# How much is my computer worth?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-my-computer-worth/451411
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 2, 2008, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-my-computer-worth/451411 "2008-06-02T00:22:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2008, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-my-computer-worth/451411/1 "2008-06-02T00:22:57Z")
So I want to sell my Sony Vaio (great comp, but I got a laptop instead) but I have no idea how much it’s worth. I’m hoping some of you more informed dopers might be able to give me a ballpark figure at which I might be able to sell it at.
Here are the specs:
**Sony Vaio PCV-RS 520**
3.0ghz P4 w/ Hyper-Threading
1GB 333mhz DDR
ATI Radeon 9200 128MB
160GB 7200 Hard Drive
DVD±RW
DVD-Rom
Floppy Drive
VGA, DVI, TV Out
8 USB 2.0 Ports
Windows XP Home Edition
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### Author:  [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-my-computer-worth/451411/2 "2008-06-02T00:51:16Z")
Rough ballpark: $200-400. A new bottom end Dell (for example), with roughly equivalent specs, costs under $400. That’ll be the ceiling for what you can get. Less for being used, perhaps a little more for being a popular and stylish brand.
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### Author:  [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2008, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-my-computer-worth/451411/3 "2008-06-02T00:55:20Z")
Thanks for the response – If I threw in a 17" CRT monitor and speakers, think I might be able to squeeze that $400 price out of someone?
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-my-computer-worth/451411/4 "2008-06-02T00:59:52Z")
[QUOTE=Red Barchetta]
Thanks for the response – If I threw in a 17" CRT monitor and speakers, think I might be able to squeeze that $400 price out of someone?
[/QUOTE]
Not really. A CRT is worth about what it would cost to ship it these days. Most of the time CRTs these days are relativley scarce at retail and usually exist to be thrown into PC system setups as a giveaways.
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### Author:  [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-my-computer-worth/451411/5 "2008-06-02T01:01:28Z")
I’d have said closer to $150 for the base system – and a tiny CRT wouldn’t add anything. That’s a single core system with only a gig of memory and a video card from the dark ages. HP’s got AMD dual-cores for $299 new.
But again, things are worth whatever you can get a buyer to pay, and who knows? The Vaio brand doesn’t hurt.
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-my-computer-worth/451411/6 "2008-06-02T16:41:32Z")
I suspect that throwing in the monitor would make it a lot easier to sell in your local classifieds (to someone that has no idea what they’re doing).
IMHO, most people who read newspaper classifieds will see “Sony”, “160GB”, “DVD/RW” and think it’s a high-end system.
Most people on craiglist/eBay/other online classifieds will see “outdated”.
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### Author:  [@J\_Cubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Cubed)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2008, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-my-computer-worth/451411/7 "2008-06-02T17:41:52Z")
Well, [this](http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-Vaio-Desktop-Computer-PCV-RS-510_W0QQitemZ270238337541QQihZ017QQcategoryZ179QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) similar PC went for $176.50 about a week ago. eBay completed listings are really the best way to value items these days.