Acquiring a second-hand computer, whether desktop or laptop, can be an interesting option that allows you to save money. But, there are components that you should not buy second-hand, under any circumstances. We will explain why You shouldn’t buy a second hand hard drive, motherboard, mining graphics card and heatsink.
We should always purchase a new system from reliable sites, since we will have some peace of mind. Buying it in a store assures us that it has been verified to work correctly and we will have support if something goes wrong. We can buy it on second-hand websites, but there we must request functional tests and then verify that it works well.
You should not buy these components second hand
We will explain to you which are the components that we should never buy second-hand and the reasons why you should not do so.
Storage units such as hard drives or SSDs
The first reason why you should not acquire a hard drive or SSD second hand is the useful life. The drive has been running for a certain amount of time, so it has degraded. If it has been used intensively, it is even possible that the unit is close to failure.
Although the first reason is important, without a doubt the most important is security and privacy. retrieve content from a formatted hard drive is relatively simple currently. Although we have deleted everything, this process is really quite poor and does not finish deleting all the information.
In addition, SSDs and hard drives are currently very competitively priced, so there is no reason to justify buying second-hand.
mining graphics cards
We can find graphics cards for sale on second-hand web pages without problems. The problem with this product is that it could have been use for cryptocurrency miningwith the wear and tear that it entails. If it’s been well maintained it should run smoothly for quite some time, although it has seen some major wear.
The vendor may omit the source information for the graphics card. One way to identify that it has been used for mining is if the seller sells more than one graphics card. Above all, if you sell several of the same model or these are varied.
Another indicator is to compare the used graphics card price If we want to buy, for example, an RTX 2060 and most of it is for 250 euros, but a seller sells it for 150 euros, it is an indicator that something is wrong. Most likely, unless otherwise stated, it comes from cryptocurrency mining.
Motherboard, in general
Buying a second-hand motherboard is a bad option, as it could have hidden problems. Although one may think that it is an indestructible product (practically) it is not. have been able being used for overclocking, having suffered liquid spills, etc.
It is not a very good idea to buy a second hand, unless it is for old and discontinued processors. If we look for a motherboard for processors from 10 years ago, we may not find new ones. So, we will have to look for a reliable seller who has good ratings.
Fans, heatsinks and liquid cooling
These are products that have had a long operating time and consequently wear. We must add to this compatibility issues between the heatsink and the processor socket. All these aspects are quite critical and we may buy a useless product.
Depending on the type, we can find the following problems:
- fans: malfunction, noise when turning, shaft instability causing vibrations and reduced service life. It is a product that you have been working for a long time and may present problems
- Heatsinks: it may not be compatible with our processor socket or part of the anchoring system is missing. Keep in mind that the fan may have problems
- Liquid refrigeration: The biggest problem with this product is the problem of evaporation of the liquid and, consequently, the lack of refrigerant liquid can cause problems. In addition, it can present problems with leaks, pump deficiencies and other problems that are impossible to detect with the naked eye.
