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Gaming is fun, I love it. But dropping 500K+ PKR upfront on a PC? Not so much - unless you really hate your organs.
That’s why more and more people here are skipping the “dabba pack” and looking at something slightly or moderately used.
People buy used laptops and phones, some people even buy used desktops but not a lot of people know about used workstations and what value they provide in our economy.
If you are a conscious consumer looking to buy a used laptop though, I’ve already covered it in an earlier article:
The Conscious Consumer's Guide to Buying Used Laptops in Pakistan
In our Wandering Pro Discord server, the community comes across new people, mostly early university students, who are often asking for recommendations for buying a laptop under a 100K PKR.
Used options, or what we like to call ‘lot ka maal’ is a tricky thing already and shopkeepers leave no effort to make it more confusing for our average Bashir.
Thankfully, Bashir subscribes to this newsletter.
For many of us in countries like Pakistan, brand-new tech is still a luxury. People just can't spend thousands of dollars on new gaming PCs with a $200 salary.
Disposable income is pretty low in the country, especially since, in the last couple of years, we’ve seen this region’s highest inflation.
For most people, there are two popular choices when it comes to video games - Consoles & Custom Gaming PCs.
The popular narrative is that consoles are cheaper upfront but games are expensive while PCs are known to last longer with cheaper games but with a significantly higher upfront cost.
And that is true. Current-gen consoles roughly cost 180K PKR and a current-gen Custom PC costs roughly between 300K-400K PKR.
But surprisingly, there is a third option called “Lot ka maal” that many of us don’t know about. This piece is all about that third option.
Let's Clear Up What "Lot Ka Maal" Is?
In our context, Lot is just bulk import of used computers from a company. It normally means used computers but it can include refurbished or reconditioned computers too.
How this normally goes is that companies in higher-income countries retire fleets of their computers every couple of years. These computers although retired still have a long life ahead.
That's why these computers are sent off to lower-income regions like Pakistan where wholesalers get ahold of them. These computers get checked for full functionality and then retailers sell them off directly to customers.
It is pretty common to see these lots coming from Dubai or Sharjah. I heard my seller discussing his import plans and he was a big importer from the market I bought my PC from.
So you can think of "lot computers" as computers used by some foreign company that were imported here after being retired.
Disclaimer: The prices discussed in this article may change with time. At the time of writing I myself verified these prices by visiting different sellers at tech markets in my city.
The 3 Types of PCs
If you look at the broad landscape, most PCs fall into three main categories depending on who they’re built for:
Home PCs - These are the everyday machines your average Bashir buys. Perfect for web browsing, YouTube, documents, and a little light gaming. They’re usually affordable, compact, and designed to just get the job done without any bells and whistles.
Gaming PCs- This is the flashy side of the spectrum. While pre-builts exist, gaming rigs are often custom-built because enthusiasts want maximum control over performance, cooling, and aesthetics. And here, truly, the sky is the limit - from modest budget builds to water-cooled, RGB-stuffed monsters that cost more than a small car.
Office/Corpo PCs – These are the ones you see stacked across cubicles and offices, built for reliability rather than performance. They’re designed to survive years of Excel, Outlook, and web browsing without fuss - and they do that job well.
But once retired, these machines don’t offer much value. Their upgrade paths are limited, their power supplies are weak, and if you’re looking for performance, they’ll leave you disappointed.
Most of the time, they just end up as e-waste.
But not every enterprise machine is like this.
Sitting right next to those bland office boxes is a special category: workstations.
They look similar on the outside, but under the hood they’re built for serious work. And that difference is exactly why this article exists.
What Makes Workstation Computers Different
Better Quality Components
Right off the bat, Workstation computers are used in companies where high-performance computation is required. That's why they are built to perform and deliver.
Workstation computers typically have really high-performance components all the way from CPUs, graphics cards, cooling systems, etc.
These computers normally use components that are specifically tailored for specialized applications. Just to mention, their CPUs are different in design to normal computers.
Their graphics cards, their motherboards, even their storage solutions are sometimes different from normal computers or even your average work computers.
You normally hear of Intel i-series chips when we hear a mention of processors or NVIDIA GTX lineup of graphics cards when we talk of GPUs.
But these computers have their components specially designed. We normally see them use Intel Xeon chips for their CPUs, NVIDIA Quadro/RTX PROs for their graphics cards.
This specialized hardware is designed to deliver high-performance compute in a form factor that is not very different from your average computers.
Stability & Durability
Enterprise applications performing complex calculations in fields like research, graphics rendering, video generation, all demand extreme stability in addition to pure horsepower.
Complex calculations take days or sometimes weeks and you don’t want your computer turning up with an error in the middle of a high-performance calculation.
That's why workstation computers are built with stability in mind. Everything - from the case design, to the processor architecture, firmware updates, all are designed to provide a stable experience.
Workstation computers use special drivers and proprietary technologies. The hardware they use is certified for stability. They even use special software like drivers and firmware.
These computers even have a special edition of Microsoft Windows. Sometimes they use the custom 'Windows for Workstations' edition that packs in additional software for Workstation computers.
The biggest difference between workstation and normal computers is that workstation computers are built to last for years. They are not built to last just a generation or two.
Typically, workstation computers easily last more than 5-8 years.
Before I purchased my new one, I was using a workstation computer from 2008, and it was still running fine till 2025, can you say that for a consumer PC?
Why Used Workstation Computers Are A Great Value In Pakistan?
Pakistan, being a low-income country isn't home to people who can instantly spend two thousand dollars on a new computer.
The bitter reality is that a significant portion of our population could simply not afford a new computer and they have to go for used options.
In this climate, these used workstation computers are a really great value but only for people who know what they are doing. Here's how they are a great value:
They Are Really Affordable
The computer that I got for 140 USD is going for ~$250 in the US market. That's literally less than half the price an American would pay for the same computer.
Inside the used Workstation market here you can start with a 35K PKR computer that would be a decent performer for most of the tasks you throw at it.
You can't get a brand-new and good quality 950-watt power supply alone for 35K PKR. And here you're getting an enterprise-grade 950-watt power supply with a whole computer on top of it.
Not only do these computers have high-performance components like power supplies and motherboard, they are many times more robust than normal components that you buy off the shelf.
Upgrade-Friendly Design
Workstation computers are generally much more upgradeable than normal computers because in typical enterprise applications companies have to use multiple components for a single job. Though your mileage may vary, sometimes compatibility with consumer hardware can be iffy.
This means these computers support hundreds of gigabytes of RAM, dozens of hard drives and SSDs, and four or more full-sized PCI slots offering a lot more expandability.
For you it means you can start with a smaller configuration and upgrade it with time. Technically, you can have half a terabyte of RAM but that doesn’t mean that you should, Your chrome tabs aren’t that hungry ;)
For example, you start with a 6-core processor and 16GB of RAM without a GPU. Later let's say, you need to install more SSDs, you can just do that with a workstation.
These computers have a lot of room available for upgrades so expansion is not an issue at all. You can start small and keep adding more functionality as you want.
Local Parts Are Easy to Find
In big cities, these used workstation computers could be found in large quantities and it's not hard to source their parts locally. If my computer's power supply dies I can just hit the market and buy another one.
From specialized parts like proprietary power supplies, special connectors to Xeon processors, most of the parts for these computers could be found locally.
This is because these computers are available in-bulk because most of the consumers are unaware of them. That's why the local market for these computers is still very much alive.
Who Should Buy Used Workstations?
I'll try to list some of the reasons you should buy a used workstation computer:
You Are A Budget Gamer
If you're someone who doesn't have the means to build a new-gen PC at the moment but you want to build a budget gaming PC, used workstation computers could be a good choice.
You Are Tech-Savvy
You need to be somewhat tech-savvy to decide on your used workstation because it isn't easy especially when there are a lot of models available from different manufacturers.
You don't need to be a full-time nerd like some of us. Watching Linus Tech Tips for a week would get you halfway there :)
You Purchase Locally
There is a significant supply of these used workstation computers that is locally available that means that every 3-5 years when big companies shift their fleets, they become available here.
This local supply also means that we have a good number of options to choose from. And it also means that there is also local parts availability for these computers.
You Are Fine With A Little Challenge
Look, buying used is always risky and buying in a country like Pakistan is another challenge.
Whenever buying complicated machinery like computers in used, you always have to assume that there could be problems down the way.
This doesn't mean that the computer just blows up when one day you wake up. But this means that you should be ready to do some troubleshooting in-case an error shows its head.
When Not to Buy a Used Workstation
Up till now the picture seems a bit rosy but I'll be lying if I don't discuss some of the trade-offs that exist with buying used workstation computers:
No Warranty
When big companies retire their computers, most of them have their warranties expired. This means that almost all of the used workstation computers that you'll find will not have a warranty.
So, no matter how many assurances the shopkeeper gives to you, it should be in your mind that you're on your own when you buy used workstation computers.
You can't call the company nor the seller. Even if the seller assists it won't be much especially once after they've sold you the computer.
So, if you want absolute peace of mind, a used workstation computer may not be the right choice for you because electricity is still a big issue in Pakistan when it comes to using PCs.
The electric supply companies here are known for brownouts, frequent blackouts, fluctuating voltage and sensitive electronics like desktop computers just don’t like that.
So if you are living in an area where power is still an issue you may wanna look for a laptop. Good thing is that I’ve got you covered because we already wrote a guide to buying used laptop here at SK NEXUS:
The Conscious Consumer's Guide to Buying Used Laptops in Pakistan
In our Wandering Pro Discord server, the community comes across new people, mostly early university students, who are often asking for recommendations for buying a laptop under a 100K PKR.
Technical Knowledge
Buying a used workstation computer is a bit more involved than buying a normal computer because you have to first know what you're getting into.
For Example, many people use the i7, i5 sticker to buy a computer but that is simply not the case with workstation computers because they normally don't even use consumer components.
You have to specifically know about the performance that you need, the features you need. The seller won't list them out to you. You have to do the research.
And if you're someone who doesn't have the time or motivation to do the research then maybe you should pass on these computers.
So, the decision to buy is hard and even after buying you should expect that there will be some issues here and there and you would need to spend some time and effort to figure them out.
Mature Technology
If you're someone who wants to be on the cutting-edge technologies then used workstation computers are not for you simply because these computers are generally 5-7 years older.
If you want the latest features on day one then you may be better off with a custom PC because new workstation computers are really expensive. They can easily be $10,000+.
My Experience with a Used Dell Workstation
So, last month I bought a used workstation. It's a Dell Precision T5820 that I bought for 40K PKR. This computer is from 2018-19 era and it perfectly fits my needs at the moment.
I needed a computer that would help me work with multiple Virtual Machines (a resource hungry application) while also having the option to play AAA games in the future.
I am using an old graphics card right now which still plays PS4-era games but I do plan to get a new graphics card for my computer.
If I pair my computer with a current-gen graphics card it would easily outpower the current-gen consoles in gaming.
The good thing is that I have the option to upgrade this system if I want. I have a 6-core processor right now but I can go to the shop and get a 12 core CPU in this system.
I have four PCI slots that are fully empty. I can use those slots to further add to the functionality of my computer like adding a new graphics card, SSD, capture card, etc
I was using another used workstation computer before this computer. It was an even older Dell Precision but still it held to my needs and it was a solid computer.
So far, my experience with these computers has been nothing but great and that's why I went ahead to write this piece and share my experience with you guys.
I hope you readers have as pleasant an experience as I had using these used workstation computers!