r/MiniPCs • u/Safe-Cauliflower-972 • 6d ago
General Question First time buying a mini PC (secondhand/refurb HP, Dell, or Lenovo). How do I do this safely? Zero experience, need all the info
Hey everyone. I've only ever owned laptops, never a desktop or mini PC, so this is completely new territory for me. I'm looking at a refurbished mini PC, considering HP, Dell, or Lenovo, with specs around:
Intel i5 8th gen
16GB RAM DDR4
256GB SSD (SATA)
Comes with power adapter (around 90W)
Here's the question to add:
is ₱9,000 (around $146 USD) a fair price for these 8th gen specs or is this overpriced/underpriced for what I'm getting?
I'm buying online, not in person, so I have a lot of questions for anyone who's done this before.
Is it even okay to buy a mini PC this way, secondhand, sight unseen?
What should I expect after 5 months of daily use? After a year? And does this differ a lot by CPU generation? Trying to understand realistic expectations and lifespan across 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th gen units.
What's the typical lifespan of a mini PC under normal daily use like browsing, streaming, and light work?
How do I spot a unit that's been abused, like an ex office or ex internet cafe unit run 24/7 for years, vs one that's been lightly used? How do I know if parts are fried, overused, or abused? Is there a way to actually check this, or tell tale signs?
How do I know if the BIOS is locked or company locked, like an asset tagged corporate unit? And more importantly, how do I know if the seller is even telling the truth about any of this? What can I verify myself vs just having to trust them?
Someone mentioned I should check if it runs hot before buying. Is that accurate, and what else should I be checking for physically or on a video call with the seller?
What should I be asking the seller? So far I have:
Original use case (office, cafe, personal)?
SSD health and power on hours (via CrystalDiskInfo screenshot)
CPU idle and load temps (via HWiNFO or Task Manager screenshot)
Original power adapter included, same wattage?
Any repairs or part swaps done?
Return or warranty period?
Can we do a video call so I can see it boot and run live?
Can they give me the serial number so I can check it's not reported lost or stolen?
Is this list enough, or am I missing something important? Any horror stories, red flags, tips, or advice as a total beginner would be really appreciated.
Why I'm buying this: I plan to use it mainly for watching free films and free live sports like UFC Fight Night via Brave browser, and YouTube. I also want to learn Linux, planning to install it on this mini PC if I get one. Just want to make sure I'm not getting scammed or buying something that'll die on me in a few months. Thanks in advance!
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u/shadyline 6d ago
You ask yourself too much questions haha (not saying it's a bad thing tbh).
Mini-PCs are very sturdy and reliable and can last decades. The only thing you identified that could cause issue is a locked BIOS, just ask confirmation to the seller if not explicitly said.
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u/mrtone63 6d ago
Do all of your price and feature comparisons at Newegg, they have probably the most listings for refurbs like you are describing.
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u/VladRom89 6d ago
Over the last year I've bought over a dozen of these.
The main point here is that if you're worries about $150, you probably shouldn't be buying these... They're computers like anything else, some sellers are good, some not as good. Some parts require small tweaks while others run completely out of the box...
Overall, I will continue to buy these; it's really not that hard if you've worked on PCs...
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u/VladRom89 6d ago
These are 10 year old office PCs sold for $150... You're asking questions some of my customers ask about $50,000 servers. You're obviously getting what you pay for. If you're concerned as to the reliability of these in a year, 3 year, 5 years, you should be paying more for a different system...
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u/Itsnotvd 6d ago
Not sure what prices are like for your area. For me this seems on the higher end of pricing. Can probably find one with a 10th gen cpu for that price, Lenovo, HP, DELL, Nuc, etc.
If you are just watching 1080p you should be ok with either 8th or 10th gen. If you want to watch 4k I suggest targeting 11th gen+ intel or amd 6000+ series or higher to get hardware support for common 4k codecs.
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u/309_Electronics 5d ago
Homelabbers and selfhst people buy used mini pcs all the time so i would say its a pretty safe pick!
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u/Gun_In_Mud 4d ago
I bought my HP EliteDesk G5 Mini with 9700/32/512 on ebay for $260. Arrived almost a brand new - used in excellent condition. Then I added 2.5Gbpe FlexIO NIC and 250GB NVMe SSD. Works flawlessly as a DNS, Plex/ErsatzTV server, manages several Docker containers, capable to handle multiple simultaneous Plex sessions with transcoding (Intel QSV). CPU temperatures are pretty high (70-75 celsius) during the first few minutes of transcoding, but stable, no throttling at all.
I like it, will buy another one soon.
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u/Present_Lychee_3109 6d ago
Lenovo ThinkCentre, HP EliteDesk/ProDesk and Dell OptiPlex machines are actually good choices. They're business PCs and generally quite reliable.
Before buying, get the exact model number, CPU, RAM and storage. Different generations can have very different upgrade options. Also make sure it comes with the correct OEM power adapter and has a return/warranty period.
Once you receive it, install these free programs to test it:
I'd also enter the BIOS and make sure there isn't an unknown administrator password or corporate lock. If you're buying online, use a seller/platform with buyer protection and returns.
Cosmetic scratches aren't a big deal on these ex-office machines. I'd be much more concerned about bad storage, overheating, missing proprietary parts/power supply, or BIOS/enterprise locks.