There are several reasons you might want to know the value of your PC.
You may be thinking of selling it, upgrading it, or even insuring it.
Understanding how much your PC is worth can help you offer a fair price or know that you’re receiving a fair trade-in deal.
Valuating your PC comes down to knowing how valuable the parts are inside of the computer.
Here’s an in-depth guide to evaluating your PC.
1. Decide Whether To Evaluate The Whole System Or The Parts
Before you can start evaluating your PC, you need to know if you’re going to sell the entire PC or only sell its parts.
Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
If you choose to sell your entire PC, then you can usually start with a high number with the expectation of making a deal at a lower number.
Many people, especially new PC buyers, prefer to buy an entire computer.
They may not have the knowledge of how to take their PC apart and upgrade it part by part.
Others are looking for an assembled build to perform small tasks for them or to use it as a second computer.
When evaluating the entire PC, you’re going to need to consider the amount of use that it had.
Many interested parties are going to ask whether it was a gaming PC, a work PC, or a PC used for mining cryptocurrency.
The answer will give them a general idea as to how much use it saw.
The brand of the PC can also influence its prices and value.
Some buyers trust certain brands over others.
They’re more willing to buy an entire PC if you stuck with a particular brand for it.
Finally, you need to consider where you’re selling the PC if you intend to sell the entire thing as a whole piece.
The weight of it can make shipping expensive and difficult.
It might impact your profits.
A better solution for selling your whole PC is to sell it locally.
Having them pick up the PC doesn’t eat away at your profits.
The other way to evaluate your PC is through its parts.
Some buyers only want certain parts of the PC.
This may end up being more financially lucrative for you since some parts are more expensive than your PC as a whole.
If you want to sell parts of your PC, then you need to know the estimated value of their used version.
Selling PC parts is also easier for shipping.
They tend to be lighter and not as costly.
Once you make your decision about whether you want to sell the PC whole or sell its parts, you can start evaluating it.
2. Evaluate Your CPU
The CPU of your computer is an important part to evaluate.
Many buyers will need to know if the CPU has enough power to run the applications they need.
You can check to see what CPU you have by opening the start menu on your PC.
Then type in “about” on the search field.
You’ll see an option called “About my PC.”
Click that and it will give you some basic information about your computer’s specs.
For the CPU, you’ll want to look at the part that says “Processor.”
That’s the name of your CPU.
You can then go on different sites to see what your specific CPU is selling for.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to knock down the price since it’s used.
On average, budget CPUs tend to go for $100 to $150.
They’ll be able to handle low-tier gaming and low-resolution processes.
More advanced CPUs go for $200 to $300.
This is the range that most casual gamers spend on their CPUs.
If you’re a professional gamer, then your CPU tends to cost around $1,000.
These are high-end CPUs that deliver the best performance.
An example is the AMD 16-core Ryzen 9 3950X.
3. Evaluate Your CPU Socket
Figuring out what CPU socket you have depends on knowing which company it comes from.
If you have an Intel CPU, which you’ll discover by following the steps above, then you’ll need to go to Intel.com.
Then go to their “Intel Product Specifications” page.
Once there, you’ll want to type in the processor name that you found in the previous section.
Once the page loads, you’ll want to scroll down until you see a section that states, “Package specifications.”
Under this section, you’ll see a part that says, “Sockets Supported.”
Next to it is the part name.
That tells you what CPU socket you have.
If your processor is an AMD, then you will follow a similar process.
You’ll want to visit the AMD website and look for the model of your CPU.
It will then give you a spec sheet of the model including its CPU socket.
You’ll find the socket next to a section that reads “Package.”
An example is an AM4 socket.
Sockets are important because they house the CPU.
Without them, the CPU can’t attach to the motherboard.
When people want to buy your PC or your CPU, then they’ll want to buy the CPU socket as well.
It’s also a good idea to know how much your socket is if you ever want to upgrade your CPU.
You can’t upgrade your CPU without also upgrading your CPU socket.
The average price of a CPU socket tends to roll itself into the price of the CPU.
They’re a package deal.
If someone only wants to buy the CPU socket, then it’s relatively inexpensive since it’s only there to hold the CPU in place.
4. Evaluate Your GPU
To find out the value of your GPU, you need to know what your GPU is.
The GPU is one of the most expensive parts of your PC.
It plays an integral role in determining the kind of resolution and performance that your PC gives in terms of graphics.
Since a video game is entirely graphics, having a powerful GPU is important.
To find out what GPU you have, you can find it in a similar way that you found your CPU.
Press “Start” on your PC or click the Windows icon on the keyboard.
Then type in “System information” in the search field.
Hit enter and you’ll see a window pop up that gives you a lot of information about your system.
You’ll want to find the tab that reads “Components.”
Click on that and a few more tabs will activate.
To find your GPU, go to the tab that reads “Display.”
This will show you different pieces of information about your PC’s display settings and parts.
The GPU is next to the section which reads “Adapter Description.”
An example of a GPU is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Tri.
Prices on GPUs differ greatly.
A used GPU also decreases in value substantially.
That’s because they tend to wear out fast.
Since manufacturers are always making new ones, they also become obsolete fast.
However, recently, there’s been a unique problem with GPU sales.
The combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and crypto mining has made GPU sales soar.
There’s a scarcity of the most powerful GPUs on the market.
With factories unable to produce enough GPUs to meet the market’s needs, they’re pricing them high.
Crypto miners are buying up as many GPUs as they can to continue mining on their PCs.
The problem with crypto mining is that it eats up a lot of energy and wears down the PC fast.
They go through GPUs quickly.
This forces them to continue to buy new GPUs and make the scarcity even worse.
Others who manage to get their hands on a coveted GPU will then go to eBay to resell them at extremely high prices.
Those desperate enough, and who have the money, buy them at these high prices.
The rest are stuck waiting until the manufacturers can produce more.
Since the value of GPUs is volatile, it’s difficult to determine the average price for one.
The GeForce RTX 3090 is selling for around $1,500.
This is one of the most powerful GPUs on the market and the one that several buyers are trying to get their hands on.
If your used GPU is a 3090, then you can expect to sell it for a higher price than what you bought it for in most cases.
If you used it for crypto mining, however, then the value will be lower.
The GeForce RTX 3070, only a few generations older than the 3090, is selling for around $500.
However, some people who are eager to get their hands on any decent GPU may be willing to pay more for it.
You can receive a great deal on your GPU if you know you have one that’s hot on the market but has a limited supply.
6. Evaluate Your RAM
Another extremely important part of your PC that influences its value is its RAM.
To find your RAM, you’ll need to click the Start button or the Windows key.
You’ll then type “About” into the search field as you have before.
A section that reads “About My PC” will show up.
Click that, and a new window will open.
You’ll see tons of information about your PC in this window.
Scroll down to the section that reads “Installed RAM.”
Next to it is the number of GBs that your RAM has.
It may say something like 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, or even 32 GB.
RAM stands for random access memory.
It’s a crucial part of your computer that impacts its performance and speed.
It basically acts as short-term memory.
It stores information about certain apps and other processes that are either going on in the background or are waiting for launch.
When you click on something, it’s the RAM that quickly tells the rest of the computer what to do.
The amount of memory that your RAM has will impact how much it can remember and perform at a given time.
A 4GB RAM is a basic part.
This is standard for a work computer or a school computer.
If you want good gaming RAM, then you’ll want 8GB RAM at the very least.
You’ll find better performance with 16GB RAM.
High-end machines usually use 32GB RAM.
The price of these increases with the more memory that your RAM has.
Prices for 4GB RAM tend to be around the $20 to $50 mark.
Brand plays a big role in determining the final value.
Some also add SDD packs with their RAM which also improves performance and adds to the price.
Prices for 8GB RAM rests around $30 to $100 while
16GB RAM goes for around $50 to $100.
Finally, the price for 32GB RAM is around $100 to $200.
To evaluate your RAM, you’ll need to consider its size and its usage.
Like everything else, RAM will start to deteriorate the more that it’s used.
If you have 16GB or 32GB RAM, then you may be able to expect half of what the current value is for a new one of the same model.
5. Evaluate Your NVIDIA Driver
NVIDIA drivers are free, but it’s a good idea to know which one you have.
To find your driver, you’ll want to go to your Settings and find the “Device Manager” section.
You may also be able to search for this section by pressing the Windows key.
When your Device Manager window pops up, you’ll want to find the section that shows you your Display Drivers.
Click that.
You’ll see your graphics card.
Right-click on the graphics card and you’ll see a prompt that allows you to look at its properties.
Choose its properties and it will give you information about your driver.
You’ll be able to see the date of your driver.
This indicates when the system installed the driver on your PC.
It will also tell you what driver you have.
Another important piece of information is the version of the driver.
The maker of the driver, in this case Nvidia, often releases updates for their drivers.
It’s important to keep your driver updated to get the most performance out of your GPU.
Although the driver is free, it plays an important role in your PC’s performance.
It’s responsible for telling your PC to obtain information from your GPU.
It’s basically a bridge between software and hardware.
It helps to prevent bottlenecking from happening.
While you can’t put a price on your driver, it can be helpful information to give someone who wants to buy your GPU or PC as a whole.
6. Evaluate Your Storage
Storage can also determine some value of your PC if you intend to sell it as a whole.
Buyers will want a decent amount of storage since they’ll be relying on it to download their games and save data.
To find out how much storage your PC has, you’ll want to hit the Start button or the Windows key.
Then type “Storage” into the search field and hit enter.
You’ll see a prompt to go to the Storage page.
Click that and you’ll see information about your PC’s storage.
In particular, you’ll want to look at the Windows C part of the page.
This is where the bulk of your system’s storage is.
It will tell you how much memory is being used and how much you have left.
Adding the two numbers together will tell you how many GBs’ worth of memory your PC has.
The standard is 500 GB, but it can vary from PC to PC.
If you have other system storage devices, like flash drives, external hard drivers, or anything else, you’ll find them in the section titled, “View Storage Usage on Other Devices.”
There you’ll find information about the amount of space your other devices have.
The amount of storage that your PC has doesn’t impact its performance, but it can help your RAM do its job.
It also ensures you’re able to keep saving your game and enables you to download new games.
For those who use their PC professionally, it’s useful for saving files, images, and even videos.
The more storage that your PC has, the more value it has.
That’s because it uses more materials to provide that storage.
Gamers tend to value PCs with high storage because it enables them to play a few different games.
Without a lot of storage, they may only be able to download a few games before needing to uninstall and delete one to make room for a new one.
You can also use external hard drives to extend the storage of your PC if you run out of space.
If you have hard drives to sell along with your PC, then you may be able to increase its value by a few dollars.
7. Evaluate Your CPU Cooler
Another integral part of your PC that can determine its value is the CPU cooler.
As its name might suggest, the CPU cooler keeps your computer cool.
There are two main types of coolers that your computer may have.
The first is an air cooler.
It basically acts like a giant fan.
It blows cool air against the CPU to keep it cool.
The other type is an all-in-one water cooler.
This is similar to an air cooler except it’s more sophisticated.
To find out what CPU cooler you have, you’ll need to open your PC.
An air cooler rests over the CPU.
You can usually find its brand name or model number on it.
An all-in-one water cooler attaches to the case wall.
You may see the word “radiator” on it.
Once you have the name, you can then look online to see how much that particular brand or model number is worth.
The average price for an air cooler is $30 to $50.
If you have several air coolers, then the price can increase slightly.
The average price for an all-in-one water cooler is $100 to $200.
If you’re selling used versions of either, then you’ll want to take half the value off at least.
They lose efficiency the more that you use them.
8. Evaluate Your Motherboard
A final part to evaluate on your PC is the motherboard.
This is the part that makes everything work together.
If the motherboard isn’t functional, then your PC isn’t functional.
To find out what kind of motherboard you have, you’ll need to first access your System Information as you did before.
Then look for the tab that reads System Information.
You’ll want to take note of a few different aspects in this section.
Look at “BaseBoard Manufacturer,” “BaseBoard Product,” and “BaseBoard Version,” to see what motherboard your PC uses.
The prices for motherboards range from $100 to $2000.
The more expensive selections are high-end and deliver more performance.
As with the rest of the parts, you should take your motherboard’s value down by half if it’s used.
Conclusion
Evaluating your PC can be difficult.
It requires you to know what parts are under the hood of your PC and the value for them when they’re new.
Taking half the value of those amounts can give you a good idea of what your PC is worth.
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