I'm not too familiar with the $USD prices of 2nd hand components, but from what I see this looks like a real bargain. In the UK at the current ex. rtates, this would be superb value at approx. £600, which I would spend without a seconds regret on a system like this - presuming I am correct in the following assumption:
System is stable and runs cool when not overclocked - There is something wrong if a watercooled system is getting hot at stock settings.
First thing first, take the side off the box and have a look inside - neat & tidy - good impression, cables all over the place, no cable-ties, untidy mess - bad first impression. Even if you have no idea what to look for, looking inside is a good idea, but don't touch.
To evaluate the stability of a computer, I regularly use the following tools:
MemTest 86 + - Whenever I build a machine, this is run for at least 2 passes (~1 hour at a guess on this machine). This determines basic memory performance and stability, any errors shown here and there is a problem - computer
will be crashy.
Download the "Bootable ISO", burn a CD and boot the test PC with this CD - Fully automatic OS independant CPU/memory test.
If memtest86 runs without problems, I then run the following two programs from windows:
Prime95 - This calculates prime numbers, and has a "Torture Test" mode that should max out the processor indefinately. Run this for a few hours, if it does not crash, and the CPU / System temperature is still at a nice cool level, the comp is a good one [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
For completion, I will usually also run benchmarking software (free versions)
Futuremark - 3DMark2001, 3DMark03 & 3DMark05 To test & evaluate the graphics card performance. These should not crash. If they do, there is a problem with the VGA card, or the CPU / Memory. Likely the VGA card if memtest & prime95 have been running without errors.
I may also run 3DMark (looping) at the same time as Prime95 to give the system some real stress for a while.
After 2 pass of memtest, 2 hours of Prime95 and a benchmark + demo of each 3dmark, I consider a computer I have just built to be "Totally Stable" and ready for payment + collection by whomever is buying it.
You may also want to run
Seagate tools, Desktop Edition to verify the stsus of the hard disk drive, but this is not expensive to replace if faulty, and if it was the only problem, would not stop me buying this machine.
In short, definately worth a viewing on the weekend. I would buy this for £600, with the expectation of either keeping it for myself or selling for £800+ (maybe upgrade mobo + VGA card and get £1000+ for it)
WRT warranty, most components will have 1-3 Years manufacturer's warranty, so long as u have the paperwork that comes with it when you buy - Speaking from the UK though, so I'm not sure if this is the same in the US.
Also you want driver discs / manuals etc, but drivers can be D/L if need be.
Good luck, I hope armed with these tools you will be able to evaluate what is being offered.
Dave.