Need help about buying CPU

[Sathya]

I want to buy a PC with ancient specs, because i'll use it just for light editing video or office 365.
and my choice is;
i5 2nd Gen 2400
Motherboard H61
RAM DDR3 8GB
VGA GT 710 2GB
SSD 240GB
plus USB Wi-Fi reciever
all parts is new, but the seller said except for the CPU and Motherboard.
he said to me
"its 2nd hand processors and Motherboard but it still works good. you cant buy a new one for it because already discontinued for 2nd gen"

Yeah i know i will buy the ancient version of intel processors.. but why not?
So i need help from all of you guys.. how can i check my processors if it still works good or not.
Thanks

 

[Foxi4]

You mentioned the specs, but not the price - how much are you paying for this privilege? Keep in mind that you can build a machine that will be orders of magnitude beefier for chips if you base it on one of the budget Ryzen APU's, plus you won't lock yourself out from future upgrades. Unless you're paying next to nothing for this rig, it is not worth your money - it will give you more trouble than it's worth.

 

[Sathya]

@Foxi4 About $260 (just pc no monitor or accesories)
what kind of things that can make me in trouble on the future? I know i cant upgrade the processors anymore..

 

[Foxi4]

$280 for this build is highway robbery IMO. You will run into performance issues even doing simple tasks, I don't advise you go this route. The hardware is just too outdated and will be outperformed even by budget modern builds.

 

[Sathya]

$280 for this build is highway robbery IMO. You will run into performance issues even doing simple tasks, I don't advise you go this route. The hardware is just too outdated and will be outperformed even by budget modern builds.

My needs it just running win7 and office 365+photoshop cs6. So its not enough for that?
Do u have any suggest?
But as my question above, how can i check the processor?

 

[D34DL1N3R]

Offer the person $100 TOPS for it. It's not even an unlocked K model 2nd gen Intel.

 

[Foxi4]

My needs it just running win7 and office 365+photoshop cs6. So its not enough for that?
Do u have any suggest?
But as my question above, how can i check the processor?

Prime 95 and stress it until it's working full tilt, keep it stressed for 10 minutes, if it doesn't conk out then it's good. I still wouldn't buy it for that price, you can build a PC with modern parts/better used parts for less. Photoshop can actually be a resource hog, and this hardware is not cheap workstation material.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

Please don't pay $260 for that, you could probably import something from another country with way better specs for what you're paying. I'd suggest buying a used Dell Optiplex instead if you can find one, the value for what you get is almost always going to be better than buying separate parts/someone's old build when you're working with hardware that old. I've seen Dell Optiplex's with 8th gen i5s going for like $250 in the US, so I'd like to think you'd have no problems getting something slightly older for much cheaper, including any import fees.

As for testing the CPU, you can run stress tests like Prime 95 as Foxi mentions, but TBH it's not really a big deal. CPUs don't really "degrade" in performance over time (that CPU will probably last longer than anything else in the rig, not counting any damage caused by other components dying), so buying used will make 0 difference from something brand new. So long as it wasn't dangerously overvolted (and I can guarantee you a non-K SKU will never be) and it actually boots up, chances are it'll work just as good as when it was manufactured.

 

[Hayato213]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165004891832?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=111001&algo=REC.SEED&ao=1&asc=20160908105057&meid=e5e2935422c34db69609b98db10023de&pid=100675&rk=2&rkt=15&sd=274924555165&itm=165004891832&pmt=1&noa=1&pg=2380057&brand=Lenovo&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci:584e53a2-0cfd-11ec-a912-8a24242e1784|parentrq:ad8c9d7217b0a7b1f2087c34fffc850e|iid:1

If you going to pay 260-280 may as well buy something like this instead.

 

[tech3475]

You may be better off keeping an eye out for old refurbished office desktops.

I’ve seen ok systems with a monitor and windows go for £50-100 and you can upgrade to an SSD etc. For little more.

Also don’t forget to run Memtest and maybe a gpu benchmark utility just to stress it a little.

 

[Foxi4]

Please don't pay $260 for that, you could probably import something from another country with way better specs for what you're paying. I'd suggest buying a used Dell Optiplex instead if you can find one, the value for what you get is almost always going to be better than buying separate parts/someone's old build when you're working with hardware that old. I've seen Dell Optiplex's with 8th gen i5s going for like $250 in the US, so I'd like to think you'd have no problems getting something slightly older for much cheaper, including any import fees.

As for testing the CPU, you can run stress tests like Prime 95 as Foxi mentions, but TBH it's not really a big deal. CPUs don't really "degrade" in performance over time (that CPU will probably last longer than anything else in the rig, not counting any damage caused by other components dying), so buying used will make 0 difference from something brand new. So long as it wasn't dangerously overvolted (and I can guarantee you a non-K SKU will never be) and it actually boots up, chances are it'll work just as good as when it was manufactured.

I second Optiplex and other office PC’s as a cheap base system. Throw a GPU at them, perhaps a second RAM stick if you don’t have Dual Channel out of the box and job done.

 

[Sathya]

I will tell one more time to all of you guys.. anyways, thx alot for your suggestion.
First, in indonesia 2nd hand item is not cheap like other country. If it still have a good performance, than you cant get it with small price.
Second, the used item is just CPU and Motheboard.
besides that, all of the item is in new condition.
RAM, GPU, SSD, PSU, CASE are in new condition.

 

[subcon959]

You probably shouldn't have even mentioned the specs and just asked how to test a CPU lol.

 

[Sathya]

You probably shouldn't have even mentioned the specs and just asked how to test a CPU lol.

I know it dude.. but some people here are missunderstanding when answering my question.

 

[Joe88]

Just run benchmarks? Not understanding what you are asking.

The cpu isnt really optimal for video editing, it was already a low end cpu at the time, 10 years later its become worse alot worse
Just be prepared waiting for video encoding

 

[Foxi4]

Just run benchmarks? Not understanding what you are asking.

The cpu isnt really optimal for video editing, it was already a low end cpu at the time, 10 years later its become worse alot worse
Just be prepared waiting for video encoding

I don’t think it even *supports* some of the modern encoders that are commonly in use nowadays, so yeah, encoding anything at all in software will be a pain. While I understand that due to geographical considerations finding a different system might be a chore, but OP is burning money on something that can be outperformed by an all-in-one.

 

[subcon959]

I might be wrong but it seems to me he just wanted to know how to check the second hand components in the system are in fully working order.

EDIT: @Sathya have you tried Facebook btw? (I'm just guessing Jakarta, do you know Iko Uwais?)

 

[Sathya]

I might be wrong but it seems to me he just wanted to know how to check the second hand components in the system are in fully working order.

EDIT: @Sathya have you tried Facebook btw? (I'm just guessing Jakarta, do you know Iko Uwais?)

Well i have Facebook account but dont active anymore in a long time. yeah Iko Uwais is an Indonesian actor.

 

[Foxi4]

I might be wrong but it seems to me he just wanted to know how to check the second hand components in the system are in fully working order.

EDIT: @Sathya have you tried Facebook btw? (I'm just guessing Jakarta, do you know Iko Uwais?)

Well, the thread title is “help buying a CPU”, and advising against bad purchases is technically help.

In any case, my standard suite of test tools includes Prime95 for the CPU, Furmark or the latest 3DMark for the GPU, Memtest for RAM and the vendor tool for whatever SSD is being tested to have a quick look at drive health. In terms of the mobo there’s not much you can do in a hurry, but running Prime and Furmark simultaneously will give the VRM a hot supper, so at least you can test power delivery.

 

[Sathya]

@Foxi4 well i will try to do anything to check my cpu. and i will try your suggestion too. thanks