[SOLVED] Secondhand PC specs - need opinion - is it worth the asking price?

[oliviervue]

Hi!
A friend of mine is trying to sell me this PC for 300 euros. I don't know anything about PC-building and specs in general, but have been looking to get into PC for a while. Is it worth the money, or am I getting scammed out of something I could do myself substancially cheaper?

Barracuda 7200.14 - SATA III 6 gb/s - 2 To
SATA 22x graveur disc burner
Value DDR3 4Go PC12800 NS
Antec HCG - 520W
SATA Cable
Define R4 - Black Pearl
H97M-E
Core i5 4590 (bulk)
Hyper TX3 EVO
MX100 - 256 Go
GeForce GTX 970

 

[Deleted member 14196]

I wouldn’t touch it you can build a really nice new system for around $400

 

[FarmingTNT]

Hi!
A friend of mine is trying to sell me this PC for 300 euros. I don't know anything about PC-building and specs in general, but have been looking to get into PC for a while. Is it worth the money, or am I getting scammed out of something I could do myself substancially cheaper?

Barracuda 7200.14 - SATA III 6 gb/s - 2 To
SATA 22x graveur disc burner
Value DDR3 4Go PC12800 NS
Antec HCG - 520W
SATA Cable
Define R4 - Black Pearl
H97M-E
Core i5 4590 (bulk)
Hyper TX3 EVO
MX100 - 256 Go
GeForce GTX 970

The only semi-interesting part in that build is the graphics card, the GeForce GTX 970 which is worth around 100 euros used. Other than that, the CPU could be better, the ram could definitely be better (4 Go? like what?).
D'ailleurs, j'ai l'impression que tu es français? Je te dirais de lui demander plutôt 250€, mon PC ressemble plus ou moins à celui là (j'ai 8 Go de ram au lieu de 4) et je l'ai eu pour 250.
So to answer your question, I don't think you could get something substantially better but you could probably get something better if you tried. This would need a bit of time though, and if what you're really interested in is to get int PC gaming NOW, then I'd say it's worth it, sort of. Just know that if you ever want to upgrade (which you will), it'll probably need a new motherboard, since the socket this CPU uses is uncommon and the best CPUs in this socket aren't much better than this one.
PS I imagine you have around 300 bucks on your hand as a budget for a PC, do yourself a favor and don't get a full new PC with them, it will probably lack performance, get a used one instead.

 

[Olle P]

The listed computer is probably somewhat the right price based on components, but good for nothing as is.
With more RAM added it should be good enough for web surfing, office apps and some light gaming. As of today it's got to little RAM, a modest CPU and a video card that's a little bit overkill for use with tha CPU.

At that price you could build a brand new computer with similar usage. Depending on what you want to use it for you'd be even better off by adding or removing some to the budget.

 

[Olle P]

The only semi-interesting part in that build is the graphics card, ...

Nah! The case, HDD, SSD and CPU cooler are also parts that could be re-used. Not worth much used in terms of money, but will cost a bit to replace.

 

[FarmingTNT]

The listed computer is probably somewhat the right price based on components, but good for nothing as is.
With more RAM added it should be good enough for web surfing, office apps and some light gaming. As of today it's got to little RAM, a modest CPU and a video card that's a little bit overkill for use with tha CPU.

At that price you could build a brand new computer with similar usage. Depending on what you want to use it for you'd be even better off by adding or removing some to the budget.

I don't wan't to sound mean or anything, I mean it in the most honest way possible: why do you recommend a new PC? I imagine he has 300 euros as a budget more or less seeing as he considered his friend's offer. I just feel like 300 is tight for new parts. As I said, I sound mean but really, not my intention.

 

[FarmingTNT]

Nah! The case, HDD, SSD and CPU cooler are also parts that could be re-used. Not worth much used in terms of money, but will cost a bit to replace.

true, although think of it like this: those components seem to have been bought years ago, don't you think the storage would become quite slow? the HDD especially, theyre already slow but after time they just become so much slower

 

[Olle P]

... why do you recommend a new PC? I imagine he has 300 euros as a budget...

Two reasons:

1. €300 seems (as you noted above) a bit steep for the offered computer parts.
2. The offered computer is pretty much useless without modification, because of the minimalistic RAM, and the video card isn't a good match for that CPU.

Depending on the intended usage a new computer can be built at around the same price with similar performance but having a longer life span and less power consumption.
It's also not a hard recommendation, but a nudge. Depends, as said, on intended use as well as the user's willingness to work with (add/replace) the hardware.

... don't you think the storage would become quite slow? the HDD especially, ... after time they just become so much slower

No. Both disks should of course be checked for flaws and TRIM status. When they get to old you get read/write errors and then they need to be replaced.
An HDD doesn't get any slower by age as such. Given that the stored data is thoroughly defragmented a couple of times per year it will perform as new. (Some slow-down can be experienced as a result of more data being added to the storage, but given the same amount of data on the disk the speed shouldn't change.

 

[spacejunk]

The CPU and GPU are both useable and still relevant. But those are the only items of worth I can see in that system and the only components I would consider using relative to a system at that price-point.

It's not terrible value, but this purchase locks you into paying for other parts that don't represent good value and locks you out of the flexibility of fine tuning your budget to get the best parts at this price-point.

If it was me, I would rather build a new system for just a little bit more. I believe this to be better value as you also get peace of mind through warranty of parts.

I'd probably look to build a budget system based off a i5 9600K and 1650-S.

 

[geofelt]

Worth is something only YOU can determine.
300 euros seem reasonable to me.
It is not clear how much ram is included.
4gb is woefully inadequate and you should plan on a 2 x 8gb upgrade kit if that is so.
The psu is decent, as are the graphics card and the processor.
Remember, you are also getting, I presume, and activated copy of windows. which is a 100e value.
I like the case.
Since you know little about building a PC, I think you would do fine buying the one friend is offering.
And... If he/she/ is truly a friend, you will get support.