Refurbished Laptop - Yes or No?

[Whatsinaname]

My desktop is due for retirement - it's over 10 years old, it's slow and it frequently crashes. Also, it takes up space in my living room and I've decided I could manage with a laptop instead - I still want to have a CD drive and I can touch type so I want a keyboard for emails etc. I don't want it for games, just the usual surfing, paying bills, keeping in touch with the outside world. However, I'm on a tight budget with son's
18th and him soon off to Uni so I've been having a look online at the companies who specialise in refurbished laptops. You can get a Dell or HP Compaq with Windows 7 for under £200. Are they worth it? Or should I bite the bullet and spend an extra £150 or so more on a new one?

 

[Bettyboo]

I would say it depends on where you buy it and what sort of guarantee you get (if any). Dell are pretty good IMO I had both desk top and lap top. I got rid of both and bought an iPad and would not use anything else now.

 

[donna255]

My current Compaq(brand is owned by HP) was refurbished when I bought it January 09. It does have the dreaded Vista on it. I could see no difference in it and a brand new one. I like Compaq as that is the brand I have always had, but everyone is different in which brand they are loyal to. My first was third hand and had XP Pro(I loved it, people still love XP)

My SIL has a refurbished laptop my brother bought for around $100 Canadian. He has a brand new HP and says her model is much older but works fine. It has Windows 7. It was through a guy SIL works with, he bought 6 in a auction and refurbished them himself.

I am in the market for a new laptop at the moment. Had a chat with a friend who knows all about computers and gave him the specs I wanted. Must have 15" min, 4-6 Ram/G thing and be either a HP or a Compaq. He did try to get me a Windows 7, I had no problem with that. But the one he found which was perfect for me was sold out, and because of Windows 8 would no longer be available. Even refurbished ones now have Windows 8. Anyway the Windows 7 version was £270 the Windows 8 one is £289 in Currys and PCWorld. I decided to look around online and found a brand new model direct from HP UK cheaper than the so called deal in Currys, plus getting a extra 2 years warranty. So do shop around besides the normal big retailers.




A friend has a Ipad and I really dislike them, even she has said there are things she cannot do that a real laptop can. I don't like touch screen, perhaps because I was trained as a typist and like to rest fingers on the keys.

 

[Bettyboo]

I hope you find what suits you 'W' as we are all different I also have an Asus lap top with CD drive which my Grandchildren can watch DVD's on and hubby has a HP desk top, a Samsung 10 inch mini Lap Top and a Mini ipad so as you might guess we are into Gadgets and Techno stuff especially OH. I especially like my Kindle Fire HD and take it with me when we are travelling etc.

 

[iloveshopping]

If I was only to have one machine to connect to the internet, it would be a laptop as it is the most versatile.
If buying refurbished then find out what kind of guarantee is offered.
I would buy the highest spec machine for my money in terms of RAM up to 8gb if possible. In terms of hard disk space 250gb is easily enough for me as I don't store photos, films etc. I like at least a 14 inch screen though 17 is better. A camera is good for skypeing but you can attach one via the USB port if needed. A minimum of 3 usb2 or higher speccd ports. An SD card reader is useful too.
If possible it should have microsoft office professional on it but there are home packages that are OK and can be downloaded for free.

 

[donna255]

The trouble is they want you to pay normally for microsoft office, you get it free for so long the full version you pay. I got mine downloaded for free though as I knew someone. But to be honest never used it.

 

[Whatsinaname]

Hmm lots to think about. I'll definitely go for a laptop over a tablet, as I've been touchtyping for years and I like a keyboard and I think it's more of a desktop replacement. Most of the refurbishment companies give a 6 month warranty though. My ex bought our son a new Medion laptop from Argos for Xmas a couple of years ago and the mains connection went after 10 months but it couldn't be repaired so because it was within the 12 month warranty I just put an extra £50 and got him an Acer with an ever better spec so he was well chuffed and I was very happy with their customer service. It was amazing how the technology had moved on just in those few months. I think I'll keep an eye on Argos and PC World to check for bargains and then consider a refurb if no genuine new bargains come along. Thanks everyone for your advice, I knew I'd get some unbiased help here!