Buying a computer from TradeMe.

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MrOriginal

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#10703 5-Dec-2006 20:05

Hi, this is my first post, great website!

Does anyone know if the computers sold on TradeMe are any good, are they good value for money etc?

Does anyone have some good tips for buying off TradeMe, I was going to build my own PC but I decided that it would be a bit too difficult.

[Moderator edit (MF): removed link to auction that does not add to the topic]

tonyhughes

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#54730 5-Dec-2006 20:22

trademe machines are predominantly private sellers, and not covered under the CGA (i.e. good luck getting warranty service).
some traders will be better value than others.

just price up the parts on local websites, and you will see if a particular machine pre built is good value...

freitasm

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#54731 5-Dec-2006 20:22

I have removed the link to the auction, since the question is not specific to that model. In general buying a computer off someone at Trademe is not bad - however you have to make sure you are looking for something with warranty, original software, etc. In doubt, why not go to a store and buy from there?

I am saying this because you linked to a $5,200 auction of a computer running a 3.4 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 150 GB. You can get the same specs for much less than this.

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MrOriginal

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#54733 5-Dec-2006 20:41

Thanks for the info. Do you know a good store to buy a high quality computer from? Is paradigm PCs a good place to get a custom built PC from? pp.co.nz

MrOriginal

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#54738 5-Dec-2006 20:59

Yeah, I used the PC wizard at pp.co.nz and it seems I could get better for cheaper. I just quickly selected these things are they any good?

Code / Price	Description
CP00121 $1,127.00	CPU: AMD Athlon64 FX-60 (2.6GHz) Dual Core 2MB Cache 2000Mhz Socket 939 CPU + Fan Retail Boxed
MB00019 $360.00	Socket 939 Motherboard: DFI Lanparty nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939 Motherboard
MEM00383 $555.00	DDR RAM Memory Chip: Corsair TwinX2048-3500LLPRO Dual Channel Kit 2x 1GB PC3500 DDR (433Mhz) Memory (2-3-2-6) with Aluminium Heatsink & 18 Activity LEDs
AGW00228 $1,283.00	PCI-Express16x Video Card: Leadtek nVidia GeForce 8800GTX WinFast PX8800 GTX TDH 768MB PCI-Express 16x Video Card Dual Dual-Link DVI HDTV
CMP0001 $288.00	Serial ATA Device: Seagate ST3400633AS NCQ 400GB 7200RPM Serial ATA300 Hard Disk Drive 16MB Cache
CMP0001 $288.00	Serial ATA Device: Seagate ST3400633AS NCQ 400GB 7200RPM Serial ATA300 Hard Disk Drive 16MB Cache
SN00018 $450.00	PCI Card: Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS PCI Sound Card
CS00306 $368.00	Case: Antec Sonata II (Black) Mid-Tower Case 450W PSU
$65.00	Assembly
Order Total $4,784.00

freitasm

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#54740 5-Dec-2006 21:00

You have two 400GB HDD. Is that what you want or just a mistake?

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tonyhughes

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#54741 5-Dec-2006 21:08

perhaps to run RAID (for performance, not redundancy)

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bradstewart

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#54744 5-Dec-2006 22:10

I wouldn't go within a mile of the GeForce 8800 graphics card.

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#54753 6-Dec-2006 07:43

bradstewart:
I wouldn't go within a mile of the GeForce 8800 graphics card.

You gonna tell us why?

bradstewart

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#54787 6-Dec-2006 11:06

Because when you go out and buy a DirectX 10 card, well... You expect DirectX10 performace right? Nvidia have only released drivers for XP for which of course there is no DX10. For Vista there are no beta drivers at all.

Considering Nvidia have been releasing drivers for DX9 for Vista for over a year now and still haven't got them sorted, one has to wonder how long it will take them to get DX10 drivers out.

Also by all accounts the card is not a great performer. Never overly wise to get the first card of a new series,

MrOriginal

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#54829 6-Dec-2006 18:42

At pp.co.nz you can get a custom PC built although I am a hardware noob and don't really know what components to choose. Can anyone tell me how to select the right components?

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#54831 6-Dec-2006 18:45

Are you genuinely asking for help or just advertising that website?

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MrOriginal

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#54839 6-Dec-2006 19:23

Yes I am asking for help, I thought it might come across like that lol. I designed a new PC is it any good.

Code / Price	Description
CM00936 $594.00	CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4Ghz 4MB Cache 1066Mhz Socket T (LGA775) CPU + Fan Retail Boxed
CMP0270 $232.00	Socket T Motherboard: Abit IL8 Socket T (LGA775) Motherboard
AGW00027 $249.00	DDR2 RAM Memory Chip: G.Skill NR Series 1GB PC2-6400 DDR2 (800Mhz) Memory
AGW00027 $249.00	DDR2 RAM Memory Chip: G.Skill NR Series 1GB PC2-6400 DDR2 (800Mhz) Memory
CM00567 $422.00	PCI-Express16x Video Card: Leadtek nVidia GeForce 7600GT Extreme PX7600GT 256MB PCI-Express 16x Video Card 2xDVI Video-Out
CMP0001 $288.00	Serial ATA Device: Seagate ST3400633AS NCQ 400GB 7200RPM Serial ATA300 Hard Disk Drive 16MB Cache
DD00008 $22.00	Floppy Disk Drive: Sony 3�" Floppy Disk Drive (Black)
SN00016 $243.00	PCI Card: Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi XtremeMusic PCI Sound Card
CS00306 $368.00	Case: Antec Sonata II (Black) Mid-Tower Case 450W PSU
AGH00004 $497.00	Monitor: Philips 190S7FB (Black) 19" Widescreen TFT Flat Panel Display 1280x1024 8ms Response Time
ID00048 $211.00	Keyboard: Microsoft Optical Desktop Elite for Bluetooth Keyboard & Mouse
SPK00032 $174.00	Speaker Package: Creative I-Trigue 2.1 3400 Speaker System 2 Satellites + 1 Subwoofer (Black)
$65.00	Assembly
Order Total $3,614.00

I think I will wait until the DX10 cards are got right and until quad core comes out as well.

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#54858 6-Dec-2006 22:13

Yes thats a very nice system. Not too sure about the price, but it seems fair.

Maybe 4 x 512Mb would be better than 2 x 1Gb.

MrOriginal

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#54961 7-Dec-2006 20:29

Cool thank you, why 4 x 512MB and not 2 x 1GB. Also what's the difference between buying two memory cards and a dual channel one?

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#55334 13-Dec-2006 00:44

$368 for a case and psu?!?!
and for something like $500-600 you can get a shiny dell 20" widescreen LCD.
I would go for 2x 1gig chips over 4x 512. This will leave you with further room to expand later on.
Personally I would go to www.pricespy.co.nz and get the parts and then put it together myself. Building a pc is actually far easier than people think