Buying a used desktop PC—verifying functionality before handing over $
September 20, 2014 9:16 PM Subscribe
I'm thinking of buying a used desktop. It's probably an entry-level+ system by gaming standards, but much better than the "any desktop will do" aisle at Best Buy—which is exactly the performance for price I want. How best to confirm that I'm getting a working version of the parts advertised in a short visit to a stranger's house?
What I have planned now: I'll be looking inside the case for the right parts, obviously. I will look at the BIOS to verify the processor, I guess, because it's obscured, and to confirm other info. (I have a decent if old knowledge of CPU internals but have never built a system.)
One concern is the seller saying "the hard drive has no operating system on it". If he doesn't have it set up to boot into an OS, what can I do to get a sense that the system runs? Boot from USB and run certain diagnostics? Most importantly I'd like to know that the graphics card is working and stable since it's the most expensive component. Knowing the audio subsystem works is important too. Can I check any of these things without an OS present? Related thoughts are welcome, including common problems to look for with used PCs and if I'm being too paranoid. (I mean, does PC hardware tend to have hidden problems if the basic subsystems check out?) Should I be insisting on anything demo-wise? Thanks.
What I have planned now: I'll be looking inside the case for the right parts, obviously. I will look at the BIOS to verify the processor, I guess, because it's obscured, and to confirm other info. (I have a decent if old knowledge of CPU internals but have never built a system.)
One concern is the seller saying "the hard drive has no operating system on it". If he doesn't have it set up to boot into an OS, what can I do to get a sense that the system runs? Boot from USB and run certain diagnostics? Most importantly I'd like to know that the graphics card is working and stable since it's the most expensive component. Knowing the audio subsystem works is important too. Can I check any of these things without an OS present? Related thoughts are welcome, including common problems to look for with used PCs and if I'm being too paranoid. (I mean, does PC hardware tend to have hidden problems if the basic subsystems check out?) Should I be insisting on anything demo-wise? Thanks.
Response by poster: Hi. The machine was built less than a year ago. It has an Nvidia GTX 760, a Gigabyte motherboard worth about $130 new, an AMD FX-6300, 8 gigs Corsair RAM, 620W, and completely average storage. I would be spending the same amount that I spent on a new Q6600 HP desktop six years ago from the aforementioned Best Buy, which just had onboard graphics. Until I added a then-pricey GTX 260 video card that is now sitting in my closet because the upgraded power supply broke during a power blip. But I digress.
Comparable new gaming systems here in Canada seem to run at least $300-400 more than my offer. I agree that I really ought to have the experience of building my own, but I'm probably never going to get the motivation. I priced out the major parts of this system and I'm getting maybe a 25% discount from new if I built it.
posted by sylvanshine at 10:07 PM on September 20, 2014
Comparable new gaming systems here in Canada seem to run at least $300-400 more than my offer. I agree that I really ought to have the experience of building my own, but I'm probably never going to get the motivation. I priced out the major parts of this system and I'm getting maybe a 25% discount from new if I built it.
posted by sylvanshine at 10:07 PM on September 20, 2014
Does it not have an operating system simply because he wiped the disk prior to sale or because he is transferring the license to another computer? i.e. do you get a license to run Windows with this machine? Or will you have to buy a retail copy of Windows?
You might want to check and see if the machine can be restored to original factory OS from a restore partition, as it doesn't sound like you're intending to install and run an alternative OS.
posted by Nerd of the North at 12:04 AM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
You might want to check and see if the machine can be restored to original factory OS from a restore partition, as it doesn't sound like you're intending to install and run an alternative OS.
posted by Nerd of the North at 12:04 AM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
Processor aside (Intel is the only realistic option for gaming cpus right now) that's actually a perfectly competent gaming machine; you should be able to run everything and have it look very nice.
To check it out, yeah, a boot CD/USB is the ticket. Note that you might have to set up USB booting in bios btw - do a little googling before you go so you know the procedure.
posted by Sebmojo at 12:50 AM on September 21, 2014
To check it out, yeah, a boot CD/USB is the ticket. Note that you might have to set up USB booting in bios btw - do a little googling before you go so you know the procedure.
posted by Sebmojo at 12:50 AM on September 21, 2014
I would be more sketched out if he didn't wipe the drive before selling. He's just trying to be professional. You could run a memtest from a Linux live disk to verify some hardware capabilities.
posted by oceanjesse at 1:11 AM on September 21, 2014
posted by oceanjesse at 1:11 AM on September 21, 2014
Best answer: There are nvidia drivers on linux now, and games like portal have been released on linux. I'd make a liveUSB stick on a big flash drive, like 16gb+, and install both the latest nvidia drivers and a game like that on that USB stick.
Any system made in like, the past ten years can boot USB. Especially a newer desktop board like that. This is a very reliable way to test what you're looking at. You really just want to see the video card run at the "3d" clock speeds, you don't have to run crysis.
I'd also inspect the cleanliness of the heatsink/fan on the CPU and GPU. Leave the game running, not paused, just standing in a level the entire time you talk to the guy about buying it too to test stability.
I've bought entire systems like this before, and it sounds weird, but i look more at the cleanliness and condition of the system itself physically and the same of the environment the machine was in. The last complete machine like this i bought came from a completely immaculate house, and was brand new levels of clean. I ran some minor tests, but didn't even do what i described above and it was perfectly fine. I probably would have ran plenty of tests if it came from a filthy gamer cave full of empty cheetos bags, if you know what i mean...
posted by emptythought at 3:32 PM on September 21, 2014
Any system made in like, the past ten years can boot USB. Especially a newer desktop board like that. This is a very reliable way to test what you're looking at. You really just want to see the video card run at the "3d" clock speeds, you don't have to run crysis.
I'd also inspect the cleanliness of the heatsink/fan on the CPU and GPU. Leave the game running, not paused, just standing in a level the entire time you talk to the guy about buying it too to test stability.
I've bought entire systems like this before, and it sounds weird, but i look more at the cleanliness and condition of the system itself physically and the same of the environment the machine was in. The last complete machine like this i bought came from a completely immaculate house, and was brand new levels of clean. I ran some minor tests, but didn't even do what i described above and it was perfectly fine. I probably would have ran plenty of tests if it came from a filthy gamer cave full of empty cheetos bags, if you know what i mean...
posted by emptythought at 3:32 PM on September 21, 2014
Windows 7 has a 30-day window after installation to enter the product key and activate it. Ask the seller to install a copy for you to use to see that everything's working.
posted by alexei at 4:17 PM on September 21, 2014
posted by alexei at 4:17 PM on September 21, 2014
Best answer: If the system was 'built' - i.e. not bought as a whole from a distributor, which is highly likely for a gaming machine - it's likely it never came with windows - so don't expect anything like a restore partition (as mentioned above.) The drive being wiped is normal.
Things I would do:
(1) Check the inside of the machine - largely for dust and similar. A system that's been running for a year in the house of a chain smoker will show the results.
(2) Boot from a live USB - ubuntu or something. Check what ubuntu detects the hardware to be.
(3) Run a few basic benchmark-like tests. Ideally, something CPU bound (to check stability/ not overheating), Memtest, and something on the GPU. This might be a good resource: http://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/benchmark-pc-hardware-to-diagnose-system-issues-with-ubuntu-live-disk/
posted by Ashlyth at 3:26 AM on September 22, 2014
Things I would do:
(1) Check the inside of the machine - largely for dust and similar. A system that's been running for a year in the house of a chain smoker will show the results.
(2) Boot from a live USB - ubuntu or something. Check what ubuntu detects the hardware to be.
(3) Run a few basic benchmark-like tests. Ideally, something CPU bound (to check stability/ not overheating), Memtest, and something on the GPU. This might be a good resource: http://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/benchmark-pc-hardware-to-diagnose-system-issues-with-ubuntu-live-disk/
posted by Ashlyth at 3:26 AM on September 22, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
How much are you expecting to pay for this machine, and what are the specs? You might try to check out newegg.com or a similar site to get an idea of what a comparable machine would cost to build from parts, which should give you some notion as to whether the offered machine is worth the money asked. Building a system is surprisingly easy, there are tutorials on youtube to help if you're unsure.
posted by axiom at 9:24 PM on September 20, 2014 [3 favorites]