New parts or refurbished is the way to go?

[BravoTheta]

Hello,
This is going to be my first time building a pc, would it be better to build it with new parts or refurbished? There are pros and cons to both like one is cheaper but the other is more reliable

 

[deustroop]

Anything else I can help you with ?

 

[VirtualLarry]

IMHO, go new. Unless you are buying a factory / mfg / wholesale refurbed business desktop, for a daily-driver or an upgraded gaming rig. Some of those business-class OEM rigs were fairly well built. Look up the 9010 on ebay. (Don't recall if that one is Dell or HP.)

IOW, if building from parts, go new. If going refurb, don't get refurb parts, get an entire refurbed PC including OS (or including COA, and re-install the OS yourself).

 

[dave_the_nerd]

For building a PC, it depends.

You usually don't come out ahead in terms of performance per dollar if you're buying used last-gen parts. The production runs are over, there's little to no new stock, some of it is already going to the recyclers, and people who ABSOLUTELY NEED an LGA1150 or 1155 motherboard are willing to pay a price premium to get it.

But if you're looking at new, latest-gen parts, a refurbished or open-box-special is usually the way to go. Save a few bucks, still have a full manufacturer's warranty, and you're not giving up anything in the performance department.

The only place I absolutely, always, 100% of the time buy new, no exceptions, is hard drives.

 

[Torn Mind]

New parts from Amazon for the most hassle-free and cost-free return policy in case you get problematic parts. Do try to kill it with stress testing 24/7 in the first 30 days if possible.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I would never buy an open-box CPU or video card because the previous owner might have abused them, like by overclocking without proper cooling. The CPU might also have bent pins.

 

[Yakk]

For first time build go new, returns are easier and potentially less troubleshooting. After that, second or third build refurbished can offer great savings, but you can get unlucky.