Buying a second hand Gaming PC - pros and cons

amadablam

Hi all

I've been looking at buying a new pc or laptop and for around 1k there seems to be full setups available second hand online.

Anyone had any good or bad experiences in buying second hand?

Im a bit out of the loop with specs for cards and ideally I'd like something that performs well for the occasional game but doesn't look like an American fridge freezer in the process.

Thanks

TitianGerm

amadablam wrote: »

Hi all

I've been looking at buying a new pc or laptop and for around 1k there seems to be full setups available second hand online.

Anyone had any good or bad experiences in buying second hand?

Im a bit out of the loop with specs for cards and ideally I'd like something that performs well for the occasional game but doesn't look like an American fridge freezer in the process.

Thanks

Do you not want to build yourself? There was a deal on an AWD-IT posted on Boards a few weeks ago for £499.

If you upgraded the GPU to a Vega 56, the motherboard to B450 and ram to 2x8GB 3000mhz and added a bigger SSD on the build configurator it came to around £840 or just under €1000.

Someone else might be able to put together something better though.

amadablam

TitianGerm wrote: »

Do you not want to build yourself? There was a deal on an AWD-IT posted on Boards a few weeks ago for £499.

If you upgraded the GPU to a Vega 56, the motherboard to B450 and ram to 2x8GB 3000mhz and added a bigger SSD on the build configurator it came to around £840 or just under €1000.

Someone else might be able to put together something better though.

Thanks for your help.

I've No problem building at all and have done a few in the past.

I guess I was looking at the value of some of the second hand setups which had a lot of peripherals, monitors, etc and I'm trying to weight up the pros and cons of it.

Probably better to build though and I'd prefer a SFF tyke as well as it has to be reasonably discreet.

Im not looking for a ground breaking gaming rig but I was going to buy a new laptop or desktop and then thought that I might as well have a bit of a gaming setup out of it.

This could prove to be another needless addictive upgrading obsession

probably get more value from a second-hand desktop than a second-hand gaming laptop tbh.

obviously need to carefully consider the components being offered and the upgradability of same.

amadablam

glasso wrote: »

probably get more value from a second-hand desktop than a second-hand gaming laptop tbh.

obviously need to carefully consider the components being offered and the upgradability of same.

yeah Im looking at desktops but there are a bewildering array of graphics cards, MB's and processors of varying ages and its hard to know whats going to be worth upgrading before you purchase.

Or even hard to know what should be on the short list to look out for.

Might be worth considering a new build on that basis i guess.

TerrorFirmer

On a budget of 1K I would 100% build new. That'd get you a Ryzen 2600X, GTX1660Ti, nice monitor, etc.

2nd hand definitely has its place but not around the 1K mark really, you're genuinely unlikely to get a machine that delivers much better value than building new, factoring in warranty etc.

A few months ago it was slightly different but now it's definitely the case.

amadablam

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

On a budget of 1K I would 100% build new. That'd get you a Ryzen 2600X, GTX1660Ti, nice monitor, etc.

2nd hand definitely has its place but not around the 1K mark really, you're genuinely unlikely to get a machine that delivers much better value than building new, factoring in warranty etc.

A few months ago it was slightly different but now it's definitely the case.

Thanks for the info on the Processor and card, I need to narrow down a few items to research. So throw a few at me

would the Ryzen offer better value and performance over an Intel of the same price point?

Id like a SFF build if possible too but seems to be plenty of cases out there that arent massive

So many versions of some parts and some seem to work better with others.

Im going to go 1k or maybe a bit more but just for the PC build and not including monitor.

I need to do a bit more reading on what builds I should be working towards so as Id like to future proof anything that I can for a couple of years anyway.

K.O.Kiki

Instead of pure SFF, maybe try to build in something like the Riotoro CR280 mini?

Still plenty small (21.5L) but you don't have to triple-check every single component to see if it fits.

amadablam

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Instead of pure SFF, maybe try to build in something like the Riotoro CR280 mini?

Still plenty small (21.5L) but you don't have to triple-check every single component to see if it fits.

Thanks K.O.Kiki, I'd definitely like to stick to full size it standard sized components.

What are the best options on the mother boards? As future proof as possible while not being overkill.

Whats popular with folks on here?

I was looking at 32gb of HyperX Predator DDR4 ram as well. Would that be a decent start?

wotzgoingon

amadablam wrote: »

I was looking at 32gb of HyperX Predator DDR4 ram as well. Would that be a decent start?

That's crazy considering your budget 16GB's is more than enough. Try to get 16GB's of 3200-3600MHz.

amadablam

wotzgoingon wrote: »

That's crazy considering your budget 16GB's is more than enough. Try to get 16GB's of 3200-3600MHz.

I might increase budget a bit more. Would like to do it right but if you think 16gb is enough I guess it's an easy upgrade when I get it built.

Looking at motherboards and cases now.

wotzgoingon

It is plenty, 16 is the new 8 especially if only gaming.

amadablam

wotzgoingon wrote: »

It is plenty, 16 is the new 8 especially if only gaming.

Thanks for your help

What about this motherboard?

ASUS AMD Ryzen 2nd Gen Gaming Motherboards (ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FKTZC4M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xWRMCb209BMBS

wotzgoingon

This board has better VRM

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-B450-GAMING-PRO-CARBON/dp/B07FP11742/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_2?keywords=B450+Gaming+Pro+Carbon+%28AC%29&qid=1553646376&s=computers&sr=1-2-fkmrnull

If you want a cheaper board with good VRM then this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-B450-TOMAHAWK-Motherboard-Processors/dp/B07FQ9ZJD9/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=B450+Gaming+Pro+Carbon+%28AC%29&qid=1553646376&s=computers&sr=1-1-fkmr0

amadablam

This is the kind of build Im looking at but not wholelly decided on a few components (case, ram might go to 32gb, additional sata hd at later stage, etc)

anything in there that I should consider spending more on?

Its going to be for general work also, image/video editing and gaming so needs to be able to do a bit of everything.

Wanted to add the 1060TI but it wasnt on the list for some reason. Also thinking of Vega 56

Also noticed that there was a Ryzen 7 2600X MAX which included the Wraith MAX cooler so I might go with that.

The B450 Tomahawk board is also on the list


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7 GHz 8-Core Processor (£268.38 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: AMD - Wraith Max 55.78 CFM CPU Cooler (£29.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard (£116.95 @ AWD-IT)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£93.75 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Mushkin - Source 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£48.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6 GB ROG STRIX Video Card (£237.40 @ Alza)
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case (£87.40 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£93.16 @ Ebuyer)
Sound Card: Creative Labs - Sound Blaster Audigy Rx 24-bit 192 kHz Sound Card (£51.48 @ Box Limited)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link - TL-WDN4800 PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter
Total: £1027.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-27 10:40 GMT+0000

K.O.Kiki

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7 GHz 8-Core Processor (£278.18)
CPU Cooler: AMD - Wraith Max 55.78 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For £0.00)
Motherboard: MSI - X470 GAMING PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard (£119.98 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£93.75 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Mushkin - Source 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£48.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB XC BLACK GAMING Video Card (£259.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: be quiet! - Pure Base 600 w/Window (Black/Orange) ATX Mid Tower Case (£79.97 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£77.47 @ Amazon UK)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus - PCE-AC55BT B1 PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter (£29.49 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £987.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-27 12:30 GMT+0000

BloodBath

Ye could do better on the case front lads surely?

If I'm spending €100 on a case I'd expect it to be finished a bit better than cheap unpainted plastic. Nobody want's to see the PSU and the mess of wires coming out of it either. There's literally 100 cases better than those in the same price bracket.

Try something from NZXT.

K.O.Kiki

BloodBath wrote: »

Ye could do better on the case front lads surely?

If I'm spending €100 on a case I'd expect it to be finished a bit better than cheap unpainted plastic. Nobody want's to see the PSU and the mess of wires coming out of it either. There's literally 100 cases better than those in the same price bracket.

Try something from NZXT.

Eh, Pure Base 600 is quality though. Silent Base 601 would be even better now I think of it.
IMHO PSU shrouds are overrated.

BloodBath

It's all subjective I guess. You don't really have to choose between style and quality these days though. You can get both in that price range.

TerrorFirmer

I would probably agree, that case looks a bit naff. Obviously it's all subjective but in that same price range I would probably go for the NZXT H500 or Fractal Meshify. I'm sure there are loads of others but those 2 spring to mind. Prefer a shroud as well myself.

amadablam

Thanks lads, I will check out those cases. The fractal looks nice. I'd shy away from anything too flashy and would prefer understated, highly functional and quiet. Something that doesn't scream 'gaming pc' but looks decent

TitianGerm

amadablam wrote: »

Thanks lads, I will check out those cases. The fractal looks nice. I'd shy away from anything too flashy and would prefer understated, highly functional and quiet. Something that doesn't scream 'gaming pc' but looks decent

I have a Cougar Panzer case but I'm going to get a H500 in the next few weeks because I just really like the look of them.

K.O.Kiki

Cooler Master MasterCase / MasterBox series are overlooked for cooling potential, too.

amadablam

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Eh, Pure Base 600 is quality though. Silent Base 601 would be even better now I think of it.
IMHO PSU shrouds are overrated.

I've been looking at the silent base 601 or 801 and the Dark Base 900
:cool:

Beautiful cases! Really look fantastic!