Hey everyone! My friend is selling his computer for just $70, and I'm considering it. Here are the specs: Ryzen 3 1200, 12GB of RAM at 2166MHz, a GT 730 4GB, a 1TB HDD, and a 500GB SSD. I'm thinking about upgrading it later on, possibly to a Ryzen 5 5600 and either a 4060 or a used 3080. Do you think it's a good idea? Also, would this setup be better than my current workstation laptop, the HP ZBook Fury 15 G7 with a Quadro RTX 3000 and an i7 10th gen? My friend mentioned it comes with a 550 or 650 watt PSU too.
3 Answers
Honestly, by the time you finish upgrading, you might just have the motherboard and SSD left. It might be better to just save up and get a better PC from the start. It could take a lot of work before it's better than your current laptop.
What’s your total budget for a new PC? You might not be able to use much from your friend's setup unless you only need it for basic office tasks.
You could still use the motherboard and SSD, plus maybe the RAM. If you throw in a used GTX 1070 and a Ryzen 5 5600, you could have a decent machine for around $350.
Yeah, the case, motherboard, and storage should be fine to keep!
Since the motherboard uses the AM4 platform, upgrading the CPU is totally possible! You could go all the way up to a Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which is still a strong gaming CPU. Just make sure you get at least 16GB of decent dual-channel RAM. If you're lucky, you might find a good deal on some used components! I have a Ryzen 5 2600X I could sell for $10 plus shipping if you're interested.
Thanks for the offer! Unfortunately, I live in Türkiye, but if I were nearby, I'd definitely pick it up. The 5600 is around $120, but that 5800X3D at $300 feels a bit steep.
I can't drop $500 all at once, but I can upgrade gradually. Plus, I’m not really sure how to assemble a motherboard, so this could help!