Need some help with buying a second-hand laptop

[Abdullah719]

So I want to buy a MSI GS60 Ghost Pro, i7-4720HQ, GTX 970m, 1TB HDD + 128 GB SSD, 16 GB RAM, FHD screen.

Now the thing is that I am buying it second hand. It's about 9 months old I guess. Within the warranty period. The price for a new one seems to be around $1800 or so while I'm getting it for around $1000. I intend on having it for a while, like a few years; is it a good option?

I want to know about how I should go about running benchmarks, etc, to make sure that everything is functioning properly. Is it enough to run 3D Mark tests? What other things can I do to ensure that it's in perfect condition? What do you think about the price, assuming that it's in perfect condition? Thanks for the help.

 

[basroil]

For the most part, used laptops are almost as bad as used beds, better to burn them than deal with finding one that really is in good condition. You need to have 100% trust in the seller to not have lied about the reasons to sell the device and it's condition.

Specs+price wise, it's a steal... except for the fact it's used. If there's so much as a scratch on it, I would be very careful about considering it.

 

[Abdullah719]

For the most part, used laptops are almost as bad as used beds, better to burn them than deal with finding one that really is in good condition. You need to have 100% trust in the seller to not have lied about the reasons to sell the device and it's condition.

Specs+price wise, it's a steal... except for the fact it's used. If there's so much as a scratch on it, I would be very careful about considering it.

Thanks for the response.

I'll be carefully inspecting the exterior, but that isn't what I am worried about, to be honest. I just need the hardware to be working fine. I need to make sure that the CPU, GPU, etc are all functioning as they need to be, 100%. So I'm just looking for some advice on how to go about that. I've seen some benchmarks for the 970m, for example, so I intend to compare those to what I get on the laptop. But since I'm a newbie with regards to benchmarks, I'm wondering if anyone can provide further suggestions, rather than just running 3DMark.

 

[basroil]

I'll be carefully inspecting the exterior, but that isn't what I am worried about, to be honest. I just need the hardware to be working fine. I need to make sure that the CPU, GPU, etc are all functioning as they need to be, 100%. So I'm just looking for some advice on how to go about that. I've seen some benchmarks for the 970m, for example, so I intend to compare those to what I get on the laptop. But since I'm a newbie with regards to benchmarks, I'm wondering if anyone can provide further suggestions, rather than just running 3DMark.

You misunderstand, I meant that if there are any cosmetic defects, you can't trust the components to be safe. See a ding in the plastic? Might be a sign of drop damage that could unseat the heat pads or even crack the board. See oily residue near the fan intakes? Might be a sign that the computer was used in a grimy environment and fans might have reduced life. See sticky stuff between keys? There might be water damage.

Benchmarks are the least of your worries, simply comparing 3dmark scores to others with the same specs is enough for video, furmark for graphics stability, and superpi/linpack for CPU performance. Your concern should be having the laptop last for more than 3 mo without dying.

Also, demand the original receipt, purchase order, or credit card statement, since you'll need that in case something fails under warranty.

 

[Abdullah719]

I'll be carefully inspecting the exterior, but that isn't what I am worried about, to be honest. I just need the hardware to be working fine. I need to make sure that the CPU, GPU, etc are all functioning as they need to be, 100%. So I'm just looking for some advice on how to go about that. I've seen some benchmarks for the 970m, for example, so I intend to compare those to what I get on the laptop. But since I'm a newbie with regards to benchmarks, I'm wondering if anyone can provide further suggestions, rather than just running 3DMark.

You misunderstand, I meant that if there are any cosmetic defects, you can't trust the components to be safe. See a ding in the plastic? Might be a sign of drop damage that could unseat the heat pads or even crack the board. See oily residue near the fan intakes? Might be a sign that the computer was used in a grimy environment and fans might have reduced life. See sticky stuff between keys? There might be water damage.

Benchmarks are the least of your worries, simply comparing 3dmark scores to others with the same specs is enough for video, furmark for graphics stability, and superpi/linpack for CPU performance. Your concern should be having the laptop last for more than 3 mo without dying.

Also, demand the original receipt, purchase order, or credit card statement, since you'll need that in case something fails under warranty.

That's helpful. Yes, I see your point and I agree. Will check these things. I was talking about smaller things, such as scratches which aren't a big deal. Will look out for the things mentioned, and basically any physical damage. I have seen pictures, and it looks fine, but seeing IRL is different. The owner does have the receipt and/or warranty and that is a condition for the purchase.

 

[jaguarskx]

MSI warranties are not transferable. Even if it was one month old and you bought it used, the remaining 23 months of the warranty will not transfer over to you.

http/www.msimobile.com/warranty/2yr_notebooks.aspx


The only brand that allows vaild warranties to be transferred is Dell to the best of my knowledge. Then again I generally do not do research about transferable laptop warranties.

 

[Abdullah719]

MSI warranties are not transferable. Even if it was one month old and you bought it used, the remaining 23 months of the warranty will not transfer over to you.

http/www.msimobile.com/warranty/2yr_notebooks.aspx


The only brand that allows vaild warranties to be transferred is Dell to the best of my knowledge. Then again I generally do not do research about transferable laptop warranties.

Thanks for the response and sorry for the late reply.

I went ahead and tested everything and bought it a few days back. After a factory reset and then subsequent updates, it's as good as new.

The warranty is there but anyway it is a formality rather actually serving any practical purpose since there are no MSI centers here in Egypt (according to my knowledge anyway).

I think it was quite a good deal. It's impossible to get anything at a similar level for the price.

 

[basroil]

The warranty is there but anyway it is a formality rather actually serving any practical purpose since there are no MSI centers here in Egypt (according to my knowledge anyway).

Warranty + receipt is the easiest way to make sure the item is not stolen and the seller has confidence that the product will work as intended. It's always a good idea to ask for it even in cases like yours, just to minimize the chance of bad products.

 

[jaguarskx]

For the price it is definitely a good.

The only thing that really sucks (now that you tested it) is the fact that it does not have a warranty.