The Best Way of choosing Refurbished Laptops

The major incentive for purchasing a refurbished laptop is usually its lower price. Depending on the age and the specifications of the machine, a second hand laptop would cost only 30% - 80% of its original price. The average model (around 2 years old) should cost around 40% its original retail price. As a general rule, it is not a good idea to purchase a laptop that is more than 2 years old. As newer software and games require more computing power and higher specs, you wouldn't want to purchase a laptop that cannot support them. Unlike the 90's, computers manufactured in the past few years are extremely durable. So in terms of reliability, there is very to little worry about as a refurbished laptop would easily withstand 3 - 4 years of further abuse. A major deciding factor in choosing a second hand laptop would have to be its warranty. Most refurbished machines have at least a 24-hour "dead on arrival" warranty. This warranty gives you 24 hours to test the laptop for faults and problems.

The term 'second hand goods' use to conjure images of horror as they have developed a pretty nasty reputation in the past for being unreliable and poor in quality. Nevertheless, in recent years, the second hand goods market has shown significant improvements, at least in the computer and laptop industry. Purchasing refurbished laptops is now a common practice among corporations and private users alike. Due to quality improvements in the production of computer components, laptops today are much more durable and have a longer lifespan than its predecessors.

Common sense dictates that the longer the warranty the better. Retailers usually provide a 3-month guarantee for its refurbished laptops, which is a fair amount of time depending on the type laptop that you are purchasing. The longest warranties given for second-hand goods are usually those given by the laptop manufactures themselves. Major manufacturers such as Apple and Fujitsu are now refurbishing and selling second hand laptops. Old Apple laptops are refurbished by Apple engineers, where original replacement parts are used. Such laptops usually have a 6-months to 1-year warranty depending on the model you purchase. Laptops refurbished by its original manufacturers are the best as far as refurbished laptop goes. They may cost a little more, buts its long warranties and reliability makes it well worth the price.

Regardless of the type of refurbished laptop that you are buying, the machine that you choose should have a basic set of specs. It should have a DVD-ROM, at least 60G in memory and preferably 1GHZ in processor speed. The one thing that you should not compromise in is the speed of its processor, as the speed of your laptop would greatly affect your use and enjoyment of the laptop. If you are planning to install many 'heavy' programs such as Windows Vista and huge programs such as Adobe Photoshop and other heavy-duty programs, it is best to get a laptop with higher specs.