Where To Buy Used Gaming Pc
Graphics cards are very expensive right now due to supply issues and that is one of the main reasons why you might be interested in going for a used PC. Buying a used PC also means that all the parts are already installed and you do not have to put it together yourself. Getting a used PC can save you some money but there are multiple things to consider when doing so. In this article, we are going to go over the different factors that you should consider when buying a used gaming PC.
where to buy used gaming pc
There are plenty of things that you should consider when buying a used PC. There are also a couple of things that you should check before making the actual purchase. We have covered everything in detail below.
One of the major aspects of getting a used PC is that you can save a lot of money. Graphics cards are being sold well over MSRP right now and they are hardly ever in stock, so going with a used, slightly older PC might be the best option for your right now. At the moment, new graphics cards are being sold at 2 to 3 times the MSRP, so it makes sense that more people are attracted to the used PC market.
Do beware that since graphics cards are not available right now, older used graphics cards are being sold at a much higher price as well. So you should definitely look up different used graphics cards and get an idea of what specific models are going for in order to make sure that you are getting a fair deal. You should check the pricing of new graphics cards as well as listing for old ones to make sure that you are getting a good deal.
Prices for used PCs are mostly not fixed, and there is always a bit of wiggle room in terms of how much you need to pay. You can negotiate with the seller to save a few more bucks. This might not work in most cases but if you play your cards right then you might be able to save even more money than you expected. You can get some pretty good deals if the seller urgently needs to get the PC off his or her hands.
The age of the components is another factor that you should consider when buying a used PC. Going for older components means having to pay a lower price but it also means that you might not be able to use the PC for long. We would not recommend going older than a 6th generation Intel Core i5 CPU. Ideally, you should aim for an 8th generation Intel CPU keeping in mind that the 12 generation is just around the corner. This will ensure that you get decent performance and a processor that will last you a couple of years before you need to upgrade. On the AMD side, you should pick the first generation of Ryzen CPUs at the very least.
When it comes to gaming, the graphics card is going to do the major heavy lifting. We would recommend nothing older than the 900 series of Nvidia or 400 series of AMD graphics cards. If you are looking for an entry-level PC, then we can recommend the Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti or the AMD Radeon RX 560. For a mid-range PC, we can recommend the Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB variant or the AMD Radeon RX 570 8GB model, but the RX 580 would be even better.
How much the PC has already been used is going to be an important factor, as that is not only going to decide the amount of money that you should pay but it will also help you decide whether or not you should go with the particular used PC or not.
How well the PC has been maintained will also give you an idea regarding the use of the PC and how well it has been kept. If you see a lot of dust build-up then that is a sign that either the PC has not been maintained well or that it has been used a lot.
If you are buying a used gaming PC directly from an individual seller then you should check what you are buying beforehand in order to make sure that everything works as it should. Chances are the seller is not going to give you any kind of warranty afterward. You do get some security in this regard if you are buying from eBay or Amazon.
When it comes to a warranty from the manufacturer, in most cases there is a time limit on the warranty. If your components are old then you are not going to get any kind of warranty but if your PC parts are fairly recent then the manufacturer might cater to you in case something goes wrong. This will depend on the warranty policy of the manufacturer as some do not allow the transfer of warranty when a product is re-sold. This is something that you should keep in mind when buying a used gaming PC.
If you are buying a gaming PC from an individual then you should ask whether they got it new or used. If they did get it new then you can ask for a receipt from where they bought it from. This is going to help you prove that it was purchased legitimately and help you get a warranty claim from the manufacturer.
Parts of your PC such as the case and power supply can be used when you upgrade but you do need to consider an upgrade path when you buy a used gaming PC. Motherboard and processor compatibility is the most common thing that you need to take into account. Intel motherboards typically support 2 generations of CPUs.
AMD on the other hand has a much more flexible socket. Since the first Ryzen CPUs were announced, AMD has used the same AM4 socket which means that you can upgrade the BIOS of your motherboard and install the latest Ryzen CPUs without having to change your motherboard. You will need to check support for the motherboard as not all motherboards support all the Ryzen CPUs even though the CPU socket is the same.
Getting an ATX motherboard is going to give you RAM upgradability as well as there are 4 DIMM slots and you can add more RAM down the line. I recommend sticking with DDR4 as this standard is going to be relevant for a few more years. Even though DDR5 is around the corner and you can buy DDR5 RAM right now, compatibility is limited and prices are high. It is going to be a while before DDR5 RAM becomes mainstream. DDR4 in the meantime is going to give you the performance that you need for gaming.
eBay is a massive name when it comes to buying used things. You can sometimes get a good deal on eBay but in general, this is not an option that we would recommend as the ads posted here are published internationally and you have a lot of competition. You will have better chances of getting a good deal locally rather than competing internationally. Keeping in mind the currency supply issues, people are willing to pay more to get their hands on parts and that means that you will need to pay more as well.
In some cases, eBay does give you a level of protection by offering your a return in case something goes wrong. This is definitely something to consider if you are going to buy a used gaming PC from eBay.
There are all kinds of classified sites that you can check out PCs from. CraigsList is one of the major ones but you should be cautious when picking up a PC from this site as there is no indication of the relationship between sellers and buyers. There is no rating system that tells you how reputable or trusted the seller is. This is is not a site that I can recommend for buying a used gaming PC.
Cryptocurrency mining is very common these days and if you are looking for a used PC then chances are that it has been used for mining different cryptocurrencies. Whether or not you should buy a system that has been used for mining depends on the condition of the system and what kind of cryptocurrency has been mined on it.
For example, if it has been used for Chia mining then that can impact the storage of the PC. Unless you are willing to change the storage down the line if not immediately then you should not buy a system that has been used to mine Chia.
Similarly, if a PC has not been maintained well, has poor ventilation and a lot of dust build-up then chances are that it is not in great shape. This should be a red flag. Miners do tend to take care of the hardware in order to make the most out of their investment but if you see signs of overuse or poor condition then you should not buy the particular used gaming PC.
You can overclock the RAM, graphics card, and CPU in order to provide better performance. So should you buy a used gaming PC that has been overclocked? While it is true that overclocking PC parts can degrade them over time but they can still last a very long time even with extreme overclocks. When it comes to graphics cards and CPUs there are protections in place that keep the hardware from failing from high voltage.
It is also worth mentioning that the refurbished PCs that you can get good deals on are generally older office PCs that are great for word processing and content consumption but not great for gaming. They often rely on integrated graphics which means that you will need to get a graphics card and most likely upgrade the power supply as well.
If you are going for a used refurbished PC, then you are most likely going to get some accessories such as a keyboard and a mouse. But you should not expect much in terms of quality. Generally, these are not good enough and you will most likely end up throwing them away.
The number one thing to consider here is the price of the used PC. You might think that buying a used PC will always be cheaper but that might not always be the case especially right now when pricing is all over the place. You might find it cheaper to buy a new PC rather than a used one in some cases.
If you buy a used machine, test the battery right away: Make sure you can charge it to full, and then run the laptop until the battery dies. If you have time, repeat the test a second time. If you find that the battery can't hold a reasonable charge, you should probably return it for a refund, unless you can replace the battery inexpensively. Keep in mind that it might be hard to get a replacement battery for an older laptop.
For gaming, 8GB is considered the baseline for AAA titles. However, RAM demands are increasing. Red Dead Redemption 2, for example, recommends 12GB of RAM for optimal performance, while Half-Life: Alyx requires 12GB as a minimum. So, if you want enough overhead to keep playing new releases in the future, 16GB of RAM is recommended. 041b061a72