Need a new(ish) computer

September 7, 2009 6:15 PM

I am looking to buy a used computer off of Craigslist and I would like a few tips on how not to get burned.

The advertisement states:

I have had this desktop for about 2years and it has been a great computer. I used to use it as my main machine and as a gaming machine, but now that I dont really play any games anymore and I got a new laptop, I dont see myself needing this machine anymore. I currently have Windows Vista SP2 with all the updates currently installed, however I can install XP on it if one prefers it. The specs are as follows:

* Core2duo 1.6ghz processor
* 2gb of ram
* 250gb and 500gb harddrives are installed
* 512mb Nvidia GeForce graphics is installed
* Netgear wireless g card installed
* A tv tuner is installed and the pc includes a windows media center remote control.

I have also have a few PC games I won't need so if you are interested in them as well, I can sell them for a good price.

Bioshock
Fear
Fear Extract Point - expansion pack
Fable
Legacy of Kain - Defiance

He is selling this for $250. So:

A. Is this a good deal?
B. What sort of tests would you run and what things would you look for before handing your over your money?

I am looking to play older games so the age of the comp is okay. Thanks in advance.

posted by Brandon1600 to computers & internet (13 comments total)

250 for this? Sounds like a pretty decent deal to me.

As far as things to check, I would look in the case to see if all the fans are running, especially the Graphics card and Processor fans. Bring a usb mouse or something so you can test the usb ports and headphones and/or a mic to test the audio jacks.

If you want, it wouldn't hurt to run Memtest on it, but not all sellers are willing to sit around and wait for that test to finish.

It probably doesn't have a monitor, but if it does, check for dead or hot pixels that may be there.

Uhh, that's all I can think of off the top of my head, but I'm sure other Mefites can fill in the gaps.
posted by Geppp at 6:22 PM on September 7

Come to an understand of what happens if you bring it home and it's dead. Seriously, a system can run fine for ages in one spot, but the move dislodges dust, or a small static charge and then you're stuck with a heap.
posted by furtive at 6:34 PM on September 7

Looks like a pretty solid deal to me.
posted by kylej at 6:41 PM on September 7

I have an almost identical specs-wise desktop from three years ago that I bought new at TigerDirect for about the same price (it was a fantastic deal, but still). Since it's been used for two years it has probably depreciated in value, and the seller shouldn't be asking what he may have easily paid new.

I'd check places like TigerDirect and other merchants for refurbished machines (or new machines -- mine was new, but the company that produced it had been bought, and the new company didn't want to put new cases on old computers so they offloaded them on TigerDirect). You might be able to pay something similar to $250 and get a computer that doesn't have a high potential for being dead or full of viruses or something.
posted by k8lin at 6:42 PM on September 7

This is a much better deal, function wise, than you could probably get from a big-box retailer. That being said, buying a used a computer from an individual means you cannot reasonably insulate yourself from being burned.

It sounds like he built it himself, which is good in that he probably knows computers relatively well. Do you? If the power supply dies when it gets back to your place, will you be able to replace it? What about the hard drive--if it dies, will you need to purchase another operating system copy?

A lot of this question has to do with how good you are with computers. If you could build your own, I would say go ahead and buy this one (assuming it looks find and actually runs, of course) because you could generally replace any single faulty part. If, however, you do not have system-building experience, I would say this situation has too much potential to go south for you. The simple fact remains that if I run up to a big box retail store, purchase a computer, and it is defective or slow in any way, I have at least 14 days to drop it back on the counter and swap it. Not so with Craigslist.
posted by Phyltre at 6:50 PM on September 7

We bought a laptop from someone off Craigslist and had quite good luck with it until it got fried in a freak magnet accident. Iron out all the "what will you do if something goes wrong" stuff first and you should be fine.
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:00 PM on September 7

That sounds like a totally reasonable deal. Especially if he built it himself.

But you're not going to get a warranty for this box. As others have said upthread, work out what you're going to do if it's DOA.

I have an almost identical specs-wise desktop from three years ago that I bought new at TigerDirect for about the same price (it was a fantastic deal, but still). Since it's been used for two years it has probably depreciated in value, and the seller shouldn't be asking what he may have easily paid new.

Yes, but at $250 retail, that system was not built with namebrand parts. It was built with OEM cheapo parts. There is absolutely a difference in terms of reliability and performance. So much so that at my last work, I handbuilt a box to precisely mimic the specs of a media workstation we'd bought from Dell. My handbuilt box ran damn-near twice as fast as the Dell box.

The specs printed on the box do not tell the whole story.

Three years ago, the graphics card itself would have cost at least $150 depending on GPU version. Even right now, there are a number of 512MB nVidia cards going for around $100. A Core2 Duo is $170 for 3GHz right now--3 years ago, I seem to recall that the top of the line was under 2GHz.
posted by Netzapper at 10:14 PM on September 7

Unless you want all the extras like the games, wifi, TV tuner, and graphics card (depending on model) you can easily build a new computer for $250.

Check on newegg - a Intel E5200 (2.5ghz Dual core, but not C2D) and mobo can be found for $100ish, (Fry's regularly has them for $99 also). The remaining RAM, hard drive and case are up to you but you can easily find new parts for under $150.

That said, this is only if you're up to building it yourself.
posted by wongcorgi at 10:50 PM on September 7

Walk it around the room once or twice during the inspection, if that will make you feel better about it's travel-worthiness, and the seller agrees. But if you've inspected the machine and found it to be running to your satisfaction, then once you trade cash for it, the cash is his, the box is yours. While you can always ask for other terms, I can't imagine someone selling a used computer, in-person, on any other basis.
posted by TruncatedTiller at 5:30 AM on September 8

To add to what people are saying about reaching an agreement about what to do if it's dead after you take it home, as a seller of a computer like this I would have to honestly tell you that it's sold without warranty, express or implied. What you see is what you get, etc. I would expect you to bring whatever diagnostic software you wished, run it as long as you wish to satisfy yourself, but I would not assist with this. If you weren't satisfied, I would not expect you to purchase the machine.

As a purchaser of a computer, I did exactly this and made sure that the seller knew I was going to do it ahead of time so he wouldn't be surprised that I stayed at his house for 20 minutes while it ran. In my case it was a Mac, so I used a TechTool diagnostic CD. You boot directly to the disc and it runs diagnostic checks on all the hardware with a report at the end. Everything checked out. I also took a look inside the system for obvious mechanical issues. When I was satisfied, I purchased. I didn't expect the seller to know the system was good.

If it had died after I took it home, that's my fault and has nothing to do with the previous owner.
posted by odinsdream at 5:56 AM on September 8

Yes, but at $250 retail, that system was not built with namebrand parts. It was built with OEM cheapo parts. There is absolutely a difference in terms of reliability and performance.

This is incorrect. OEM parts are not different physical parts. They are sold under different terms. For example, I can buy an OEM hard drive from the local computer place or I can buy a retail hard drive. They're the same hard drive, but one of them comes in an anti-static bag while the other one comes in an anti-static bag inside a colorful box with instructions. It's the same hard drive.
posted by odinsdream at 6:13 AM on September 8

Sounds like it is a good deal. In February I built a 2.4ghz Core2Duo for around 600usd from newegg. So unless you want to build a very bare machine you can't do much better with the tv tuner and 2 hd's. If you don't need those the hd's and tuner just build your own machine. just make sure he isn't giving you some old crappy cd drive you will want a dvd drive even for older games.
posted by bravowhiskey at 11:03 AM on September 8

This is incorrect. OEM parts are not different physical parts. They are sold under different terms. For example, I can buy an OEM hard drive from the local computer place or I can buy a retail hard drive. They're the same hard drive, but one of them comes in an anti-static bag while the other one comes in an anti-static bag inside a colorful box with instructions. It's the same hard drive.

I should have made more clear the distinction between OEM versions of namebrand gear and big manufacturer OEM parts.

For the first set, they are exactly the same thing, yes. A Western Digital harddrive in either the foam packing or in the big shiny box is identical. Which is why, when I'm shopping, I always buy the OEM-packaged gear.

However, if you look at a Dell that says "512MB nV 540", it's going to be some piece of cruft the Dell suppliers cooked up with whatever cutrate components they decide to use--decreased memory timings, etc. The motherboard on that case will not have been produced by any manufacturer you can name. Etc.

So, in the case of the latter type of OEM part, those actually commissioned by the OEM, there can be a huge difference in both performance and reliability when you buy an "identical" spec'd card from FoxConn or MSI.
posted by Netzapper at 1:26 PM on September 8