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!
Just because they don’t sell their own motherboards separately doesn’t mean you can’t stick a compatible motherboard in there.
All PC parts, including OEM, follow well established standards and are easily replaceable.
Not entirely true. The big OEMs like HP and Dell often use non-standard motherboards and PSUs.
Worst case: you replace the case and PSU along with the motherboard.
You can use any old case from craigslist. I still use ATX cases from 2004.
Yes because they’re cheap.
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.
If they are cheap then they are ok to buy in my opinion but when you are paying around as much for one as you would for a equivalent computer with standard parts then it is no longer worth it.
It’s actually my main issue : finding the right point where the cost of a used computer is no longer competitive compared to buying new or building.
On a personal level, even though we’ll have to deal with currency exchange rate and cost of life etc., where would you put your limit?
While the cheapest office desktop bottoms out at about ¥12,000, the first server/workstation computers seem to start at about ¥40,000 (a Precision 5820 with a Xeon W-2102, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD + 500GB HDD https://www.pcwrap.com/item/detail/1324009 )
Where to draw the line, I’m not sure…
Really kinda depends on your use case.
For instance, if I’m building an ESXi cluster, then yea HPE all the way. It’s quite trivial to find the option parts I need to complete the build and scour eBay for them. With those components tested and certified to work together I shouldn’t have to worry too much about weird issues popping up.
Now, on the other hand, when building a NAS / SAN, I don’t want to be locked into buying HPE branded disks so I opt for a Supermicro system. It doesn’t care what brand of disk you use so I’m free to buy what makes sense for the type of datastore I’m creating,
Supermicro is also one of the few who build their server platforms on standard ATX / EATX form factors, so it’s pretty easy to get the chassis you like and build the insides out however you like. Also makes upgrading the server internals super easy. Just buy a later gen components and transplant them. They’re very good about making documentation and compatibility matrices available online
