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r/buildapc•
oby100

What parts are safest to buy second hand?

Building a PC for the first time so would love some advice on buying parts secondhand. Looking to be a mid tier gaming PC. Only need 60 FPS for AAA games for the next few years. I'm trying to pick up a few good deals on craigslist, and I'm looking for tips to avoid buying a part that's "worn out". I'm very likely to buy motherboard, CPU and GPU brand new.

Storage- This seems fairly safe to buy second hand. I only want a 1 TB hard drive and 250 GB SSD and it doesn't seem like "hard use" could cause them to be really slow.

Monitor- As long as it turns on and can be connected too I'm safe right? Not sure if there's any ways for monitors to "wear out" other than old age.

Memory- Looking for 12- 16 GB. Seeing a lot of nice deals on CL and not sure if there's major risks to buying second hand as long as it works.

Case- Is there any reason not to buy a cheap case? Could components not fit in certain cases?

Fans- Don't know much about how necessary these are, but there's a bunch for $10 on CL

Power supply- I know cheap power supplies are a huge no no, but as long as it's a good brand I'm safe right? Not much chance of an older power supply boning me right?

GPU- Only "major" component I'm tempted to buying second hand. My research tells me GPUs don't ever "slow down." They work perfectly until they stop working forever. Should I be concerned that previous owner has overclocked it for long enough to make it near death? I'm looking at GPUs around 4GB. I think thats probably enough power for the next few years of casual gaming.

CPU- Same as GPU. I'm tempted but worried that even a "great deal" can net me with a heavily abused component. Unlikely to buy used for this. Below is what I'm looking at right now.

https://www.amazon.com/AMD-Processor-Wraith-Stealth-Cooler/dp/B07B41WS48

Motherboard- Definitely new. Any advice for what criteria I should be looking for with gaming in mind?

I'm aware of pcpartpicker to check for compatibility before I buy any components. Do cases need to be compatible though?

Appreciate any help/ advice

Posted Dec 3, 2018, 9:11 PM UTC

314
mustfix•

Monitor, memory, mobos, cases are safest to buy second hand. Easy to verify function, hard to scam.

CPU and GPU are hit and miss. There are some insidious scams that requires you to power it up and use it to find out if they're the real deal or not.

Don't buy disks^* or power supplies used. Not worth it.

^* Used enterprise disks/SSDs are awesome deals if you know how to check SSD wear levels/power on time.

11
Ruubix•

I find motherboard's are a mixed bag sometimes. I prefer open box or certified refurbs, because I don't want to risk harming the rest of my hardware because of an issue.

2
oby100OP•

So with a motherboard, and probably memory, what would I have to check in a face to face deal? Just that a computer will boot up with the motherboard or memory installed?

Is it worth worrying if all the ports definitely work? Or should I avoid buying if the parts seem really dusty?

1
mustfix•

Memory: plug it into a working system and verify it says what it is in BIOS.
Mobo: see it working or have the seller have a guarantee on its working order.

Dust is not a major concern on mobos. Yes, you should be concerned that every port is in working order.

1
partizann•

The Mobos are basically the single biggest failure point in the PC - so I would be really cautious with buying them, preferably get them with warranty.

On the other hand, CPU is one of the safest buys - if they are physically OK - no chipped of stuff, scuffed pads or bent pins, etc. - all those can be inspected immediately with just a look. Electrically the CPU is quite hard to damage unless its deliberate.

1
hoanghiep2111•

Half of my computer is used parts and it's still running fine. Let me just put down a quick list.

  1. GPU, used and mined. This puppy ran just fine, the seller even brought me 5 of them and asked me which one I wanted... Overclocked it just fine, no coil whine, no bent fins, well taken care of.

  2. Kraken x62 CPU AIO Cooler. Another item I think is fine to buy used, especially if it's air cooler. Just make sure it comes with all the necessary parts to mount it to your mobo.

  3. RAM. Totally fine to buy this parts used, Although with all the recent sales during BF and the holiday you can get some killer deal on new one.

  4. Case. I mean if it fits, it works, technically a cardboard can be a case right?

  5. Fans. These usually are fine as well, I haven't ran into any problems buying these used. They makes noises and move air.

CPU I wouldn't buy used unless there's something specially about them like delidded or specially binned. PSU I would also buy new for the longer warranty. Monitor, unless it's a gaming monitor that worth over $200 I think it's also safe to buy used.

2
Falcre•

As someone whose entire build (until upgrading days ago) was built out of used parts, this is what I think. I'm speaking in terms of both ordering online, and also in person, but any-who, here we go:

​

  • Mobo - Always do a visual inspection when buying mobos, specifically if you see any bent pins, bad caps, etc. My previous board I bought used, the guy for some reason put cardboard or carpet in the socket (I forget which but he did this to "protect" the socket. In the end I had to manually unbend some pins. I bought the board knowing it had bent pins because it came with an aftermarket cooler and I could sell the cooler for what I paid for both the motherboard and the cooler.
  • CPU - You should be relatively okay buying a CPU. I'd make sure you can read the model info and whatnot off the CPU before going out and getting it. My brother in law bought a 2687W v2, and received a v1 chip instead.
  • GPU - I've never had an issue buying used GPUs. the only ones I'd be skeptical of are liquid cooled ones.
  • Memory - Again, never had an issue with buying memory second hand. Unless it has off-brand/custom heat spreaders on the memory in which you can't verify any information on the memory, you should be fine.
  • Case - I see no issues with cases other than size of case vs motherboard form factor (I.e E-ATX boards and an ATX mid-tower maybe), especially if it's a good deal. I bought my HAF X case for 30 bucks years ago secondhand, and it just required some cleaning.
  • Drives - I'd always check S.M.A.R.T. information regarding the drive should you be able to get ahold of the information. I'd also avoid any drives that says "Untested". A lot of the times "Untested" drives typically show signs of failure, if not have already failed, and are listed as untested to be allowed to sell them online.
  • Monitors - I see no issues with monitors personally.
  • Fans - I personally do not see too much of a purpose in buying fans secondhand unless they're dirt cheap, but if I had to take a guess, you'd have to check for bad fan-bearings.
  • Power Supplies - I'd advise against used PSUs, as a crappy PSU can easily take out all other stuff in the process
  • Coolers - If it's an AIO, I'd be hesitant given much like a PSU, it could take out other stuff in the process, or have issues with it (Leaks, Failing Pump, etc). An air cooler should be fine, and depending on the cooler, can easily be fixed given to my knowledge I can only see bad fan bearings.
2
BlackenedPies•

I frequently buy hardware on r/hardwareswap and here's my experience:

Hard drives: if you're storing non-important data or data that's backed up, used hard drives are good to save money but note that there is a risk of data loss. I've purchased 11 TB of disks in the past couple years, some with tens of thousands of hours on them, with no issues so far

SSDs are safer, but for important systems, I always buy new drives with 5-year warranties. I've bought 2.5 TB of used SSDs in the past year with no failures

Fans: unless you get an inexpensive pack like the one below, buy them used. Chances are they'll work another 3+ years with minimal issues, and you save a good amount of money. Same with CPU coolers except for perhaps some liquid coolers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NTUJTAK/

CPU / GPU. I've bought a couple used GPUs, but I really think that used CPUs are more reliable as there are fewer parts that can go wrong. Worst case, if it was heavily overclocked for a couple years, your max overclock may be affected. The vast majority of users safely overclock CPUs. GPUs, however, can unexpectedly die - like a 2-year-old GTX 1070 FTW that blew up on me recently (i bought it new in 2016)

Memory is safe to buy used as it doesn't often fail and it's hard to overclock it too hard. No issues with the 64 GB of RAM I've bought

Monitor: I buy used secondary monitors, but for a good gaming monitor I think it's worth the 3/5 yr warranty on sale unless you find a good deal on used

Motherboard: this depends on the price. There's lots that can go wrong on a motherboard, much more than graphics cards, and I'm more comfortable buying new, but if the price is right, buying used may be the way to go. The two used motherboards I bought in the past year (H81 mini-ITX, Z170) work perfectly fine

1
oby100OP•

Is r/hardwareswap similar to craigslist where there's no guarantees the part will last even a month?

I'm not savy enough (like you are) to know what to look for on used parts, so I'll probably buy CPU/ GPU new so I'm less likely to get taken for a ride.

Do you think its safe enough to get RAM from craigslist as long as I test it works? Sounds like you've never had problems but I'm wondering if that's partially due to you vetting the RAM you buy.

1
Auto_replace•

No this is better than craigslist imo. You pay with PayPal goods and services which gives you warranty that if a product is damaged you can get your money back if the seller claimed otherwise. Its more similar to Ebay than craigslist. There are scammers just like ebay but i have never dealt with one myself there. Always pay with goods and services as PayPal will back you up, just remember to always ask for condition of things and whatever questions you have.. more details can be found by reading the wiki there.

2
BlackenedPies•

There are no warranties on r/hardwareswap. If it's dead on arrival or not as described, you may receive a refund. Note that I have everything shipped to me and never actually test the components before they arrive

It's not so much about knowing what to look for with used parts. It's great to know which SSDs are reliable and how many hours is too much for that HDD, but chances are that the seller is selling you an item that's as described and it currently works. For RAM, I don't really vet it and just buy whatever is the best deal

I'd buy the RAM and CPU used especially if you can test them beforehand: bring your compatible motherboard, power supply, and monitor. Even if you can't test them, RAM and CPUs rarely die even when overclocked for extended periods

1
Shimasaki•

I really wouldn't be worried about most parts these days if I'm buying from a reputable seller. I wouldn't buy a used PSU or storage drives, but that's about it.

Currently, my GPU, motherboard, CPU, and RAM were all used, which is the bulk of the system. My keyboard was used, too

1
oby100OP•

Where'd you buy from? By "reputable seller" do you mean a big business like best buy? Or just that buying from private sellers on ebay/ amazon keeps you safe enough?

I'm not that worried about getting purposely scammed, but was curious if there's a big risk of a working used part being near death due to neglect/ heavy use.

1
Shimasaki•

Or just that buying from private sellers on ebay/ amazon keeps you safe enough?

Generally people on reddit with a good history of trading (/r/hardwareswap). I have bought a few things on craigslist, but if it's a good deal and the person isn't a total sketchball I'm usually reasonably confident the stuff has been treated normal

1