Hi -

I'm looking to buy a gently used (or refurbished computer) that needs to have a very fast processor (quad or six core) I7 (probably) but does not need to have much in the way of graphics or anything else. Its primary purpose will be to run fairly resource intensive models - having nothing to do with poker - that currently take hours on my laptop but that take less than 20% of the time on an I7 that a friend has.

The comp should be physically lean/compact so it doesn't take up much room at a desk.

1. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to look or what to look for that might fit the bill?

2. Is there anything besides the processor and the SSD (e.g ram or anything else) that will meaningfully impact performance for these tasks or is it reasonable to get a refurbished computer off e-bay or even amazon that has a really great processor and SSD but not a lot in any other way (such as graphics cards)....

3. What kind of budget should I be looking at?

4. Are there any common pitfalls I should avoid while trying to save a buck or two?

PM if you'd like - many thanks.

Harry

If you're super concerned about performance, get a top notch motherboard that'll let you run the fastest RAM on the market. Get a boatload of premium, fast ram, a sixth gen i7 (overclockable), some m.2 SSDs in raid 0, and liquid cool the whole thing. A graphics card of any sort should do, because otherwise your cpu is handling that.

I'd estimate several grand to build it, but it'll be lightning fast afaik

check the warranty of the refurbished computer. Its best to buy it directly from the manufacturer.

Thanks guys.

It doesn't need to be a super-computer. I saw several in the $500 or so range in ebay and amazon. What am I missing with those?

Surely you get a deal with refurbished stuff and you take your chances... but in terms of the actual specs, what's wrong with some of the stuff I see on amazon etc. in the $500-$700 range?

What gen i7 you getting for $500?

4790 is 4th gen
6700 is 6th gen
Etc

usually pre-built computers cut corners on the power supply. If it blows it can take other parts with it. other times its an unbalanced computer. It may have a really good CPU paired with a really weak GPU or visa verca. It many have 16 gb of ram which is excessive for most people. It may have a high end CPU with a slow hard drive. Thats why ive always customized my computer. Having it tailored to your specific needs will always be the best. Look at the recommended system requirements for the softwares youll be running and go from there.

You guys are way ahead of me in terms of knowledge obviously.

I'd be most appreciative if you threw together 1-2 suggestions for the best I could do in the ~ $1,000 range?

I'd rather just be able to "pick" than have to customize my own. Especially if it's just a number cruncher at the end of the day....

Would be great to see a few suggestions off Amazon etc. that passed the smell test for you guys in the know

Tx in advance...

Point taken, but I'm not likely to be able to effectively customize my own computer with my lack of knowledge... so I'm looking for the 'best' of the 'worst' perhaps.

I guess I'd ask what was wrong with:

1. THIS

or

2. THIS

those are fine and its sold by Dell. Unless you need a smaller computer case, i would go with Number 2. more bang for your buck.

Heres the same computer as 2 but $30 cheaper
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-...7DKKN2DC60PEG1

Never buy a form factor desktop. They are designed to be very upgrade unfriendly (hard to find parts that will actually fit). Neither of them have an ssd. You might say "so what?". You really have to see the difference between regular hd and ssd. It's like the difference between night and day.

i7 6700K skylake (normal 6700 will do too)
256GB SSD
>8GB DDR4 RAM
decent motherboard

Will do, probably will cost you just under $800 if you build it yourself.
There are also a lot of sites which let you customize your own pc from a few standard options.

A completely built pc is likely overpriced or doesn't contain the parts you want like the two systems u suggested.