Hi,
I know a company here in Japan that sells second-hand computers, cleaned, repaired, and with a 3 years warranty. Lots of the usual suspects (HP, Dell, Lenovo), from entry level office desktops to higher end Xeon workstations/servers. Prices vary, obviously.
As you know, these computers often do not use standard off-the-shelf parts, which can be a problem if the motherboard or PSU fails.
What’s your opinion about these computers? Is it worth the pain buying one (for a Linux or BSD based torrenting/seedbox machine, or build a NAS) or should I rather go another route – either build a PC with standard parts or buy a brand new cheap mini PC?
Thanks!
Not entirely true. The big OEMs like HP and Dell often use non-standard motherboards and PSUs.
Worst case: you replace the case and PSU along with the motherboard.
You can use any old case from craigslist. I still use ATX cases from 2004.
This is incorrect and bad advice. A Dell or Lenovo business class motherboard will not bolt into an ATX case, nor connect to an ATX power supply.
Indeed, and even the case can be tricky. I think you sometimes have to drill the case if you want to install a standard motherboard.