Which Used PC Elements You Can Purchase (And Which You Positively Should not)

PC {hardware} is getting prohibitively costly. Mainstream graphics card costs have crossed the $1,000 mark, DDR5 reminiscence and motherboards aren’t precisely “finances,” and even respectable displays and different peripherals price a fairly penny. Thankfully, you possibly can at all times discover the world of used PC components. Simply guarantee you already know which used PC components are value buying and which you must keep away from.

CPU (Processor)

Verdict: should purchase

The CPU, or processor, is arguably, crucial part of your PC. Fortunately, a used CPU can be among the many most secure used PC elements you should purchase.

Damaging a processor, even with years of sustained use, is fairly uncommon. So long as the CPU you’re shopping for wasn’t utilized in a cooling-starved case and consistently overclocked, operating just a few Cinebench benchmarks will aid you confirm its situation. You may at all times discover nice offers on previous-gen high-end CPUs which are nonetheless below guarantee. Nevertheless, you must at all times check and purchase used PC components in individual with the intention to examine them for bodily defects and practical points.

GPU (Graphics Card)

Verdict: should purchase

Whether or not constructing a brand new gaming PC or solely upgrading your graphics card, the GPU would usually take up the vast majority of your finances. Fortunately, changing a GPU is way less complicated than switching CPUs, as you solely want a suitable PCIe socket and sufficient room in your case.

Shopping for a used GPU can generally be tough, although. The GPU could have been utilized in cryptocurrency mining or different constant-use situations, which might considerably have an effect on its lifespan.

If attainable, run just a few exams on the cardboard earlier than shopping for it. You may stress check the GPU with Furmark to unearth any thermal or energy points with the cardboard. Shopping for a used graphics card might have extra due diligence than different PC elements, nevertheless it’s well worth the financial savings.

Additionally useful: our Graphics Card Shopping for Information will help you identify the most effective GPU.

RAM

Verdict: should purchase

Used reminiscence (RAM) is one other protected part to purchase. RAM sticks have little probability of failing. That is why producers supply 10-year warranties on their reminiscence sticks. So long as you’re shopping for the precise sort of reminiscence (DDR3 vs. DDR4 vs. DDR5) and, ideally, the precise frequency, you’re golden.

Run a fast check to examine RAM well being with Home windows Reminiscence Diagnostic, MemTest86, or different software program. Bodily testing the RAM sticks can be simple: plug them in one after the other into the vendor’s system, and examine whether or not they’re detected correctly and the system boots to the desktop.

CPU Cooler

Verdict: should purchase

So long as there hasn’t been any bodily injury, an air cooler will work for a very long time. Then again, liquid coolers or AIOs have extra refined elements and a a lot increased likelihood of issues going incorrect. The danger of liquid leakage or pump failure is actual and may spoil rather more than the AIO. Choosing the proper CPU cooler additionally is determined by your CPU’s thermals and your PC’s aesthetics.

Fashionable AIOs have considerably decreased failure charges, and air and liquid coolers are backed with warranties of two to 5 years, relying on the producer. With age, CPU coolers could develop increased noise ranges and fewer environment friendly cooling capability, however you possibly can at all times use the exams mentioned above to examine for CPU overheating throughout a stress check. If the cooler isn’t as much as snuff, you’ll study that pretty simply.

Tip: use an AIO cooler to supercharge an NVIDIA graphics card and enhance your PC’s efficiency.

Monitor and Different Peripherals

Verdict: should purchase

Shopping for a monitor generally is a worrying expertise, and gaming displays are particularly expensive. Fortunately, it can save you some huge cash by shopping for a used monitor. Simply examine a used monitor for lifeless pixels, broken LED, burn-in (within the case of OLEDs), and different seen indicators of harm, earlier than you buy.

Different peripherals, like keyboards, mice, and headphones, are pretty easy to purchase within the used market. Simply affirm that each one switches, LEDs, and options are working as marketed with the intention to save more cash on peripherals.

Instances, Followers, and Extra

Verdict: should purchase

You should buy used circumstances, followers, vertical GPU mounts, SSD heatsinks, and the like confidently, as these components don’t have elements that may fail. Elements like these could not appear expensive to purchase new, however they’ll rapidly add up when they’re thought-about collectively.

Good to know: assume by means of the concerns for purchasing a PC case earlier than you make any purchases.

Storage Drives

Verdict: don’t purchase

Used storage drives are one thing you must by no means purchase. Onerous drives have magnetic platters which are vulnerable to growing mechanical points and unhealthy sectors the longer they’re used. Regardless that SSDs don’t have shifting components, they’ll nonetheless develop points as a result of restricted write cycles.

This will make shopping for used storage a awful concept, because it threatens the integrity of the information you’re storing on these drives. Even in the event you’re solely utilizing them to retailer non-critical knowledge, the effort of dropping this knowledge isn’t well worth the minuscule price financial savings.

Energy Provide (PSU)

Verdict: don’t purchase

The ability provide unit (PSU) gives clear and environment friendly energy to every of your treasured PC elements. Nevertheless, making an attempt to save cash with a used PSU can price you hundreds in the long run.

PSUs can degrade over time, with their internals failing to ship the identical energy high quality to your CPU, GPU, motherboard, and extra. In case your PC calls for a sudden spike in energy, a used PSU could not be capable of sustain and will destroy itself and different system elements. This will rapidly turn out to be costly in the event you fry your total pc.

Additionally useful: search for frequent indicators of a dying energy provide when testing used components.

Motherboard

Verdict: don’t purchase

Keep away from shopping for a used motherboard in any respect price. The motherboard connects each different part of your PC, and any main faults that go unnoticed throughout the buy can lead to catastrophic failures. Points like defective VRMs can have an effect on CPU efficiency, and bent pins on the CPU socket can render your CPU unusable.

At instances, you have to an older, suitable motherboard to make your previous CPU work. Whereas that’s unavoidable, you must strive to not save prices on a motherboard, contemplating it has numerous elements that would develop faults after years of each day use. When you’re lifeless set on shopping for a used motherboard, spend sufficient time analyzing it bodily.

Incessantly Requested Questions

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Tanveer Singh

Tanveer hunts far and vast for PC {Hardware}, Home windows, and Gaming concepts to write down about. An MBA in Advertising and the proprietor of a PC constructing enterprise, he has written extensively on Know-how, Gaming, and Advertising. When not scouring the net, he could be discovered binging on The Workplace, operating for his life in GTFO, or wrecking karts in Smash Karts.