New or used hardware: pros and cons

Today we are going to talk about whether you should buy new or second hand hardware, with its PROS and CONS. And is that acquiring powerful hardware is not something available to everyone. It is true that there is a wide offer and we can build very capable computers for little money; but to carry out certain activities we will have to go through high price tags that have the most powerful hardware.

In these cases, it is very useful to remember the second-hand market; A direct alternative to the retail prices that we find in stores when we have no choice but to pay an extra to assemble a custom equipment.

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Differentiating between second hand and reconditioned parts

Although it may seem unnecessary; When we buy from a secondary market, such as used parts, it is important to know what we are buying. There are several markets outside of the first hand and they all sell products that have received (or not) certain treatment before selling it. The two best-known alternative markets, especially within the hardware world, are reconditioned products and second-hand parts.

• Refurbished products market. We speak of reconditioned products when we refer to parts that have received a treatment prior to their sale; even without being a new component. Usually these are parts with some type of factory defect, or that have been returned shortly after purchase; When repaired, they are put back up for sale at a reduced price. Second-hand parts market. The second-hand hardware market is like any other product: used parts that are resold to those interested. It is usually a market in which users interact directly, although they rely on certain means to carry out transactions.

Both markets have their own peculiarities and coverage; On the one hand, second-hand parts are used components whose owner wants to get rid of, it is easy to contact the seller to receive new information; in the case of reconditioned parts, they are sold through stores; reason why they are sold with the same treatment as the new components, so they can decrease the stock of returned products; they also usually have a guarantee.

Choosing between one and the other depends entirely on availability and our preferences. To acquire reconditioned products we will always have to look in specialized stores, or Marketplace that are dedicated to it; while, for the second-hand market, it is best to go to specialized platforms that provide some type of coverage to the buyer; Clear examples could be eBay, or Vibbo, among others.

Why buy hardware in secondary markets?

The most immediate benefit we can think of when we talk about buying pre-owned hardware is the price; In most cases, we don't need first-hand components for a computer to be functional; These types of secondary markets enable the acquisition of pieces from a range that, with a tight portfolio, we should not opt ​​for. The pieces are usually renewed every two years with new series and novelties, at which time many users decide to dispense with their old components; This is usually when we find the best offers.

In addition, in most cases, we do not need “the latest” to have a fully functional equipment and most of the components are designed to work for a long time; so many users choose to continue taking advantage of the useful life of the components. It is true that not all components last the same, and it is important to keep in mind that, from a computer, parts like the processor; the motherboard; or the graphics card; They have a greater durability than others such as hard drives, or PSUs.

But for sample, a button. Giving an example of how we can benefit from these types of markets, we found it during the launch of Nvidia's Pascal graphics in 2016. When they launched the GTX 1080, the price of its predecessor dropped 15% in the US market (one of the few in which it is easy to find this information) and double the second-hand; within the range in which it was at that time the GTX 1060 6GB; a graph that yielded below this. Even today it is easier to acquire a GTX 980 at a lower price than the named card, being the GTX 980 more powerful.

As a summary, the main advantages of acquiring pre-owned parts are:

• Opt for superior ranges at affordable prices. Prices, depending on the component, tend to drop by around 20% when new parts come onto the market; in the second-hand, this decline is more pronounced. You don't need the latest to have a functional team. Most hardware is perfectly functional many years after it is discontinued. You save when assembling your equipment. The clearest advantage; a pre-owned market will always have better prices than retail (with few exceptions).

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Why not shop in these markets

Reflow is a technique that seeks to re-solder certain parts of a used GPU to get it working again. Image: Flickr; Binary Koala.

The main disadvantage of this type of market lies in uncertainty. The absence of guarantee, as well as the fact of not knowing the state of the product; are two drawbacks that many users are not willing to go through. Making this type of purchase requires some complicity on the part of the seller (especially outside the reconditioned market) and the bad faith of some sellers can end in misfortunes for a clueless buyer. It is always advisable to inquire in an inquisitive way about the state of this type of pieces if we are going to buy them in a second-hand market; as well as personally check its operation if possible.

In addition, there are certain components that, regardless of the state, it will always be more advisable to buy new ones; as is the case of the already mentioned PSUs; or parts with high wear and tear through misuse, such as SSDs.

In the worst cases, or without any care, we can end up with a non-functional piece; reason why it is essential to understand that, in a second-hand market, although we are acquiring products at a lower price, we are taking certain risks. Weighing whether or not these outweigh the advantages is key to buying in these markets.

In summary, these are the main reasons for not participating in these markets:

• You have no guarantees of the operation of the part. You do not know the treatment that has revived, nor the state in which it is; so you can end up with bad hardware if you are not careful as a buyer. They require an extra effort on the part of the buyer. Acquiring hardware usually has some research, or comparison, behind it before buying; in a second-hand market, this increases.

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With that we end our article on new or used hardware. Obviously, it is always good to buy new hardware , but of course, not everyone has a budget as loose as few mortals. The second hand option is a great option if we know where to buy and verify that the components are OK.