Hi,
I know a company here in Japan that sells second-hand computers, cleaned, repaired, and with a 3 years warranty. Lots of the usual suspects (HP, Dell, Lenovo), from entry level office desktops to higher end Xeon workstations/servers. Prices vary, obviously.
As you know, these computers often do not use standard off-the-shelf parts, which can be a problem if the motherboard or PSU fails.
What’s your opinion about these computers? Is it worth the pain buying one (for a Linux or BSD based torrenting/seedbox machine, or build a NAS) or should I rather go another route – either build a PC with standard parts or buy a brand new cheap mini PC?
Thanks!
My thoughts on buying a system with proprietary components…
Pros
- Buying typically is cheaper than building.
- Saves the effort of matching hardware when DIYing.
Cons
- Requires searching eBay (or other marketplace) for compatible proprietary hardware when a component fails.
- Some proprietary systems (looking at you hp) can be picky with some replacement components like RAM.