Refurbished PC thread

[Torn Mind]

Might as well start a thread on these.
I don't know all that much.

To have PSU flexibility in the future, getting a tower version makes sense. HP seems to really like making things proprietary, so that if you need to change the PSU later, you will need to hunt down adapter cables depending on the board. But HP refurbs seem to be everywhere and the best value for the processor you are getting

Core 2 era boxes should only be bought if your budget is really, really tight(under$100).

You need to tack on extra in your budget if you are looking to clone the boot drive to one.

But there are many places to look.
Arrowdirect
Newegg
The "outlet" section of Dell, Lenovo, and other major manufacturers.
dellrefurbished.com

 

[VirtualLarry]

Since "deal" threads, without actual deals, tend to get locked, I'll do you a favor. Newegg's got a ShellShocker today, for an Ivy Bridge locked i5 OEM Lenovo rig, 3.2Ghz quad-core, 4GB RAM / 250GB HDD, DVD, for $189.99. Not too shabby. Only downside is Windows 10 Pro, not Windows 7 Pro.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2PF3W50105

One year hardware warranty, which is commendable on a refurb. These could be really nice budget gaming machines, with some RAM, an SSD, and a LP GPU. (Not sure if any LP RX460 cards have been released, best available may be that Gigabyte LP dual-slot 750ti.)

 

[Torn Mind]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA59652U5408

Micomp on Newegg selling the small desktop.

• Intel Core i5 2nd Gen 2400 (3.10 GHz)

• 8 GB DDR3 250 GB SSD

• Windows 10 Home

• No Screen

• Intel HD Graphics 2000

1 Year Mail-in warranty and 30-day money back guarantee.

$210

 

[VirtualLarry]

Err, you still don't have a good understanding of how the Hot Deals forum works. You've posted a deal, that's a start, but it needs to include a PRICE.

 

[Torn Mind]

Err, you still don't have a good understanding of how the Hot Deals forum works. You've posted a deal, that's a start, but it needs to include a PRICE.

Consider me rusty. It's been a long time since posted a thread here. If I did at all. lol.

Post edited.

 

[VirtualLarry]

If that really has 8GB of RAM, and a 250GB SSD, with a SB quad-core, for $210, I'd definitely say that's a Hot Deal. With OS too.

Edit: If you get that PC, consider this video card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127765

It's an R5 240 low-profile, for $14.99 after a $20 MIR. Pretty cheap for a dGPU, and should be better than the HD 2000 iGPU on Sandy Bridge.

(I had a Sandy Bridge Pentium G630 rig once, and I had issues with the poor performance of the iGPU, especially with Skype, in Windows 7. I added an NV GT430 128-bit video card, and things were a lot better.)

Edit: There's no image of the rear ports, for some reason, and the listing only indicates VGA out on the iGPU, so for me, a dGPU with HDMI would be a mandatory upgrade.

 

[Torn Mind]

https://cwl.cc/2012/09/review-dell-optiplex-390-small-form-factor.html

Looks like HDMI out and VGA. All USB 2.0

 

[Jtorrespr1]

Are any of these good for a HTPC? looking for something that plays BD and 4k stuff.
Might go nvidia shield if I can't find something at a reasonable price.

 

[Replay]

$49.99 HP Compaq 6000 Pro SFF PC, Intel Pentium Dual Core E5300 @ 2.6 GHz, DVD/RW, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB HDD, Windows 7 Pro.
Free Shipping.
http://flash.newegg.com/Product/9SIA6A33W32018

• Pentium Dual Core 2.60 GHz
• 2 GB DDR3 160 GB HDD
• Windows 7 Professional

EDIT: maybe 4 dimm slots, VGA + Display Port, Gig LAN, 1/2 height slots (1) pcie x16 (2) pcie (1) pci.
https://h10057.www1.hp.com/ecomcat/hpcatalog/specs/provisioner/05/AT492AV.htm
EDIT: 4 reviews on the regular Newegg site (also $75 there).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA6A33W32018

 

[Mike64]

$49.99 HP Compaq 6000 Pro SFF PC, Intel Pentium Dual Core E5300 @ 2.6 GHz, DVD/RW, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB HDD, Windows 7 Pro.
Free Shipping.
http://flash.newegg.com/Product/9SIA6A33W32018

• Pentium Dual Core 2.60 GHz
• 2 GB DDR3 160 GB HDD
• Windows 7 Professional

EDIT: maybe 4 dimm slots, VGA + Display Port, Gig LAN, 1/2 height slots (1) pcie x16 (2) pcie (1) pci.
https://h10057.www1.hp.com/ecomcat/hpcatalog/specs/provisioner/05/AT492AV.htm

Anyone know if you can still "transfer" an OEM Windows 7 installation to a different PC, or has Microsoft cracked down on that? (Really transfer, I mean, not try to use it on 2 machines.)

 

[VirtualLarry]

$49.99 HP Compaq 6000 Pro SFF PC, Intel Pentium Dual Core E5300 @ 2.6 GHz, DVD/RW, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB HDD, Windows 7 Pro.
Free Shipping.
http://flash.newegg.com/Product/9SIA6A33W32018

• Pentium Dual Core 2.60 GHz
• 2 GB DDR3 160 GB HDD
• Windows 7 Professional

Wow, pay for an OS license, get a free PC! At least, it seems like that. Not too shabby.

 

[BenJeremy]

Anyone know if you can still "transfer" an OEM Windows 7 installation to a different PC, or has Microsoft cracked down on that? (Really transfer, I mean, not try to use it on 2 machines.)

Not sure, but you can still upgrade to Windows 10. Just to be super legit, install one of the "Access" apps, like screen magnifier.

 

[Mike64]

Not sure, but you can still upgrade to Windows 10. Just to be super legit, install one of the "Access" apps, like screen magnifier.

How is upgrading on a different machine any more "legitimate" than just re-installing the OS on the new machine? But in any event, the only reason I'd do it at all is to get Windows 7 in a less sketchy manner than buying one the few leftover OEM Win7 discs/COAs you can find (from what strike me as somewhat questionable sources) now that "official" sales have been ended. The whole point for me is avoiding Win10 as long as possible. (I don't want to start up that discussion all over again here, just sayin', that's what I was thinking of...)

 

[cbn]

This Grade A condition Haswell Ivy Bridge Core i5 3470 (with Windows 7 Pro) SFF for $199.99 shipped looks like a good deal.

http://www.newegg.com/Special/ShellShocker.aspx?cm_sp=Homepage_SS-_-P4_83-285-577-_-12032016&Index=4

 

[jiffer]

This Grade A condition Haswell Core i5 3470 (with Windows 7 Pro) SFF for $199.99 shipped looks like a good deal.

Just to clarify, the Core i5-3470 is an Ivy Bridge processor, not Haswell. Personally, I really like the low power models such as the Core i5-3470S. The HP Compaq Pro 6300 is equipped with the Intel Q75 Express chipset. A Core i5-4570 processor would have better onboard graphics, but either way I'd upgrade to a low profile GeForce GT 730 (DDR5) and 8GB of RAM. That would be a sweet little machine for less than $300.

As of this writing, NewEgg.com is sold out but they appear to have the same item for sale on eBay for $209.99. "Limited quantity available" and limit 5 per order. You can get a used one or a "seller refurbished" one these days with the same or better specs for a lot less, and the Windows license key will pass the activation process (which is legal enough for me if it's legal enough for Microsoft). But a manufacturer refurbished/guaranteed machine is a safer bet.

 

[cbn]

Some really awesome deals on Sandy Bridge Core i5 (eg, HP Elite 8200 with i5 2400, 4GB, 160GB, Windows 8.1 or 10 Pro, Chester Creek headphones, keyboard and mouse for $75 shipped) in the link below, but you need to qualify as low income:

https://pcsrefurbished.com/sales/categorySales.aspx?categoryID=3

EDIT: Today they added some Core 2 machines and an Ivy bridge Pentium (Eg, HP dc7800 uSDT (VESA mount), E2180, 4GB RAM,Windows 8.1 Pro, 17" monitor, keyboard and mouse, Chester Creek headphones for $50 shipped).

(Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Student is also available for all systems. This option adds $20 to the total)

P.S. They also have $10 month 4G mobile hotspot as well, but again the qualification is low income.

 

[spdfreak]

These 199.00 core i5's are a decent deal since win10 pro is $130 by itself... The description is somewhat vague so I'm not sure what generation processors they have.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2PF3Y40997&ignorebbr=1

 

[jiffer]

These 199.00 core i5's are a decent deal since win10 pro is $130 by itself... The description is somewhat vague so I'm not sure what generation processors they have.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2PF3Y40997&ignorebbr=1

The Lenovo ThinkCentre generations follow this pattern:

M71, M81, M91 Sandy Bridge
M72, M82, M92 Ivy Bridge (could also be equipped with a Sandy Bridge CPU)
M73, M83, M93 Haswell

The M72 actually has an Intel H61 chipset, but it supports Ivy Bridge processors. The main drawback is the lack of USB 3.0 ports. As a general rule, the higher the number, the more advanced the chipset is. For example, the M73 has an Intel H81 chipset while the M93 has the Q87 chipset if I'm not mistaken. The M73 is only equipped with USB 2.0 ports on the front bezel (you'll find [edit: the USB 3.0 ports] in the rear), but I think the M93 has a couple of USB 3.0 ports on the front bezel. Other differences might include an 80PLUS power supply as opposed to a less efficient one. These are just rough guidelines, so look at the specs if they matter to you.

More often than not, the Ivy Bridge and Haswell motherboards will have a Windows 8 COA code inside the BIOS even if it the machines came equipped with Windows 7, and it will pass Windows Activation. I like the ThinkCentre models and they have a lot of life left in them.

 

[cbn]

Edit: There's no image of the rear ports, for some reason, and the listing only indicates VGA out on the iGPU, so for me, a dGPU with HDMI would be a mandatory upgrade.

That Dell Optiplex 390 SFF actually does have HDMI (in addition to the VGA):

http://cwl.cc/2012/09/review-dell-optiplex-390-small-form-factor.html

That is pretty surprising because as I recall VGA + display port is the norm for desktops from this era.

EDIT: I see Torn Mind already posted this info in post #7. (Thanks Torn Mind)

 

[spdfreak]

The Lenovo ThinkCentre generations follow this pattern:

M71, M81, M91 Sandy Bridge
M72, M82, M92 Ivy Bridge (could also be equipped with a Sandy Bridge CPU)
M73, M83, M93 Haswell

The M72 actually has an Intel H61 chipset, but it supports Ivy Bridge processors. The main drawback is the lack of USB 3.0 ports. As a general rule, the higher the number, the more advanced the chipset is. For example, the M73 has an Intel H81 chipset while the M93 has the Q87 chipset if I'm not mistaken. The M73 is only equipped with USB 2.0 ports on the front bezel (you'll find them in the rear), but I think the M93 has a couple of USB 3.0 ports on the front bezel. Other differences might include an 80PLUS power supply as opposed to a less efficient one. These are just rough guidelines, so look at the specs if they matter to you.

More often than not, the Ivy Bridge and Haswell motherboards will have a Windows 8 COA code inside the BIOS even if it the machines came equipped with Windows 7, and it will pass Windows Activation. I like the ThinkCentre models and they have a lot of life left in them.

Yeah, and these showed up on NE today... quite the nice deal if I can find a decent LP vid card for it. I think I would clone the hard drive to a SSD and put in a 4TB storage drive for a HTPC. Or maybe just take the guts out of it and put it in a larger case, which I have plenty of. I wonder if it has downgrade rights to win7pro?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2PF4V76419

 

[cbn]

(I had a Sandy Bridge Pentium G630 rig once, and I had issues with the poor performance of the iGPU, especially with Skype, in Windows 7. I added an NV GT430 128-bit video card, and things were a lot better.)

I think I remember you writing that the Ivy bridge (Gen 7) iGPU was better than the Sandy Bridge (Gen 6.5) iGPU (Correct me if I am wrong)? I have a G1620 that I used for about 2 months before I got my G3258. I never really tested it much, but it seemed OK based on what I did with it.

.....In any event I wonder how much worse the Gen 6.5 iGPU is compared to the Gen 7? And if having a Core i5 2400 with more cores, cache and clockspeed (on the CPU side) is enough to compensate for the weaker iGPU? (Also the i5 2400 iGPU has Quiksync and the G630 and G1620 do not).

 

[cbn]

Some really awesome deals on Sandy Bridge Core i5 (eg, HP Elite 8200 with i5 2400, 4GB, 160GB, Windows 8.1 or 10 Pro, Chester Creek headphones, keyboard and mouse for $75 shipped) in the link below, but you need to qualify as low income:

https://pcsrefurbished.com/sales/categorySales.aspx?categoryID=3

EDIT: Today they added some Core 2 machines and an Ivy bridge Pentium (Eg, HP dc7800 uSDT (VESA mount), E2180, 4GB RAM,Windows 8.1 Pro, 17" monitor, keyboard and mouse, Chester Creek headphones for $50 shipped).

(Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Student is also available for all systems. This option adds $20 to the total)

P.S. They also have $10 month 4G mobile hotspot as well, but again the qualification is low income.

10% off Coupon: "holiday10" --> https://pcsrefurbished.com/sales/salesHome.aspx

That makes the Core i5 2400 desktop described above only $67.50 shipped (for those that qualify).

That is definitely the best refurbished desktop deal I have ever seen.....for those that qualify....for those that qualify.

 

[jiffer]

I think I remember you writing that the Ivy bridge (Gen 7) iGPU was better than the Sandy Bridge (Gen 6.5) iGPU (Correct me if I am wrong)? I have a G1620 that I used for about 2 months before I got my G3258. I never really tested it much, but it seemed OK based on what I did with it.

.....In any event I wonder how much worse the Gen 6.5 iGPU is compared to the Gen 7? And if having a Core i5 2400 with more cores, cache and clockspeed (on the CPU side) is enough to compensate for the weaker iGPU? (Also the i5 2400 iGPU has Quiksync and the G630 and G1620 do not).

When comparing various incarnations of Intel HD Graphics, the main differences include the number of execution units, clock speed (min and max), features like [Quick Sync], and the shared memory speed (1333 versus 1600). Most versions seem to support either 2 or 3 monitors, but you should look at the ports on the machine itself if you're using onboard graphics.

Sandy Bridge (6th Generation)
DDR3-1333 memory support
Memory bandwidth 21.3 GB/s
peak GPU turbo frequencies of 1.1 GHz
Intel HD Graphics 3000 (12 execution units)
Intel HD Graphics 2000 (6 execution units)
Intel HD Graphics (6 execution units) - no [Quick Sync] (might also lack other features; I'm not sure)

Ivy Bridge (7th Generation)
DDR3-1600 memory support
Memory bandwidth 25.6 GB/s
"Each EU contains 2 × SIMD-4 FPUs and has double peak performance per clock cycle compared to previous generation." (per Wikipedia)
peak GPU turbo frequencies of either 1050 MHz or 1150 MHz on desktop models
Intel HD Graphics 4000 (16 execution units)
Intel HD Graphics 2500 (6 execution units) *corrected
Intel HD Graphics (6 execution units *corrected) - no [Quick Sync] (might also lack other features; I'm not sure)

Haswell processor graphics are also considered 7th Generation. The main improvements are more execution units and in some cases higher clock speeds, at least until you get into Iris Pro models.

 

[cbn]

Intel HD Graphics 2500 (8 execution units)
Intel HD Graphics (I think it's 8 execution units) - no Quiksync (might also lack other features; I'm not sure)

Thanks for the info.

The HD2500 has 6 EUs. so the Ivy Bridge HD graphics would have 6 EUs as well:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5871/intel-core-i5-3470-review-hd-2500-graphics-tested/2

 

[jiffer]

Thanks for the correction, cbn.

Also, while I was looking up the specs, I noticed that the Intel HD Graphics 2500 does not have HDMI support, while the 2000, 3000, and 4000 versions do. The 2500 and 4000 support DirectX 11 while the others do not. There's always more to add to the list.

Speaking of which, if anyone is thinking about replacing the motherboard in a ThinkCentre or transplanting one into a new case, make sure you know which kind of power connector it has. Some models have a 24-pin connector and other models have a 14-pin connector (along with 4-pin power connectors to supply power to the SATA drives). You should also consider the placement of the CPU socket, since the CPU cooling fan has a funnel which is an integral part of the cooling scheme. (An 80mm fan blows air in from the front of the case, the funnel funnels the cooler air into the CPU cooling fan, and the warm air dissipates throughout the case, exiting through the power supply and the holes at the back of the case. I once tried flipping the front case fan and CPU fan, but CPU temperatures are lower if you stick with the original scheme.) If the CPU socket is too far off, the funnel won't fit. You should also consider the peripheral slots if you want to add a video card, wifi card, etc. Some models have one or two PCI slots; some have a PCI-Express x16 slot and two PCI-Express x1 slots.