How Much Is My PC Worth? | How Do I Find Out? - Hardware Centric (2024)

To appraise your PC, you will need to look at the condition, age, usage, warranty status, and some other factors of each component in your PC. After you decide whether to sell specific hardware or the whole PC, you should check the market status and then go for it when the situation is right.

Understanding the worth of your PC is important when you want to keep a fair trade. Whether it is to sell, upgrade, or insure the PC, knowing the value of the PC is a thing an owner cannot overlook.

Is It Possible to Calculate How Much Is My PC Worth?

In a PC market, the prices of components fluctuate randomly and pretty often. Therefore, it is useful to know how to evaluate the worth of a second-hand computer and its related components. Whether you are buying or selling, this knowledge helps you optimize the PC build and makes the best use of your hard-earned money.

The first thing you should determine is whether there is any value in selling your PC or to keep utilizing it. Depending on the situation, either one of the choices can be correct.

Evaluating Individual Parts Vs the Whole PC

You have two options: you can either sell your PC as a whole or sell the individual components. As new PC buyers tend to buy a whole PC, you can usually start with a higher number. Others will look to use the assembled build as a secondary computer.

The hardware of your PC will determine the method which will produce better value. You will have to consider the amount of use that it had when you are evaluating the whole PC.

Other buyers might only want certain parts of a PC. Some buyers will prefer certain brands over others. This may prove to be more financially lucrative for you as some of the parts in your PC could generate more money than selling your PC as a whole.

You will have to estimate the values of the used version of the components. Once you decide whether you are going to sell your whole build or just some components, then you can start the evaluation process.

Check the Hardware Components

Next, you are going to have to check each PC component to determine its true worth which affects the overall price. Factors such as age, physical condition, usage, warranty status, packaging, etc. greatly affect the PC’s worth.

CPU

The CPU is one of the most expensive components of your computer. A budget CPU that can handle low-tier gaming and processes can cost up to $100 to $150. The mid-tier ones cost around $200-$300 while higher-end CPUs tend to cost around $1000.

However, you should keep in mind that you will have to knock the price down since it is used. Many buyers will straight up ask if your CPU has enough power to deliver what they are seeking.

GPU

The GPU is another one of the most expensive components of your build. A powerful GPU is the most sought component in a PC market. Therefore, you should be extra careful when appraising your graphics card.

As GPUs tend to wear out and become obsolete fast, their values decrease substantially. Moreover, the recent COVID-19 pandemic combined with crypto mining has created a scarcity of powerful GPUs worldwide. Hence, you will have to make a quick and witty decision about when to sell yours if you own a GPU that is hot on the market.

RAM

Random Access Memory or RAM also greatly affects the value of your PC. It is an integral part of the system as you may own several sticks of them with memory capacities such as 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, or 32 GB.

The amount of memory your RAM has is what affects its overall worth. Besides, the brand name also plays a role in determining the value of your RAM. You have to keep in mind that RAM will start to deteriorate in proportion to usage. You can expect half of the current value of a new one of the same model.

Storage

The capacity of the hard drive or storage capacity determines how much data you can keep on your PC at a time. Whether you are planning to sell your PC as a whole or just the hard disk, the more the storage capacity, the more value you will get out of it.

Motherboard

The motherboard is an important component that allows your PC a wider range of performance. You will need to access your system information to find what kind of motherboard you have.

Other Components

Some other components will add to the value of your PC as well. They include the SSD (Solid State Drive), casing fans, cables, CPU cooler, etc. These additional components altogether aid the superior performance of a PC and add to its value.

How to Calculate How Much Is My PC Worth?

If you just simply want to skip all these hassles and want a smooth way to find out the value of your PC along with its components, you can do this with ease online. There are a lot of websites you can find on the internet that helps users to calculate a PC’s estimated value for them. One of those websites is the PC Price Calculator.

All you need to do is go to this website and provide the information about the components (brand, model, etc). After providing such information, click on the Get Price button. Then you will get the total price including the price of each component and a chart of the PC build average price for the last 6 months. The values are based on the usual price of a used PC build cost.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When is the right time to sell my PC?

Generally, if you are not using a specific component or a PC, it is best to sell them as quickly as possible. However, if you expect that the price may rise sometime later, you can delay the sale.

What is a reasonable price for my PC?

A budget gaming PC can cost from $500 up to $1000. The PC’s pricing above $1000 should come with higher-end CPUs and GPUs. You can expect to sell a used PC for half of its original price depending on the market conditions.

Conclusion

Evaluating each component of the PC separately can sometimes be difficult and time-consuming. Patience is the key to this particular aspect. Hence, you should keep in touch with the PC market to make the right move at the right time.