How to Buy Refurbished Laptops? 7 Key Tips

Do you need to source high-quality laptops for your staff? Are you tight on budget? If this is the case with you, what are your options?

You might be thinking of purchasing new equipment from the local retail store. However, investing in brand-new laptops can be more expensive than necessary if you don’t need all the bells and whistles.

Instead, it’s wise to buy refurbished laptops at wholesale prices. These laptops work similarly to the new laptops and cost less per unit. Moreover, if you want to develop a budget-friendly gaming PC, you will even find a professional gaming PC builder recommends investing in a refurbished laptop.

However, you might be concerned whether a refurbished laptop is up to your standards. Doing a thorough check will make sure you are getting a good deal. So, in this article, we will discuss a few essential tips to getting a high-quality, well-functioning refurbished laptop.

Tips to buy the best refurbished laptop

Examine Input and Output Components

First, you must examine the refurbished laptop’s input and output components. The following are things you must check before buying a refurbished laptop:

• USB, earphones, and HDMI ports: Take a clean flash drive to test the ports.
• Screen: You can go online and look for tools designed to check if the laptop’s screen has any dead pixels. Before testing the screen, press F11 to enter full-screen mode.
• Keyboard: Check all keys and see whether they work.
• Speakers and audio jack: Wear earphones and play audio with a good range to examine whether the speakers and audio jack function properly.
• Touchpad and touch screen: Observe the smoothness of touchpad and touch screen.
• Camera: Check whether the refurbished laptop has a camera app for the webcam and examine its resolution.
• Facial recognition: Examine the reliability of facial recognition technology.
• Connectors: Examine whether the connectors are tightly fastened and in good condition.

If any of the listed input and output components look like they will break soon, shift to another refurbished laptop.

Check the Reviews

You can easily find several honest and insightful consumer reviews when browsing online. Before you invest in any refurbished laptop, it’s wise to scroll through the review section. Look for the patterns in both positive and negative reviews of the computer.

Focus on specific comments addressing the following:

• Purposes: Can the laptop be used for work, video or photo editing, etc.? In addition, check whether the gaming PC builder recommends using the particular refurbished laptop you are interested in for gaming.
• RAM and processing speed: How fast does the system’s RAM run, and how well can a user multitask on the device?
• Storage space: Does the laptop have enough storage space to store all your applications, files, or documents?
• Build quality and overall user experience.
• Quality rating of the system.

Verify OS Installed in Refurbished Laptop

Regarding the refurbished laptop’s operating system (OS), you should get the device with the latest OS pre-installed. In addition, make sure that the operating system is genuine and not a pirated version so that the system runs appropriately.

Here mentioned are the steps to check if your Windows is genuine:

• Look for ‘Activation’ in the Start Menu and tap the ‘Activation Settings.’
• Check whether the activation state is ‘Active,’ indicating ‘Windows is activated via a digital license…’ which can be linked to your product key or Microsoft account.’
• The activation is a built-in process in Windows that could instantly help verify OS originality.

Check if the Refurbisher Replaces Batteries

The battery life of a refurbished laptop can make or break your investment. Typically, a batter in the laptop loses its longevity as time passes, gradually decreasing how long it can hold a charge. For instance, if a battery in a brand-new laptop typically lasts 10 hours, depending on use, it can gradually decrease to the point where a full charge might last 3 to 4 hours.

If a used laptop is refurbished, you should check whether the computer service San Diego provider replaces the old batteries before listing the laptop for sale. A reliable refurbisher will always test the used laptops’ batteries and not sell a device with a battery that holds less charge. In addition, don’t buy a refurbished laptop from a refurbisher who doesn’t guarantee battery replacements for faulty or old batteries.

Check the Year the Refurbished Laptop was Released

The year the refurbished laptop was initially released can be crucial information. For instance, you can perform cost analysis. You should pay less for a computer over five years old than the same device that is two years old.

In addition, the release year is vital because it will address the model of the laptop’s generation processor. For example, a 2017 Dell XPS 13 will not have the same capabilities as a 2020 Dell XPS 13, regardless of whether both models look identical and have the same amount of RAM.

Run CPU and GPU Tests

It’s a must to gauge the refurbished laptop’s CPU and GPU performance for an in-depth understanding of the system. You can easily find software designed to test the device’s CPU and GPU online. These applications can test all available processor cores of your CPU and GPU, grade their outputs, and help identify hardware problems.

Check the Warranty of the Refurbished Laptop

Most new laptops come with a one-year or two-year warranty or have the option to extend the warranty. When buying refurbished laptops, the warranty becomes more crucial because there is a possibility of hidden issues or faulty repairs that weren’t discovered. So, it will help if you look for a refurbisher offering a full-coverage warranty for at least six months to a year for refurbished laptops.

To Wrap up!

From battery life and discount to warranty and year of release, you should ask these necessary questions when purchasing a refurbished laptop. In addition, make sure you examine the input and output components, operating system, CPU and GPU, hard disk, and other vital details before investing in a used or refurbished laptop. Aside from the refurbished laptop, you should research the shortlisted computer service San Diego provider for reputation, reliability, and transparency to secure the best deal.