I'm always looking for deals in used computers. It seems I always need one more, for a backup, or because something else has failed.
So I picked up a pretty old but high end computer at a vintage store recently. The case alone was worth more than I paid for it, so I figured that anything else I got out of it was bonus. This thing was a monster, could fit up to 6 hard drives, multiple DVD Writers, had a decent power supply (usually they're crap), etc.
I had powered the thing up in the store and it appeared to work. But when I got home and attempted to install Windows 7 (it was running Server 2003), the computer halted randomly. At first, I thought it might be the power supply, but then realized that it was thermal overload. The CPU fan wasn't secured properly & the thermal paste had dried out A few dollars invested, and now it'w working perfectly.
Now, the motherboard is a full size ATX, high end, with decent cooling (once the CPU cooling was fixed). The processor was high end at the time (circa 2010), but just in case, I thought I might search for an ugrade. It's a Core Duo Q9550, and the QX series (X for Exreme) would definitely give it a bit more oomph (although it runs fine with Windows 7).
I went to e-bay, and now I'm getting to the original topic. The prices for these CPU's are insane! Over $500 for the really high end ones - this, for a CPU that a more modern i3 (circa 2014/2015) can run rings around. What gives?
Well, it turns out that retro gaming and computing is now a thing. People with more money than sense are buying what should be $5 to $10 CPUs given their functionality, and building period computer systems to play older games. The AMD Phenom II (the higher end ones) are also hundreds of dollars (and that's for a circa 2008/2009 CPU). The AMD's are popular because they can be insanely overclocked. But they're still 2008/2009 era processors.
I'll stick with the current processor for my new beast, probably install Linux for a dual boot system, and make it into a backup SDR Server. Meanwhile, I'll keep an eye out for more modern computer systems at the vintage stores (say, early 2013 or so), where prices actually reflect reality.