A620 PRO SE 58 CFM CPU Cooler (£29.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B650 EAGLE AX ATX AM5 Motherboard (£121.59 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (£102.05 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial T500 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£119.41 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Palit GameRock GeForce RTX 5090 32 GB Video Card (£1939.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case (£85.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Power Supply: NZXT C1200 (2024) 1200 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£139.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £2697.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-16 15:45 BST+0100

 

[geofelt]

Ebay is a good place to sell if you can't find a local buyer.
Take the time to find your laptop on ebay and filter on completed auctions.
That is what buyers actually paid for the product.

On the pc you linked, I like it.
If you are familiar with Intel, there will be less of a learning curve.
Intel has delivered fixes for the issues present at launch.

For fast action gaming at 4k resolution, you need the best graphics card that you feel comfortable paying for.

One negative with pre-built pc's is the quality of the psu. Find out if you can what the make/model of the 850w psu might be. A quality psu will have a 10 year warranty.

The 285K sips power and really does not need an aio cooler.
A twin tower air cooler is, to my mind a better option.
It will cool just as well as the included two fan aio.
Plus, aio coolers do not last forever. Think 5 years.
Don't know if that is an option.

 

[winnj101]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Never built a pc. Most i have done is installed a 2nd hard drive and swapped a graphics card on an old desktop. Wouldn't know where to start building one myself. Does seem more cost effective though. Guess with orebuilt you're paying a premium for someone sourcing the parts and putting it together.

 

[Misgar]

Wouldn't know where to start building one myself.

There are guides, but if you've never done it yourself, there's always that nagging doubt you might get something wrong and make a very expensive mistake. The thing I dread most is dropping the CPU into the socket and bending the fragile pins. Ideally you'd find a friend, relative or work colleague to help.
https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/build-a-pc

Does seem more cost effective though.

I've no idea how much these firms spend on assembly, but I can build a PC in less than an hour. I'm ignoring the time to install Windows because they'll fit a cloned Sysprep drive. My local dealership charges £150 per hour to service my car, so the likes of Scan might charge a similar amount. There's also their profit margin to consider. You might save £500 if you DIY.

The main reason why experienced people on Tom's suggest building it yourself, is because you can choose the components (or follow someone else's suggestions). That way you know exactly what you're buying.

A really good "bespoke" PC builder might list the manufacturer and part number for every major component and offer alternative parts if you choose to upgrade from their base model. If not, you could ask for a detailed description including manufacturer/part number for the motherboard, RAM, GPU, SSD and PSU.

Even if you don't make any changes to their standard spec, if (and it's a big if) the system provider lists the exact part numbers, you're less likely to end up with a horrible nasty cheap PSU that dies one day after the main PC's warranty ends.

Here are a few more companies you could check, but I've not bought anything from them.
https://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk/
https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/
https://wired2fire.co.uk/
https://www.chillblast.com/

I have been looking on scan.co.uk and have seen this one. But not sure if it is a bit overkill?

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/3xs...32gb-ddr5-16gb-nvidia-rtx-5080-2tb-ssd-win-11

At £2749.99 it's not exactly cheap, but it should be capable of running many modern games at high FPS. Check the recommended spec of all the titles you'll be running and decide if the 285K/5080 is overkill and a 265K or a 5070 might do. It's your money though and if you can afford it, a fast system should keep you happy for 2 to 3 years, possibly longer.

 

[logainofhades]

Facebook Marketplace I would think would be available to you, regarding selling your laptop.

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Never built a pc. Most i have done is installed a 2nd hard drive and swapped a graphics card on an old desktop. Wouldn't know where to start building one myself. Does seem more cost effective though. Guess with orebuilt you're paying a premium for someone sourcing the parts and putting it together.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor (£324.75 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: *Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE WHITE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler (£35.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 ICE ATX AM5 Motherboard (£203.12 @ NeoComputers)
Memory: *TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (£100.64 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: *MSI SPATIUM M480 PRO 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£129.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: *Gigabyte EAGLE OC ICE SFF GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB Video Card (£839.95 @ AWD-IT)
Case: *Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case (£59.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Power Supply: *MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£129.95 @ AWD-IT)
Monitor: *MSI MAG 274QRFW 27.0" 2560 x 1440 180 Hz Monitor (£157.00 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1980.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-28 03:18 BST+0100


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor (£324.75 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: *Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE WHITE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler (£35.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 ICE ATX AM5 Motherboard (£203.12 @ NeoComputers)
Memory: *TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (£100.64 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: *MSI SPATIUM M480 PRO 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£129.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: *Sapphire PURE Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB Video Card (£634.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: *Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case (£59.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Power Supply: *MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£129.95 @ AWD-IT)
Monitor: *MSI MAG 274QRFW 27.0" 2560 x 1440 180 Hz Monitor (£157.00 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1775.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-28 03:24 BST+0100

https://www.msi.com/Monitor/MAG-274QRFW

https://www.montechpc.com/air-903-max

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RbcQeSO-1U