No matter what your PC building budget is, from $1000 to $5000, it always just feels like it's not enough. If you're hoping to stretch your budget even further, there might be one major factor you're overlooking - the used market.

Buying PC components secondhand is practically essential for budget builds but also a strategic advantage for those hoping to build a high-end rig. You can sometimes find people parting ways with brand-new components for a fraction of their shelf-cost, saving you hundreds of dollars. However, one important thing to consider is what parts you can pick up secondhand with little risk and which components you should probably stick to buying brand new.

The golden rules

The criteria for a safe used purchase

Before looking at the used market, there are some essential rules to follow. Picking up certain PC components secondhand is perfectly fine, but others can be a very high-risk purchase, so here are the factors worth considering.

The first rule to factor in is only to purchase non-mechanical components. If you're looking at the secondhand market, the best parts to priorize are those with minimal moving parts, like fans, pumps or disks. Components which contain moving parts are more likely to face wear and tear and therefore may fail sooner.

Another rule to consider is whether it would be easy to test the component for any faults. The components should have clear and simple testing procedures like benchmarking or temperature tests, as that way you can spot any issue straight away rather than down the line.

The last factor to consider is whether the component typically degrades significantly from standard use. Some components degrade much faster than others due to the heat they encounter, even if they are not being overworked, such as GPUs and PSUs.

Best components to buy used

These components provide maximum savings and are low risk

One of the lowest risk components to pick up secondhand is actually a CPU. Processors have no moving parts and are virtually immortal, typically being limited by cooling or your motherboard before failing. They either work or don't on arrival, making it easy to contest any issues and then can be tested via stress testing and temperature monitoring for further faults.

Non-RGB RAM is typically under low stress and is usually less likely to have been overclocked. You can test memory sticks immediately too, with them either working or not on arrival. With the current RAM shortage, opting for secondhand options can be a great way to avoid or at least somewhat offset current price hikes.

Motherboards are generally sturdy, making them a decent secondhand purchase. However, these do require some more careful inspection to ensure all the elements are working correctly. This is also the situation with non-RGB case fans, which can be a good secondhand purchase, particularly if you go for a reputable brand and see them spinning when purchasing.

Worst components to buy used

These components can be seen as a much higher risk secondhand purchase

A component that you should never buy used if you can help it, are storage drives. SSDs and HDDs have a finite write limit, and it's impossible to know their lifespan without verifying details about the previous owners' usage. While they're unlikely to fail immediately, they can stop working later down the line, which is actually worse as you can lose all of your data unexpectedly.

Power supplies, otherwise referred to as PSUs, are also not a great option to buy secondhand as they are under a high amount of stress when being used. If they fail, they can destroy every single component in your PC too, making this a very high-risk purchase. Instead, opt for a reliable, brand new PSU with a long warranty.

While used graphics cards can be an amazing deal, they can be very high risk. Without knowing the full extent of the previous owner's usage, you can't know the condition of a GPU. They might have been under extreme stress via mining, overclocking or even just poor treatment. Only buy a secondhand graphics card if you have some evidence of low-stress use or if the savings are so large that they outweigh the risk.

The final strategy

Turn your dream PC into a reality for less

While the secondhand market can provide you with some amazing savings, its worth treading carefully to ensure you're not making risky purchases and wasting money on damaged components. Opting for a used CPU or secondhand memory is generally a low-risk endeavor, and you can then use the savings to pick up components like a power supply or a graphics card brand new to ensure your PC is safe.

The used market isn't where old tech goes to die, it's where smart builders go to fund their next high-end GPU