Hey guys, serious question here.  I know Alienware gets a lot of flak for being overpriced, but the kid in question is obessed with the look, led lights, etc..  That being said, there is someone on Craigslist local to me selling the following (see link and pictures) and I wanted to get your opinion what it is worth.  Any pitfalls or things to watch out for with these things (sounds like he still has a warranty so thats good)?

What do you feel is the max price to pay?  Great price/ steal?  Thanks, just trying to gauge my negotiation leverage here as this is for a Christmas present.  THANK YOU!

https://cleveland.craigslist.org/sys/4787710443.html

Used? I wouldn't pay over $500 for it. The CPU isn't overclockable, and the 760 is mid-range at best. i7 sounds fancy, but means nothing for gaming and since it isn't a K model, you cannot OC, which limits the system and the value. Also, the power supply is downright pitiful, 330W isn't going to get you far if you decide to upgrade.

Edit: Yup, a similar computer (brand new) is only $585. The one I linked is also overclockable. An extra $200 and you could even get a 970, one of the most powerful cards on the market currently. If you pay any more than $500, you are being ripped off big time. There is absolutely nothing "high end" about this PC. I personally would only buy it if it came down to $400 or less.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8KgcmG

Seems OK for the price... If it was new... which this isn't. But there's one big issue I'm noticing:

That 330 Watt power supply is not enough! Not even close. If you push that thing too hard, there might be issues.

Maybe it's a typo, but that's something I'd watch out for.

OK, thanks for the feedback.  To be fair he does have 1 year of the extended warranty left.

Will the 760 be able to handle most games on mid to high settings?

You're the second person to mention that, and even I noticed it and I have not built a computer in YEARS.  I just text him asking what gives.  I noticed there are a lot of these models with lower end graphics cards... wonder if this guy is full of shit when he says it has a 760 in it.

That machine is not worth anywhere near the $720 it is listed at. It is not even a good gaming setup with mid range graphics card and a very low end power supply. He calls it a "gaming monster", it ISN'T. $500 I think would be at the highend of its value second hand, also don't expect great gaming performance out of it.

The 760 is not "Mid-range at best" lol.  It's still a bairly high-end card, and should max out a decent portion of even the newest games.

OK thanks, seems like the consensus is that 500 is the max I should really be paying for this used machine though.  I am hoping that alienware holds its resale value a little bette if we ever go to sell it when he moves on to the next.

gaming computers really don't hold resale value regardless of brand. At least with a second hand one though you lose less but really old gaming rigs are not exactly desirable items regardless of how snazzy they look.

GPU and PSU aren't capable enough. He's asking too much and it's a time bomb.