Looking to sell my gaming rig - how much should I ask?

[tkzw86]

I built this computer myself a few years ago and at the time it was really one of the best PCs money could buy. I'm now looking to sell it as I don't play video games anymore and I just use a laptop for my work. How much is this thing worth today?

CPU: i7 4770k
CPU Cooler: H100i Liquid Cooler
GPUs: Two GTX 780TI In SLI
MOBO: Sabertooth Z87
RAM: 16GB Corsair Dominator Platinum (8x2)
SSD: 256 GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD
Sound Card: Asus Xonar Essence STX
Case: Corsair Obsidian 750D
PSU: Some 1050w PSU can't remember name ATM

Also decked out with all non-stock corsair fans and really nice cable management. Any idea what I should be asking for this thing?

 

[g-unit1111]

There's a long formula to figure out depreciation, but there is a much easier way to calculate what it is worth: Take cost of PC and divide it by lifespan.

Cost / lifespan = net value

And to calculate the lifespan - 1 year = 12 months, 2 years = 24 months, etc. Selling it in May would be 5/12. So if you own your PC for 2 years it would be 2.5 months.

So using that formula on say a $2000 build for 2.5 years, it would be:

C(X) = $2000 / 2.5 = $800.

Then subtract that value:

R(X) = $2000 - $800 = $1200.

So using that, you could expect to sell your rig for around $1200. If it's over it's a gain on sale, if it's under it's a loss on sale.

 

[tkzw86]

g-unit111, I'm not sure if I'm understanding your formula correctly or it just doesn't work in my case, but the numbers seem off. My computer is 3.5 years old and the build cost about $4,000 at the time. Of course these numbers result in a selling price of $2,800, which I think is obviously too much given how much time has passed. Would you agree?

 

[adiec]

g-unit111, I'm not sure if I'm understanding your formula correctly or it just doesn't work in my case, but the numbers seem off. My computer is 3.5 years old and the build cost about $4,000 at the time. Of course these numbers result in a selling price of $2,800, which I think is obviously too much given how much time has passed. Would you agree?

you sure you're correct with your $4000 or have you forgotten to list some components ? you're looking at an average of $400 per item listed and that seems way over valued even when new .

 

[tkzw86]

Hello adiec,

No, I'm sure I did not overprice the rig. I actually paid $4,600 after tax, but I just rounded down as I wasn't sure if I should be including that. At the time the 780ti's (they are non-stock with multiple fans) were $800 each, so those drive the price up a bit. I built this rig at a time when all of these components where the newest, best available, but once again I think the price should be much lower because that doesn't really matter anymore.

 

[g-unit1111]

g-unit111, I'm not sure if I'm understanding your formula correctly or it just doesn't work in my case, but the numbers seem off. My computer is 3.5 years old and the build cost about $4,000 at the time. Of course these numbers result in a selling price of $2,800, which I think is obviously too much given how much time has passed. Would you agree?

Yeah if it is a $4,000 rig it should be more or less around 1/2 of what you paid for it. If it was a $4600 rig then $2300 should be about right, that is 50% of what it's worth.

 

[tsnor]

A different way to price your PC is to goto ebay and see what roughly equivalent PCs are selling for. And then look at part prices for used parts and see what your parts would sell for.

I'm not sure where the the $2300 to $2800 price comes from. You can build a new PC for less than that with higher gaming performance. (not trying to be rude, but look at some of the $1500 gaming rigs).

Aside: An excellent sound card like the Asus Xonar Essence STX will get you more money sold as a single part rather than as a piece of a gaming rig.

 

[g-unit1111]

A different way to price your PC is to goto ebay and see what roughly equivalent PCs are selling for. And then look at part prices for used parts and see what your parts would sell for.

That's not always the best option though - because systems and components are different, and manufacturers can put out 20 different versions of the same product. Your 780TI may not be the same as the other guy's 780TI.

I'm not sure where the the $2300 to $2800 price comes from. You can build a new PC for less than that with higher gaming performance. (not trying to be rude, but look at some of the $1500 gaming rigs).

Basic depreciation takes about 1/2 of the value divided by the system's lifespan. If you were to do a full straight line depreciation, of a rig that initially cost $4600 over the course of 3 1/2 years, that would put you somewhere below $2,000.

Aside: An excellent sound card like the Asus Xonar Essence STX will get you more money sold as a single part rather than as a piece of a gaming rig.

This is very true - sometimes individual components can sell for way more than you would get if they're part of a rig. It all goes back to what I said earlier about manufacturers putting out 20 versions of the same product.

 

[adiec]

A rig that cost $4600 doesn't mean it was actually ever worth $4600 . i've priced a lot of these parts up from initial release dates and i can't get a price anywhere near $4600 . that's not to say the OP didn't pay $4600. i mean $1600 for the GPUs means the rest of the build cost $3000

cpu cooler : $120
motherboard: $250
case: $159
ssd: $200-$300
sound card:$200
cpu: ??? $450-$700 ???

not sure about the ram. am i missing something in regards to their prices ?

 

[tsnor]

A different way to price your PC is to goto ebay and see what roughly equivalent PCs are selling for. And then look at part prices for used parts and see what your parts would sell for.

That's not always the best option though - because systems and components are different, and manufacturers can put out 20 different versions of the same product. Your 780TI may not be the same as the other guy's 780TI.

I'm not sure where the the $2300 to $2800 price comes from. You can build a new PC for less than that with higher gaming performance. (not trying to be rude, but look at some of the $1500 gaming rigs).

Basic depreciation takes about 1/2 of the value divided by the system's lifespan. If you were to do a full straight line depreciation, of a rig that initially cost $4600 over the course of 3 1/2 years, that would put you somewhere below $2,000.

Aside: An excellent sound card like the Asus Xonar Essence STX will get you more money sold as a single part rather than as a piece of a gaming rig.

This is very true - sometimes individual components can sell for way more than you would get if they're part of a rig. It all goes back to what I said earlier about manufacturers putting out 20 versions of the same product.

Not clear why straight line depreciation, a tax/accounting concept, has anything to do with current market value.

A brand new GTX 780TI in a sealed box is not worth 100% of it's original selling price. Technology moves forward. Used gtx 780ti cards from sellers with great reps go for $150 on ebay. New price was around $500-$700 in 2014 and early 2015 when this card was sold.

When it comes to selling things you need to get a comparable sale, like from ebay, then project your selling price based on a comparison of what you are selling to the alternatives.

You can build a solid i7-7700K, GTX 1070 based system for $1500 using new parts.

$2K gets you a new i7-7700K, gtx 1080ti. 1tb ssd, etc.

You will likely not find a buyer who will prefer a used i7-4770 with two X 780ti for $2000+. vs either of those systems.

 

[adiec]

A different way to price your PC is to goto ebay and see what roughly equivalent PCs are selling for. And then look at part prices for used parts and see what your parts would sell for.

That's not always the best option though - because systems and components are different, and manufacturers can put out 20 different versions of the same product. Your 780TI may not be the same as the other guy's 780TI.

I'm not sure where the the $2300 to $2800 price comes from. You can build a new PC for less than that with higher gaming performance. (not trying to be rude, but look at some of the $1500 gaming rigs).

Basic depreciation takes about 1/2 of the value divided by the system's lifespan. If you were to do a full straight line depreciation, of a rig that initially cost $4600 over the course of 3 1/2 years, that would put you somewhere below $2,000.

Aside: An excellent sound card like the Asus Xonar Essence STX will get you more money sold as a single part rather than as a piece of a gaming rig.

This is very true - sometimes individual components can sell for way more than you would get if they're part of a rig. It all goes back to what I said earlier about manufacturers putting out 20 versions of the same product.

Not clear why straight line depreciation, a tax/accounting concept, has anything to do with current market value.

A brand new GTX 780TI in a sealed box is not worth 100% of it's original selling price. Technology moves forward. Used gtx 780ti cards from sellers with great reps go for $150 on ebay. New price was around $500-$700 in 2014 and early 2015 when this card was sold.

When it comes to selling things you need to get a comparable sale, like from ebay, then project your selling price based on a comparison of what you are selling to the alternatives.

You can build a solid i7-7700K, GTX 1070 based system for $1500 using new parts.

$2K gets you a new i7-7700K, gtx 1080ti. 1tb ssd, etc.

You will likely not find a buyer who will prefer a used i7-4770 with two X 780ti for $2000+. vs either of those systems.

i'm wondering though if we are talking USD or AUD /CAD because nothing added up for me .

 

[tsnor]

A different way to price your PC is to goto ebay and see what roughly equivalent PCs are selling for. And then look at part prices for used parts and see what your parts would sell for.

That's not always the best option though - because systems and components are different, and manufacturers can put out 20 different versions of the same product. Your 780TI may not be the same as the other guy's 780TI.

I'm not sure where the the $2300 to $2800 price comes from. You can build a new PC for less than that with higher gaming performance. (not trying to be rude, but look at some of the $1500 gaming rigs).

Basic depreciation takes about 1/2 of the value divided by the system's lifespan. If you were to do a full straight line depreciation, of a rig that initially cost $4600 over the course of 3 1/2 years, that would put you somewhere below $2,000.

Aside: An excellent sound card like the Asus Xonar Essence STX will get you more money sold as a single part rather than as a piece of a gaming rig.

This is very true - sometimes individual components can sell for way more than you would get if they're part of a rig. It all goes back to what I said earlier about manufacturers putting out 20 versions of the same product.

Not clear why straight line depreciation, a tax/accounting concept, has anything to do with current market value.

A brand new GTX 780TI in a sealed box is not worth 100% of it's original selling price. Technology moves forward. Used gtx 780ti cards from sellers with great reps go for $150 on ebay. New price was around $500-$700 in 2014 and early 2015 when this card was sold.

When it comes to selling things you need to get a comparable sale, like from ebay, then project your selling price based on a comparison of what you are selling to the alternatives.

You can build a solid i7-7700K, GTX 1070 based system for $1500 using new parts.

$2K gets you a new i7-7700K, gtx 1080ti. 1tb ssd, etc.

You will likely not find a buyer who will prefer a used i7-4770 with two X 780ti for $2000+. vs either of those systems.

i'm wondering though if we are talking USD or AUD /CAD because nothing added up for me .

I think these are $US
http://techbuyersguru.com/2000-premium-gaming-pc-build $2K build
http://techbuyersguru.com/1500-high-end-gaming-pc-build $1500 build
Price history for a 780ti @ $700 https://camelcamelcamel.com/MSI-Computer-GTX-780TI-3GD5/product/B00GI1RG8Y

I'd assumed OP paid $US, I think OP built a really nice very high end system and got his $4600 worth of parts. Everything is really top notch, extreme high end. I think OP is just not likely to get an offer in $1500 plus range for this system, but someone who really knows their stuff might want it at that price. The case, PSU are timeless. Sound card is PCI so might not fit new MB, SLI is somewhat out of favor vs a single monster card. 2-4 year old liquid cooling is getting toward pump fail time. RAM is DDR3 not DDR4, SSDs do wear out,. etc.

At $500 this system would be a ridiculous great deal, snapped up in a nanosecond. So selling price, IMO, will be somewhere between $1500 and $500 depending on how aggressively it's marketed and how long OP is willing to wait to sell it. Note, a year from now it'll be worth a bit less.

Aside: I've got a great $3600 Pentium 100 based MICRON PC in the basement. I never could throw it out. It was the last full price PC I ever bought, everything since has been refurbs or handbuilts. OP's $4600 systems was a much better purchase than the $3600 Micron P100.....

 

[adiec]

A different way to price your PC is to goto ebay and see what roughly equivalent PCs are selling for. And then look at part prices for used parts and see what your parts would sell for.

That's not always the best option though - because systems and components are different, and manufacturers can put out 20 different versions of the same product. Your 780TI may not be the same as the other guy's 780TI.

I'm not sure where the the $2300 to $2800 price comes from. You can build a new PC for less than that with higher gaming performance. (not trying to be rude, but look at some of the $1500 gaming rigs).

Basic depreciation takes about 1/2 of the value divided by the system's lifespan. If you were to do a full straight line depreciation, of a rig that initially cost $4600 over the course of 3 1/2 years, that would put you somewhere below $2,000.

Aside: An excellent sound card like the Asus Xonar Essence STX will get you more money sold as a single part rather than as a piece of a gaming rig.

This is very true - sometimes individual components can sell for way more than you would get if they're part of a rig. It all goes back to what I said earlier about manufacturers putting out 20 versions of the same product.

Not clear why straight line depreciation, a tax/accounting concept, has anything to do with current market value.

A brand new GTX 780TI in a sealed box is not worth 100% of it's original selling price. Technology moves forward. Used gtx 780ti cards from sellers with great reps go for $150 on ebay. New price was around $500-$700 in 2014 and early 2015 when this card was sold.

When it comes to selling things you need to get a comparable sale, like from ebay, then project your selling price based on a comparison of what you are selling to the alternatives.

You can build a solid i7-7700K, GTX 1070 based system for $1500 using new parts.

$2K gets you a new i7-7700K, gtx 1080ti. 1tb ssd, etc.

You will likely not find a buyer who will prefer a used i7-4770 with two X 780ti for $2000+. vs either of those systems.

i'm wondering though if we are talking USD or AUD /CAD because nothing added up for me .

I think these are $US
http://techbuyersguru.com/2000-premium-gaming-pc-build $2K build
http://techbuyersguru.com/1500-high-end-gaming-pc-build $1500 build
Price history for a 780ti @ $700 https://camelcamelcamel.com/MSI-Computer-GTX-780TI-3GD5/product/B00GI1RG8Y

I'd assumed OP paid $US, I think OP built a really nice very high end system and got his $4600 worth of parts. Everything is really top notch, extreme high end. I think OP is just not likely to get an offer in $1500 plus range for this system, but someone who really knows their stuff might want it at that price. The case, PSU are timeless. Sound card is PCI so might not fit new MB, SLI is somewhat out of favor vs a single monster card. 2-4 year old liquid cooling is getting toward pump fail time. RAM is DDR3 not DDR4, SSDs do wear out,. etc.

At $500 this system would be a ridiculous great deal, snapped up in a nanosecond. So selling price, IMO, will be somewhere between $1500 and $500 depending on how aggressively it's marketed and how long OP is willing to wait to sell it. Note, a year from now it'll be worth a bit less.

Aside: I've got a great $3600 Pentium 100 based MICRON PC in the basement. I never could throw it out. It was the last full price PC I ever bought, everything since has been refurbs or handbuilts. OP's $4600 systems was a much better purchase than the $3600 Micron P100.....

that pc was never worth $4600. - seriously . unless we are missing an extremely costly monitor or two a desk and perhaps a used car .:lol:

 

[g-unit1111]

that pc was never worth $4600. - seriously . unless we are missing an extremely costly monitor or two a desk and perhaps a used car .:lol:

Yeah I'm starting to think that price is off too. The 780TI when they were new, retailed for about the same as the 1080s do right now, which is around $600 - $650. So two of those would be around the $1200 range. Even the highest end 780TIs retailed for $699, which would put it in the $1400 range. A 4770K when it was new was around the same price the 7700K is now which is $339. So add the motherboard - around $200, RAM - around $150, H100i - $100. 256GB Samsung 840 Pro was around $300, not sure about the cost of the sound card or the PSU, and the Corsair Obsidian 750D retails for $159. And since the PSU was unknown an equivalent PSU - the XFX 1050W - retails for around $130. So add all that up and you get $2800, maybe giving the benefit of the doubt $3K max. Not sure where the $4600 is coming from either.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Not clear why straight line depreciation, a tax/accounting concept, has anything to do with current market value.

It doesn't but it worked out surprisingly close. Go to ebay and log in. Search sold listings by part number. Ebay gets 10%. That's about as easy as it gets.

780 ti = $140 A 780 Ti is roughly equal to a GTX 970.
4770K = $240 late gen i7s hold their value pretty well.
Sabertooth Z87 = I see it for $112 buy it now, no bids. I see one with the box that looks new for $140. I'd expect lower rather than higher.
16GB of Dominator Platinum DDR3 = I see bids at $105 and buy it now just sitting there for $114. I'm sure it was expensive new.
256GB 840 Pro = Buy it now for $55
STX ( great sound card, I have one ) = $100 used. The superior STX II is $135 used.
Used H100i = you can keep it. $20-$40
Some 1050w power supply. Complete ( educated ) guess that this is a Corsair HX 1050. = $40
Corsair Obsidian 750D = Around $100

Best case value is roughly $1035. Ebay gets 10% and you have to ship it. That's going to be expensive for the case.

Probably not the numbers you're looking for but a very reasonable estimate of real world value.

 

[azca]

$1000

 

[g-unit1111]

Not clear why straight line depreciation, a tax/accounting concept, has anything to do with current market value.

It doesn't but it worked out surprisingly close. Go to ebay and log in. Search sold listings by part number. Ebay gets 10%. That's about as easy as it gets.:

Yeah I use that because there's no real fool proof way to calculate the exact amount of how much your system is worth. Straight line depreciation is what comes the closest to the actual amount. The formula I gave earlier is a simple form of straight line depreciation. But there's something off about the price of the rig, I think the OP is over stating the amount of how much the original system cost. I'm going through my post history to see if I configured similar systems to find out how much a rig like this originally cost.

 

[adiec]

Not clear why straight line depreciation, a tax/accounting concept, has anything to do with current market value.

It doesn't but it worked out surprisingly close. Go to ebay and log in. Search sold listings by part number. Ebay gets 10%. That's about as easy as it gets.:

Yeah I use that because there's no real fool proof way to calculate the exact amount of how much your system is worth. Straight line depreciation is what comes the closest to the actual amount. The formula I gave earlier is a simple form of straight line depreciation. But there's something off about the price of the rig, I think the OP is over stating the amount of how much the original system cost. I'm going through my post history to see if I configured similar systems to find out how much a rig like this originally cost.

i wonder if it is just a currency issue and the OP is converting what it originally cost in their own currency to USD and that is why the large apparent overspend . still seems off but for instance Canadian or Australian dollars it might equate to a reasonable price ? if that makes sense .

 

[Deleted member 217926]

It doesn't really matter what the initial cost was. And the one foolproof way to see what old parts are worth is exactly what I described above. Go to ebay and see what people are paying. No guesses, no arbitrary numbers.

 

[adiec]

It doesn't really matter what the initial cost was. And the one foolproof way to see what old parts are worth is exactly what I described above. Go to ebay and see what people are paying. No guesses, no arbitrary numbers.

it matter if the OP is judging the value of their pc based upon a different countries economy .

 

[g-unit1111]

It doesn't really matter what the initial cost was. And the one foolproof way to see what old parts are worth is exactly what I described above. Go to ebay and see what people are paying. No guesses, no arbitrary numbers.

I was going off MSRPs of original prices and I came up with about $2800, maybe a little over. And that's without the sound card.

it matter if the OP is judging the value of their pc based upon a different countries economy .

That's entirely possible. A $3100 US rig in Canadian dollars would be about $4100. And a $3100 US rig in Australian dollars would be $4200. But still doesn't come close to the $4600 mark as was quoted by the OP. Tax usually isn't a factor when figuring out sales values.

 

[adiec]

It doesn't really matter what the initial cost was. And the one foolproof way to see what old parts are worth is exactly what I described above. Go to ebay and see what people are paying. No guesses, no arbitrary numbers.

I was going off MSRPs of original prices and I came up with about $2800, maybe a little over. And that's without the sound card.

it matter if the OP is judging the value of their pc based upon a different countries economy .

That's entirely possible. A $3100 US rig in Canadian dollars would be about $4100. And a $3100 US rig in Australian dollars would be $4200. But still doesn't come close to the $4600 mark as was quoted by the OP. Tax usually isn't a factor when figuring out sales values.

the chances are at the time the system was bought that a monitor was included a keyboard and a mouse maybe , few fans etc. could then take the price to the 4600$ mark in those two countries . what i am concerned about is that the OP goes away from here selling his system based upon that USD price . let's say $800 - he goes away lists it in his own currency and it sells immediately because it has been undervalued due to incorrect currency .

if they put it up for sale at too high a price and it doesn't sell then that's ok as they can relist it .. but the other way around would be a disaster. it is not always so simple to find an exact replica system on a selling website to accurately judge the price . you might find the same cpu , mobo , gpu possibly ram .. but the rest is unlikely to be an exact match or the system be in the same condition.

 

[dkryder]

I built this computer myself a few years ago and at the time it was really one of the best PCs money could buy. I'm now looking to sell it as I don't play video games anymore and I just use a laptop for my work. How much is this thing worth today?

CPU: i7 4770k
CPU Cooler: H100i Liquid Cooler
GPUs: Two GTX 780TI In SLI
MOBO: Sabertooth Z87
RAM: 16GB Corsair Dominator Platinum (8x2)
SSD: 256 GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD
Sound Card: Asus Xonar Essence STX
Case: Corsair Obsidian 750D
PSU: Some 1050w PSU can't remember name ATM

Also decked out with all non-stock corsair fans and really nice cable management. Any idea what I should be asking for this thing?

i would start at $1,000 US and then hope to get ~$850 US

 

[bobbybluz]

I too question your initial claimed value. I bought a 4770K and Sabertooth Z87 off Craigslist for $350 a couple of years ago. I have a few H100's and never paid more than $100 for them at Newegg. I have 4 256GB 840 Pro's and the most I paid for one was $180 new when they came out, the least was $50 off Craigslist last year.

Used things are only worth what somebody is willing to pay for them. For most parts involved either they're out of warranty or an original sales receipt is needed to get a RMA if they fail. I buy and sell a lot of used computer parts so I do have much actual experience with these things. You may do better parting it out on Ebay and Craigslist than selling it as a complete unit. I wouldn't mind having that Xonar Essence STX myself, I've seen them sell for less than $100 on Ebay recently. As noted above $850 is quite likely the most you'll be able to get for the whole thing and finding a buyer for a system containing parts a few years old isn't going to be easy.

 

[USAFRet]

The final determinant of "worth" is what someone else will pay for it.
Sold, boxed, shipped.

This was never 'worth' $4,600 USD to start. That may have been how much you personally paid, but not really.

My current system has a newer CPU (i7-4790k), 2 x RAM, a better liquid cooler (Cryorig A80)
Yours has better GPU.

I wouldn't expect more than $1,000 for mine.