$650 used gaming PC - good deal or no?

[VelRa]

Hey there, buying a PC, and I'm sort of "plug it in and oh cool it works" when it comes to hardware stuff. Is this a good deal?

For $650 CAD (pretty much $1 USD) (maybe could haggle too):

Custom Case Cooler Master HAF 922
http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6606

ASUS P5QL-E MOtherboard
http://ca.asus.com/en/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_775/P5QLE/

Processor = Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E8500 (6M Cache, 3.16 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB)
http://ark.intel.com/products/33911/Intel-Core2-Duo-Processor-E8500-%286M-Cache-3_16-GHz-1333-MHz-FSB%29

OCZ DDR3 ram 3 gig ram installed right now got 2 more extra slot i got extra ram not instal 1 gig and 2 gig
need more watt for pwer supply to install the rest of ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146970

Power supply 500 watt
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171031

60 gig Solid State Drive OCZ Vertex plus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227394

500 gig Sata hard drive

Zotac Geforce GTS 450 1GB DDR5 PCI-E Video Card
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/zotac-zotac-geforce-gts-450-1gb-ddr5-pci-e-video-card-zt-40503-10h/10158496.aspx

Saitek Eclipse II Illuminated Keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823175001

Logitech Gaming Mouse G500 = just different design
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/mice-pointers/mice/gaming-mouse-g500

[Goku]

Awful IMO weak CPU and GPU. If you want a new PC you shouldn't be looking at anything less then a i3 2100 or even a i7 920 used.

[VelRa]

Thanks for the reply.

This one is $1100, which is pretty much the top-end of my budget. It looks great, but my goal in asking is just to make sure I'm getting what I pay for...
http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-computers-Powerful-gaming-pc-W0QQAdIdZ406387232

[Goku]

Even that is expensive for what it has. I would go new If you can spend that much.

[VelRa]

Roger dodger. Thanks.

[jepaul]

First comp is junk. Second is good stuff. Will power most stuff run ps2 very well. Not worth $1100. At $800 that is a good deal. No more than $800. If you had to know a price on first comp I would offer $150.

Bought and sold lots of used hardware.

[Rbstr]

http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-computers-Powerful-gaming-pc-W0QQAdIdZ406387232
Leaving aside price and content I would never buy something from someone with writing skills on that level.

[BlackOriOn]

For $650 dollars you can build a decent gaming computer from scratch. Look on Tom's Hardware or you could do what I did, I went off the budget PC build in Maximum PC.magazine.
MB Gigabyte GA-H67M-D2-B3
Chip Intel core i3-2100
Ram Corsair DDR3 2 sticks 2 GB CM3X2G1333 C9 (4 gb)
Vid Card Radeon HD6790 Saphire 1GB GDDR5
1 TB drive

[Bambasti]

Building from scratch is most of the time the best idea. You'll otherwise never know what you get, too many manufacturers try to save on the wrong things like power supply but especially for a decent gaming system power stability under load is essential.

[Laindon]

Get a friend that knows how and follow these begginer tips :
- Get the i5 3570k or 2500k
- Get a Z77 mobo ( dont go over the 140$ mark , ignore the "supercolouredstuff overpriced" tm )
- check memory + case + hdd + other periferals price.
look at gpu benchmarks and choose according to your budget.

now check how much Amps you need from the 12v rail.
When checking for psus , check for the quality and the 12v Amps ( some 800W psu are trash compared to others that have less Watts ) , Corsair is usually a good brand ( in price/performance ) and going for over than 60A on the 12v lets you go sli or Xfire in the future.

[dethred]

I cannot stress this enough:

Come up with a maximum (realistic) price you're willing to spend for each component.

For instance:

CPU: $150 (DO NOT GO CHEAP)
Motherboard: $150 (DO NOT GO CHEAP)
RAM: $45
Case: $75
Power Supply: $75 (DO NOT GO CHEAP)
Hard Drive: $65
Video Card: $250

= $810 (or whatever you budget) These prices will get you a decent gaming machine.

Make that the number you can afford and WILL spend. The idea being that if you get a sale and save $40 on a combo CPU and MoBo, you can throw that at a more powerful Video Card. This will encourage you to save where its needed. DO NOT SKIMP ON THE CPU, MOTHERBOARD, AND POWER SUPPLY. They are the backbone of your system and if you spend a few bucks more than a cheaper model, you can make them viable for much longer, and avoid quality problems.

Get a general idea of what you can buy for that amount, and start looking out for sales. I know there are no Microcenter stores in Canada, but in the US, you can get a 6-Core CPU and Motherboard for as low as $85. The board is crap, but you get the idea.

If you buy it all at once you'll overspend. If you acquire parts as sales occur, you'll get some serious bang for your buck. Hell, "Black Friday" arrives only a few days after PS2 is released, so not waiting till then would be foolish. I got a Cooler Master RC690 case with card reader for $30 shipped back on Black Friday 2007, a $45 dual core AMD black CPU (fast back then), etc.

[Rbstr]

You can easily only spend $100 on a decent motherboard.

[FireWater]

Yeah I wouldn't do that deal.

You are getting hosed.