Opinions on Used PC
Daave
On Ebay, I came across this offer from a "top-rated seller":
Dell Optiplex GX520 SFF
3.2 GHz Intel Pentium 4 CPU
2 GB RAM
250 GB hard drive
CD-RW/DVD combo drive
keyboard, mouse, network card
Windows XP Pro
Price is $199.00 USD, shipping included
Seeme like a very good deal to me. I know that there have been issues
with problematic capacitors on motherboards from GX270s, but this one's
a GX520.
What do you think, folks?
And any recommended sites (other than Ebay)?
TIA!
Christopher Muto
older off lease refurbished dells. your ebay deal seems a little better
priced but it would have to be to make me even consider buying from a
stranger vs an established and reputable seller like overstock. note that
the pentium 4 is several generations old now... there was penitum d, dual
cores, core 2 duo, quad cores, and i5/i7... but if your target is just
spending $200 there isn't a whole lot of choice in the matter. for $310
overstock has a full sized Dell GX620 Pentium D 2G 400GB DVDRW which seems
like a good value. new from dell you can buy a vostros 220s with core 2 duo
e7500, 4gb ram, dvdrw, 250gb hard disk, windows 7, 1 yr warranty, 15 mo
antivirus, and 18.5" lcd display. this is twice the price of what you are
asking about but will likely have a longer useable life.
"Daave" <da...@example.com> wrote in message
news:6fGdnTJBuqrSgp_W...@cavtel.net...
vbDavidC
I would say the same as Christopher :)
I don't know the specs on the specific computer but if you could spend
$100 or get a good deal you could have a newer system.
I am using Windows XP and like it so it is not a big deal that you
want to use it. However, I don't know if you think you will want to
upgrade at some point to Windows 7. If you do you may need to upgrade
the video which may not be all that easy with a SFF. I saw a Compaq
computer on clearance for $279.00 with an AMD dual core processor that
was highly reviewed on PCMAG.COM it had Vista but came with a free
upgrade to Windows 7. I would check slickdeals.net to find deals.
Right now with the holidays coming it seems like some of these stores
are putting stuff on sale to bring people in to the stores/websites.
I use an older Dell notebook (1.6GHz P-M) that works well for me but I
notice if I am at a website that uses Adobe Flash my computer will be
usable but Flash seems to tax my machine so if I am doing several
other things my computer slows down. Newer systems should work
better.
David
Ben Myers
GX270.
For the money, that is a pretty serviceable computer. You could get
something more modern by spending more money. As long as you are
running XP on it, it should do fine. If you think that you will be
pushed into a Windows 7 upgrade, you might want to get a computer newer
than a three year old GX520.
The GX520 uses a 945 chipset, so it may be capable of running dual core
CPUs. Not sure. The Dell BIOS could impose a limit on the types of
CPUs that can be run in it. There may also be hardware design limits
(notably thermal, CPU wattage, CPU voltage) that make it impossible to
run dual core reliably. The SFF models, whether Dell or other makes,
have more limited ventilation that tower models. If you ask Dell about
CPU support, they won't tell... Ben Myers
Paul
I didn't find any evidence of a bad cap problem.
One site claims the power supply fan can wear out. If
the PC is an off-lease machine, it could have been
running 24 hours a day for 3 years, which is plenty
for the average fan in terms of usage.
The form factor is SFF. That means it is hard to
find cards small enough to fit the expansion slots.
The power supply likely has limited wattage as well,
so no monster video cards can be fitted.
As long as you intend to use it "as is", it might
work for you.
One question about this purchase, is whether the
version of WinXP on the machine is genuine or not.
Sometimes, when they recycle a machine, they remove
the OS. So as long as you don't mind buying a separate
copy of an OS to run on it, then you might not be
surprised by what you get. Geeks.com was selling
one of those with Ubuntu on it, and they wouldn't be
doing that if it came with WinXP still on the hard
drive.
Paul
JayB
so i doubt it would have any warranty left unless he got it from the
dell outlet recently.
William R. Walsh
> Dell Optiplex GX520 SFF
> Seeme like a very good deal to me. I know that there have been issues
> with problematic capacitors on motherboards from GX270s, but
> this one's a GX520.
> What do you think, folks?
The GX520 is a much later system than the GX170/270 systems. I've never
known it to have capacitor issues. The mainboard is a BTX type. Keep in mind
that a GX520 does not have a PCI Express graphics slot. You'd have to move
to the GX620 to get that. A GX620 is essentially the same thing but with the
PCI Express graphics slot. Both systems use the same flash BIOS updaters.
Both systems use the Intel 945 Express chipset with integrated graphics.
> And any recommended sites (other than Ebay)?
I've had very good results from a seller known as epcsales on eBay. They
have free ground shipping on most items, package stuff well and will take
reasonable offers on systems. I bought an OptiPlex GX620 (tower) today that
was priced at $225, and I made them an offer of $165. They accepted that
offer. For a system with a 3.4GHz P4, 1GB RAM, DVD and CD-RW drives, WXP Pro
COA, and a 160GB hard disk, I think I did *very* well.
I mention the above as nothing more than a satisfied customer. I have
purchased numerous pieces of equipment from them and each one has been
excellent.
William
Bob Villa
I have had good luck buying locally on Craigslist (user satisfaction
may vary)
bob_v
Adrian C
> One question about this purchase, is whether the
> version of WinXP on the machine is genuine or not.
> Sometimes, when they recycle a machine, they remove
> the OS.
There are quite a few Dell machines that have bios code that is
recognised by Dell's own build of XP install media, and these skip
asking for a license key on install if using that.
So, if the sticker on the case is missing, it's normally not much of a
problem to find another XP install disc from somewhere else and install
that. After all - the OS was probably supplied with the original, and
this could be seen as maintaining the status quo of genuineness.
--
Adrian C
Ben Myers
Good point. OP needs to ask eBay seller if the GX520 has a legit Windows
XP Professional sticker still attached. Optiplexes are normally sold
with the Pro version of Windows. Some sellers remove the stickers, per
contractual agreement with the previous owner, e.g. a US Govt dept.
This sounds like a moot point, 'cause the Dell install CD for XP Pro
(preferably SP2!) will install on a system with Dell BIOS, but it's
better to be legal in case the Microsoft anti-piracy police show up with
real police and a search warrant... Ben Myers
bud--
>
> The GX520 is a much later system than the GX170/270 systems. I've never
> known it to have capacitor issues. The mainboard is a BTX type. Keep in mind
> that a GX520 does not have a PCI Express graphics slot. You'd have to move
> to the GX620 to get that. A GX620 is essentially the same thing but with the
> PCI Express graphics slot. Both systems use the same flash BIOS updaters.
> Both systems use the Intel 945 Express chipset with integrated graphics.
>
Is there a web site that has information like this for all Dell computers?
--
bud--
David B.
That PC would handle Windows 7 just fine
--
--
"Ben Myers" <ben_...@charter.net> wrote in message
news:hdtfvr$bbj$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
Ben Myers
Well, yes and no. One has to hunt and peck through the User Guides and
Service Manuals on the Dell web site, then either remember this stuff or
compile it into a spreadsheet for future reference.
I've seen a lot of Dell desktops and laptops stop by for repair or
refurbishment and William R. Walsh works in the same space, so it's easy
to remember some of the info about computers handled regularly.
I've made up a spreadsheet covering the all-black Dell P4 Socket 478 and
LGA 775 systems, and it has a lot of detail in it. Anybody who wants it
can drop me an email... Ben Myers
Ben Myers
>
> That PC would handle Windows 7 just fine
>
Yes, OK with Win 7, but no Aero, for those who are Aero fanatics... Ben
Myers
VanguardLH
> that model usually came with a one year warranty, so i doubt it would
> have any warranty left unless he got it from the dell outlet
> recently.
Are Dell warranties even transferrable?
Daave
> Hi!
>
>> Dell Optiplex GX520 SFF
>
>> Seeme like a very good deal to me. I know that there have been issues
>> with problematic capacitors on motherboards from GX270s, but
>> this one's a GX520.
>
>> What do you think, folks?
>
> The GX520 is a much later system than the GX170/270 systems. I've
> never known it to have capacitor issues. The mainboard is a BTX type.
> Keep in mind that a GX520 does not have a PCI Express graphics slot.
> You'd have to move to the GX620 to get that. A GX620 is essentially
> the same thing but with the PCI Express graphics slot. Both systems
> use the same flash BIOS updaters. Both systems use the Intel 945
> Express chipset with integrated graphics.
>
>> And any recommended sites (other than Ebay)?
>
> I've had very good results from a seller known as epcsales on eBay.
> They have free ground shipping on most items, package stuff well and
> will take reasonable offers on systems. I bought an OptiPlex GX620
> (tower) today that was priced at $225, and I made them an offer of
> $165. They accepted that offer. For a system with a 3.4GHz P4, 1GB
> RAM, DVD and CD-RW drives, WXP Pro COA, and a 160GB hard disk, I
> think I did *very* well.
$165? I agree you did very well!
Thanks for the advice (and thanks to everyone else). The model I saw is
being sold by dexacomputers. But I will definitely look for epcsales,
too. Thanks for the tip!
Christopher Muto
wrote in message news:Q5sMm.138027$la3.22698@attbi_s22...
that is a good deal but not for everyone. the machines they sell are stated
as off lease with wiped disks, and only what you see in the picture is what
you get... so a end user will have to completely rebuild the software from
scratch (reload windows, locate drivers from dell's site, etc), and supply a
keyboard, mouse, and possibly a power cord. that takes time and time is
money... considering that a new, pre-loaded, and fully warranted system with
19" display can be had for $425 as mentioned previously it is a bit of a
toss up to me if it is worth it. for someone who is comfortable with
rebuilding the software it certainly is a sold machine for a good price, but
for someone that wants something that is ready to run out of the box it is
probably not.
Daave
Then again, if someone runs something out of the box, they usually wind
up having to contend with lots of bloated and crappy trialware!
JayB
yes- warranties transfer with the service tag.
VanguardLH
> VanguardLH wrote:
>
>> JayB wrote:
>>
>>> that model usually came with a one year warranty, so i doubt it
>>> would have any warranty left unless he got it from the dell outlet
>>> recently.
>>
>> Are Dell warranties even transferrable?
>
> i resell dell computers all the time.
> yes- warranties transfer with the service tag.
Your right. Looks like Dell wants you to register the transfer for them
to honor the warranty for the new owner. Give the used item some
additional resale value (depending on how much time is left), like
buying a used car that has newly purchased tags.
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/change_order/tag_transfer?c=us&l=en&s=gen&~ck=anavml
(short URL: http://preview.tinyurl.com/nbgt7c)
Christopher Muto
agreed. but not everyone has the required cds, the know how, or the time to
do it. like you, i would rather load it myself but just wanted to point out
that the seller you mentioned did not include all the bits and pieces
required to make the machine useable and that the os needs to be installed -
hence the price..
Daave
Point taken.
airsmoothed
>
> - Show quoted text -
Sounds like you got a good deal there. Maybe less true in the USA than
here in the UK, but there is often little price difference between a
used system a few years old, and a new basic system from the likes of
Dell, a new desktop ( no monitor ) can be had for less than 200 quid
( say 300 bucks)
William R. Walsh
> that is a good deal but not for everyone. the machines they
> sell are stated as off lease with wiped disks, and only what
> you see in the picture is what you get...
I've been doing a pretty good business of buying these up, doing the
work they need and selling them on to people. I have access to Dell OS
restore discs that can be included, and I'll throw in a keyboard,
mouse, no questions asked money back guarantee for 30 days and
something of a warranty. Some free (or open source) software rounds
out the deal, giving them a system that can do their office work, burn
CDs and handle life in general. If they need a monitor, I invariably
recommend a Samsung Syncmaster flat panel, since I've had the best
luck with those.
Many of those people are either buying a computer for the first time
or replacing a cheap system that failed before it should have. Those
who had previous computers usually comment on how nice the OptiPlex is
by comparison. They also like the fact that they can call someone up
who will come and help them with it if need be.
The fact that the software is clean, uncluttered and focused on
*their* needs also does not go unnoticed.
Every one that I've purchased has been *clean*. There is usually some
very minor scuffing around the case edges, but the systems are
spotless internally. Some even still smell new inside.
> considering that a new, pre-loaded, and fully warranted
> system with 19" display can be had for $425 as mentioned
> previously it is a bit of a toss up to me if it is worth it.
I'd rather have something like this any day of the week. I've only had
one out of maybe fifty come back, as it had a dying hard disk.
William
David B.
that's in use.
--
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"Ben Myers" <ben_...@charter.net> wrote in message
news:hdv6fq$r99$2...@news.eternal-september.org...
Ben Myers
> How do you know that? No mention was made of the graphics card/chipset
> that's in use.
>
the graphics are on the motherboard, integrated in the 945 chip.
Windows 7 may be different from Vista, but I doubt it. The rule of
thumb with Vista is on-board graphics means no Aero.
Looking beyond Intel's 945 graphics, perhaps one of the newer Intel
chipsets has on-board graphics and enough dedicated memory to run Aero.
I do not know if Vista/Win 7 makes a check for on-board graphics when
booting up, and simply does not add the Aero fluff with on-board... Ben
Myers
David B.
is installed (slim I'll grant you) :)
--
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"Ben Myers" <ben_...@charter.net> wrote in message
news:he1ciq$1fo$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
JohnO
> chipsets has on-board graphics and enough dedicated memory to run Aero.
You'd be right! Intel's DG965SS will do Aero with integrated video. On Vista
you have to load Intel's drivers. On Win 7 the MS drivers do the job.
...I was surprised as anybody that this worked, but it does.
-John O
Jerry
My motherboard has an onboard ATI Radeon HD 3300 Graphics controller and I
am running Win7 with Aero just fine.
Shenan Stanley
> My motherboard has an onboard ATI Radeon HD 3300 Graphics
> controller and I am running Win7 with Aero just fine.
Shared memory or dedicated?
--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
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