How to Buy a Used PC

Step 1:
The first and foremost consideration, will this computer meet your needs? Will you want to add expansion cards? If so, you will need some spare motherboard slots. What kind of software do you intend on installing? Ensure that the PC meets the requirements and that you have enough space on the hard drive.

Step 2:
Do you plan on upgrading this PC? If you are planning to upgrade the PC with a faster processor, or memory, you should see what kind of motherboard the PC has and if the intended hardware is supported. If it doesn't support the upgrades, then you might want to re-consider buying that PC because the combined cost of buying a processor, motherboard and supported memory will probably cost the same or more as the PC itself.

Step 3:
Make sure it has all the documentation for all of the hardware. For a lot of hardware this isn't so important because you can probably get the information off of the internet, but if it is no-name generic hardware having this documentation is important.

Step 4:
Be sure it comes with the original software disks. Well, at least the OS CD-ROM. You may not plan on using the original software, but having at least the original OS CD-ROM will at least allow you to retrieve some drivers if needed, plus you will need the original license.

Step 5:
Check the internal cleanliness. Checking out the power supply and fans for excessive dust. This may give you an indication of the environment this PC was in previously and how well it was cared for.

Step 6:
Perform some tests. If you can run a scandisk to check the hard drive for errors. Test the sound, CD-ROM, all the keyboard keys. You can find some diagnostic utilities on the web for free that will test all of the hardware.

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