Should I trade this laptop, for that desktop?

[crypta]

Hey guys I put my wifes laptop up for sale and got a reply that wants to know if I would trade him. To me it sounds like the desktop blows the laptop away, which has me wondering why the hell does he wanna trade? Unless he just wants a laptop... IDK. Are any of the componets that he has listed prone to failure or anything like that? What would YOU do if you had this decision to make? Thanks you all! Any opinions welcome!

Wifes Laptop:
Alienware M17x
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad core Processor Q9000 (2.0GHz, 6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB x4)

6 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz (3 DIMMs)

1 GB Single NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M

500 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) with Free Fall Sensor

Operating System DVD, resource DVD

64BIT Operating System, OS Customization

Internal 300Mbps Dual-Band a/g/n Wireless with MIMO Technology

Hard Drive Bracket

17 inch WideXGA+ screen

210W/240W switchable Slim 3P A/C Adapter

9 Cell Primary Battery

Bluetooth 2.1 module with EDR

Cyberlink Power DVD 8.0,

8X DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability


And the specs of the desktop the guy sent me via email:
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory

LG DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH24NS70

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Blue RC-932-KKN3-GP Black Computer Case with USB 3.0

ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor Built-in Speakers

Logitech Z323 2.1 Speaker System

Logitech Cordless Desktop EX 100 Black RF Wireless Keyboard and Mouse

HITACHI 500GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor

BIOSTAR TA870U3+ ATX AMD Motherboard

RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-630SS 630W Modular LED Power Supply

EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 01G-P3-1556-KR Video Card

LINKSYS WMP54G 32bit PCI2.2 Wireless-G Adapter

Microsoft JR9-00011 Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows

Cooler Master Intel Core i5 compatible Hyper TX3 Socket 775/1156/AMD 130W 92mm CPU Cooler RR-910-HTX3-G1

SIIG CE-MT0012-S1 Black 10" - 24" Fixed LCD TV/Monitor Mount

 

[tsnor]

If he built it he has invoices or can get online. If it's stolen he doesn't. I'd guess from the parts list he built it. The copy of windows is either genuine or will cost you $100. I could see wanting either, so trade is not unreasonable. IF you need a server, seems a much better deal than selling the laptop and buying your own. If a system fails a server is really easy to fix compared to a laptop so you are taking the lower risk end of the deal. You'll need to figure out how to swap so that you actually get the server. Seems the odds of a scam are much lower if he can show receipts.

 

[crypta]

Talked to this guy further and he says he built the computer for a friend of his who could not come thru paying for it so hes kept it himself. says its about 4 months old and said he can provide a receipt of all the parts that were sent from same place... newegg or somewhere im guessing. So should I go for it?

lol the only thing that makes me nervous is I placed the add on craigslist and the guy told me what town hes from and its like 300 miles away from where I live. but said he has friend that lives where I do and would come here to make the exchange. I would make sure it has all the components that he says is in the machine before making trade. it just seems odd that he would travel that far to trade a desktop like that for the alienware laptop... unless he just would rather have a laptop... I looked all the parts that he listed up on newegg and it came to $1099.00 USD I had planned on building a desktop with the money from selling the laptop but I'm seriously considering trading with this guy.

 

[tsnor]

If nothing else it'd be a learning experience to see how you can get ripped off.

Seriously, can't see how you can lose if you were planning to build a gaming system and are OK with AMD X6 1090T.

Aside: If his new cost was $1100 and your laptop new cost was >$1100 for alienware laptop seems like a swap is not that far from a fair balance.

Suggest you build a bootable usb drive with tools that will tell you the CPU, clocks, etc. (cpu-z, gpu-z) It's pretty hard to fake a 6 core amd, memory size, etc. That'll show it boots. Likewise I'd run an overnight mil spec erase job against the drive on the laptop then do a clean recovery load of the OS. Very unlikely this guys is after cookies from your wife's broswer, but a good erase removes all doubt.

good luck.

 

[crypta]

"If nothing else it'd be a learning experience to see how you can get ripped off." I lol'd my ass off at that. but u are right!

When you say use CPU-Z.. will the sysinfo from windows suffice? or can that be faked somehow? I dont know that much about computers, as u may have already concluded, so I really appreciate the input.

Wise sage! Yeah a full wipe is great idea. Wife and I discussed that and she said she didnt have any bank records or anything on there but I agree that it would be better to wipe it clean. Thanks again!

 

[crypta]

Best answer selected by crypta.

 

[crypta]

I passed on the trade... wife decided to keep it, thanks tho!