Selling computer, looking for advice on an offer I got.

[Grimsilver]

So I am trying to sell my computer, and naturally I have gotten lots of offers on trades (really bad most of them, like a childrens dirt bike lol), but I got a pretty nice offer. My computers stats are as follows:

Case: NZXT Phantom White
Processor: Core i5-3570K
RAM: Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1600
GPU: 2 Gb GTX 670 (Gigabyte)
Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
PSU: Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750
SSD: Kingston HyperX 3K 120 Gb
HDD: Western Digital Black 1 TB 7200 RPM
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium

I was only selling the tower, so no peripherals or extras, but he offered up a laptop for trade, as seen here: http://boulder.craigslist.org/sys/3831949125.html

I know the laptop is worth a bit, and I have heard they retain value more, but I am very unsure due to my extremely limited knowledge of laptops. I think the laptop is worth a fair bit more than my computer too, so that worries me as to why he would want to do it? What are the real risks I would be taking? How could I avoid the risks and ensure it's not on the verge of death or some serious issue? Just looking for some feedback and advice, thanks!

 

[ssddx]

my brother just purchased an asus g75 for $1200 link here which is better than the one you listed i think despite having 8gb less ram (which you could always add in a few sticks). it comes with a gtx670mx not a gtx670m (the newer model is better) as well as having a 1920x1080p screen not whatever the poster is listing. it only comes with one hard drive but this leaves it completely open to add a ssd boot drive on your own.

as far as the g75 in general is concerned... its absolutely massive. it dwarfs just about any other laptop and is heavy. with that said the large sized screen is very nice for a laptop screen (depending on the model you buy) and the size is also very nice. there is an integrated subwoofer speaker which seems to work alright but personally i'm not a huge fan. the chicklet keyboard is less than ideal compared to what i have on my asus laptop however isnt bad enough to warrant too much attention. all the heat is dispersed out the back which seems to work rather well. the version i linked above is able to play games like tera on maximum but i'm not sure about other games as he hasnt played anything else yet. you will need to buy an 18.5" or 19" laptop case to fit it as its very large.

he is asking $1500 which is not reasonable since you can buy versions brand new for the same price. generally pc tech drops half its price every year with a few exceptions. even 3/4 of the price would be about $1300 and half would be only $900. of course the same holds true for your parts but between 1/2 to 3/4 is typically a good baseline.

risks?

-its already a year old so you likely will not get any warranty from asus
-i'm not sure its 1080p
-older gtx670m not new gtx670mx which i believe runs cooler.
-may not be in 100% condition, perhaps it was dropped, scratched, scuffed or had something spilled in it.
-batteries are also a year old which may shorten usage times
-underpowered compared to desktop components

how are you sure its not on the verge of death? if you start it up, play some games and some other demanding tasks for awhile and nothing arises then its probably not going to happen immediately but really there is no way to tell other than seeing warning signs if hardware is at its end of life.

you never know what you are going to find when you buy used pc tech which is one reason why prices drop so much. the other reason is that with the drop in price for new tech even if you dropped the price 50% for what you paid new when selling used you can likely find a new alternative which works the same or better.

despite the similar specifications the laptop is severely underpowered compared to the desktop you already have. mobile CPU and GPU components just are not in the same league as the desktop variants. what you gain instead is mobility although realize that to game on such laptops you need to have them plugged in which takes away from the mobility slightly.

if you want a laptop for portability though you arent going to get any better than the g75

-------

not a terrible trade really if both are in good condition and you are okay with no warranty (remember your pc likely doesnt have much of a warranty left either so its two-way).

if you sold the pc for a good amount though you may be able to get a brand new model.

just some options to weigh.

 

[Grimsilver]

my brother just purchased an asus g75 for $1200 link here which is better than the one you listed i think despite having 8gb less ram (which you could always add in a few sticks). it comes with a gtx670mx not a gtx670m (the newer model is better) as well as having a 1920x1080p screen not whatever the poster is listing. it only comes with one hard drive but this leaves it completely open to add a ssd boot drive on your own.

as far as the g75 in general is concerned... its absolutely massive. it dwarfs just about any other laptop and is heavy. with that said the large sized screen is very nice for a laptop screen (depending on the model you buy) and the size is also very nice. there is an integrated subwoofer speaker which seems to work alright but personally i'm not a huge fan. the chicklet keyboard is less than ideal compared to what i have on my asus laptop however isnt bad enough to warrant too much attention. all the heat is dispersed out the back which seems to work rather well. the version i linked above is able to play games like tera on maximum but i'm not sure about other games as he hasnt played anything else yet. you will need to buy an 18.5" or 19" laptop case to fit it as its very large.

he is asking $1500 which is not reasonable since you can buy versions brand new for the same price. generally pc tech drops half its price every year with a few exceptions. even 3/4 of the price would be about $1300 and half would be only $900. of course the same holds true for your parts but between 1/2 to 3/4 is typically a good baseline.

risks?

-its already a year old so you likely will not get any warranty from asus
-i'm not sure its 1080p
-older gtx670m not new gtx670mx which i believe runs cooler.
-may not be in 100% condition, perhaps it was dropped, scratched, scuffed or had something spilled in it.
-batteries are also a year old which may shorten usage times
-underpowered compared to desktop components

how are you sure its not on the verge of death? if you start it up, play some games and some other demanding tasks for awhile and nothing arises then its probably not going to happen immediately but really there is no way to tell other than seeing warning signs if hardware is at its end of life.

you never know what you are going to find when you buy used pc tech which is one reason why prices drop so much. the other reason is that with the drop in price for new tech even if you dropped the price 50% for what you paid new when selling used you can likely find a new alternative which works the same or better.

despite the similar specifications the laptop is severely underpowered compared to the desktop you already have. mobile CPU and GPU components just are not in the same league as the desktop variants. what you gain instead is mobility although realize that to game on such laptops you need to have them plugged in which takes away from the mobility slightly.

if you want a laptop for portability though you arent going to get any better than the g75

-------

not a terrible trade really if both are in good condition and you are okay with no warranty (remember your pc likely doesnt have much of a warranty left either so its two-way).

if you sold the pc for a good amount though you may be able to get a brand new model.

just some options to weigh.

Thanks a ton on all the information. I decided to go ahead and pass on it, mostly because I thought it was worth more than that, and figured I could be making a profit, but after reading your info I will go ahead and pass, which works out fine because he claims he sold it for full price anyways.