Opinions on Used PC

I am looking to purchase a used , but decent quality PC with Windows XP.
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!

Daave wrote:
I am looking to purchase a used , but decent quality PC with Windows XP.
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!


I'm not aware of serious capacitor problems with models other than the
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

Daave wrote:
I am looking to purchase a used , but decent quality PC with Windows XP.
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!


I'm not aware of serious capacitor problems with models other than the
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

Daave wrote:
I am looking to purchase a used , but decent quality PC with Windows XP.
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!


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

Daave wrote:
I am looking to purchase a used , but decent quality PC with Windows XP.
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!


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

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.

Daave wrote:
I am looking to purchase a used , but decent quality PC with Windows XP.
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!

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.

Daave wrote:
I am looking to purchase a used , but decent quality PC with Windows XP.
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!

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.

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

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.

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

On Nov 16, 9:58*pm, "Daave" wrote:
I am looking to purchase a used , but decent quality PC with Windows XP.
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!

I have had good luck buying locally on Craigslist (user satisfaction
may vary)

bob_v

On Nov 16, 9:58*pm, "Daave" wrote:
I am looking to purchase a used , but decent quality PC with Windows XP.
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!

I have had good luck buying locally on Craigslist (user satisfaction
may vary)

bob_v

Paul wrote:

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

Paul wrote:

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

Paul wrote:
Daave wrote:
I am looking to purchase a used , but decent quality PC with Windows
XP. 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!

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

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

Paul wrote:
Daave wrote:
I am looking to purchase a used , but decent quality PC with Windows
XP. 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!

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

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