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Author Topic: Buying a used desktop..how good are specs?  (Read 3349 times)

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Gilgamesh21

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    Buying a used desktop..how good are specs?
    « on: June 19, 2017, 04:24:41 AM »
    Hi all,

     I am planning to buy a used desktop computer to replace my GTX 860m Lenovo y50 70 and here are the specs of the hardware:

    - Sapphire Radeon RX 470 GB VR ready.
    - Asus P8H61 rev 3.0
    - Intel i5 3.2ghz 3470
    - Cooler Master Hyper 103
    - Crosair vengeance 2x8 gb
    - HDD: 1 TB

     I have already checked that the GPU  can run newest games at 1080p 60 fps but my concern mostly is the how good the motherboard is and if it is possible to upgrade for better graphics card or CPU (AMD Ryzen for example). Also the overclockability .


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    Re: Buying a used desktop..how good are specs?
    « Reply #1 on: June 19, 2017, 07:29:58 AM »
    Here are some things to share .
     Is that a used custom build for sale?
     Is the sale through a company like eBay?
     Is the vendor a company or a individual?
     Is there any kind of warranty?
     What would it cost if you got new parts and built it yourself?

    IMHO, used electronics of any kind should either be bought directly from somebody in the same city or else from a store or online service that has some kind of warranty.  I would be very careful about any home built desktop.

    Whenever I use a local for sale service, I want to go see the item myself  and buy it on the spot for cash.

    Otherwise, that sure looks like a great build. The - Asus P8H61 rev 3.0 has ood reviews.
    How much do they want for it?
    Is this the mobo?

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    DaveLembke



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    Re: Buying a used desktop..how good are specs?
    « Reply #2 on: June 19, 2017, 10:31:08 AM »
    From my experience with ITX boards which this appears to be, I'd avoid it for a gaming build. They are cramped for space and I have run into issues with them. When CPU heatsink is added its going to be very close to added video card and the heat from the CPU may heat up the backside of that video card that gets added.


     They are better suited for people wanting to make small space saving computers that are just workstations or space saving servers. The other issue is that you have no ther PCI Express shots, just the PCI Express 16x slot and thats all. So your locked in not being able to add anything else.

    A bare minimum for a gaming build for motherboard, I would suggest an mATX board which is slightly larger. And it will give you a few more slots for adding cards if needed. It will be less cramped for space and components will breathe better with air space between them.

    Gilgamesh21

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      Re: Buying a used desktop..how good are specs?
      « Reply #3 on: June 19, 2017, 03:48:34 PM »
      Here are some things to share .
       Is that a used custom build for sale?
       Is the sale through a company like eBay?
       Is the vendor a company or a individual?
       Is there any kind of warranty?
       What would it cost if you got new parts and built it yourself?

      IMHO, used electronics of any kind should either be bought directly from somebody in the same city or else from a store or online service that has some kind of warranty.  I would be very careful about any home built desktop.

      Whenever I use a local for sale service, I want to go see the item myself  and buy it on the spot for cash.

      Otherwise, that sure looks like a great build. The - Asus P8H61 rev 3.0 has ood reviews.
      How much do they want for it?
      Is this the mobo?

      - Yes, it is a used build and the seller claims he bought the GPU , RAM, Cooler and Chasis in Nov 2016 with their receipts.
      - Neither eBay or a company. I live in Sweden and there is an app where people post things they want to sell. So am buying from an individual.
      - If I would get the parts myself brand new, it would perhaps cost me perhaps double the price.

      The seller lives in a city nearby and I would go there and meet him in case I decided to buy it.

      Unfortunately, the seller did not post a clear picture of the mobo so I could not tell if it is identical to the one in the picture. He only posted the mode's brand and number. And I do not think the seller want to sell the mobo on its own so I do not know how much he would ask for it. But the price he is asking for the whole build is 4500 SEK ~ 516 $

      From my experience with ITX boards which this appears to be, I'd avoid it for a gaming build. They are cramped for space and I have run into issues with them. When CPU heatsink is added its going to be very close to added video card and the heat from the CPU may heat up the backside of that video card that gets added.


       They are better suited for people wanting to make small space saving computers that are just workstations or space saving servers. The other issue is that you have no ther PCI Express shots, just the PCI Express 16x slot and thats all. So your locked in not being able to add anything else.

      A bare minimum for a gaming build for motherboard, I would suggest an mATX board which is slightly larger. And it will give you a few more slots for adding cards if needed. It will be less cramped for space and components will breathe better with air space between them.


      I actually intend to game (or even mine) on this rig so if that is the case with such boards then I better avoid it. Especially that AMD cards tend to generate more heat as far as I know.



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      Re: Buying a used desktop..how good are specs?
      « Reply #4 on: June 19, 2017, 06:20:07 PM »
      Quote
      The seller lives in a city nearby and I would go there and meet him in case I decided to buy it.
      God idea.
      I do not think you will need another PCI slot. Most of what you might want can be done with the USB ports. Also  this board has a PS/2 port, which might be useful. It also has a printer port and the old serial port, which means   you can use some legacy devices with that mono. That board might now be hard to get.. But Intel will continue make CPUs that use that chip-set and socket.

       :)

      Gilgamesh21

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        Re: Buying a used desktop..how good are specs?
        « Reply #5 on: June 20, 2017, 03:23:27 PM »
        God idea.
        I do not think you will need another PCI slot. Most of what you might want can be done with the USB ports. Also  this board has a PS/2 port, which might be useful. It also has a printer port and the old serial port, which means   you can use some legacy devices with that mono. That board might now be hard to get.. But Intel will continue make CPUs that use that chip-set and socket.

         :)

        True but in fact I have no PS/2 peripherals nor printers around so practically those ports are of not much use. But can I for example upgrade for a better CPU, an I7 6th gen for example?

        BC_Programmer


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        Re: Buying a used desktop..how good are specs?
        « Reply #6 on: June 20, 2017, 05:29:51 PM »
        But can I for example upgrade for a better CPU, an I7 6th gen for example?
        According to the specification sheet for the motherboard, it only supports 2nd generation Core processors (Sandy Bridge).
        I was trying to dereference Null Pointers before it was cool.

        DaveLembke



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        Re: Buying a used desktop..how good are specs?
        « Reply #7 on: June 21, 2017, 06:41:41 AM »
        Nice catch BC  :)

        Quote
        Intel® Socket 1155 for 2nd Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3 Processors
        Supports Intel® 32 nm CPU
        Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
        * The Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 support depends on the CPU types.