Is a refurbished Laptop as good as a brand new one that hasn't been refurbished?

Question

Also what is wrong with them so that they do refurbish them?

Answer 1

I have purchased a few desktop systems from a large computer company and in the end it worked out.

But initially we discovered the desktop would boot run for 45 minutes and shutoff. We where able to get them to accept as a return and where given a brand new off the line system as a replacement. So we saved money and ended up with a very nice computer. But we where without the system during the replacement phases, had to deal with tech support, and the new system was still covered under the refurbished warrenty.

My opinion is this, by getting refurbished you are taking a risk to save money. Alot of systems you get may have had never even been turned on or used, but got returned. Others may have a particular fault, like the above mentioned desktop, and might not be noticed during the refurbishing. If you are willing to do a little phone time and patients the savings is generally worth it. Also if something major was the cause, it was replaced already so you are better off then if it was new.

Systems can be refurbished for any reason. A company over orders, or they ship too many, get returned, cable wiggled loose during shipping so it wouldn't work at the destination, or the customer plugged it into a 220 outlet and completely fried the motherboard. You don't know, never will, and shouldn't care.

My last piece of advise, don't buy refurbished from a box store, they are not refurbished, they are re-boxed. See the article in the link below. I don't know if I believe the story, but I don't think that would happen if it was refurbished at the manufacturers warehouse. I think someone bought the system said they never used it and returned it, so it was sold as is.

Answer 2

There is nothing wrong with a refurbished unit of any kind, manufacturers produce a number of units that do not sell and are left in the warehouses and may need to cleared for stock reasons.

To call something refurbished, it has to be opened, inspected and sometime in the case of a laptop or desktop, have one or more parts removed and either upgraded or replaced for different reasons, then they are resealed and marked as refurbished and can be sold at a drastically reduced price. If anyhting a refurbished model may be more stable than a new model.

Be careful when you by something marked this way, check for abrasions, nicks or dicolouration, this could mean it was used and the seller is trying to ramp up the price, laptops in general are not handled quite the same way, they check the monitors, that the fans still work and all the drives are up to speed, and possiblie upgrade the OS. like Windows XP and add the latest Service pack to be available.

Answer 3

It's impossible to say what was wrong with it. It could have been anything from a defective hard drive to a simple loose wire.

A refurbished laptop is just as good as a new one IF it's been refurbished by the manufacturer AND if carries the same warranty as a new one.

I've had refurbished computers and ones brand new and I have noticed no difference in performance.

Refurbs are a great way to save money if you're on a budget.

Answer 4

Refurbished laptops are actually BETTER than new, as long as they have identical warranties. Think about it. A refurb has had the personal attention of a tech for a few hours and has been thoroughly checked out by a PERSON. A new machine has just come off the line and been stuffed in a box and sent out for retail. Pay close attention to the warranty, though, and make sure you get the same as on a new machine.

Answer 5

Refurbished can be units that were replaced when the customer returned them with problems, or may just be used ones. The manufacturer should test them thoroughly and fix up anythiing needing work before reselling.

If you get it from a reputable company, and make sure you're getting a warantee with it, there should be nothing wrong with buying refurbished. You need the warantee because occasionally an intermittent problem can be hard to find, and they may think they have it fixed when the resell it.

Answer 6

I bought a refurbished Gateway laptop. To me, it seems easlily as good as a new one.

I believe they take unsold laptops and upgrade the inner components to compete with the new brands for processor, memory, and peripherals.

I'm perfectly happy with the refurbished laptop and I saved probably 40% off the cost of a similar new model.

Answer 7

It depends on what they did to refurbish it. The warranty is generally less than 1 year. You'll want to stay with a certfied refurbush laptop. Try this link from IBM:

http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/HelpDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=-840&langId=-1&subject=2576394

I would not buy a refurbished notebook from a small retailer.

Answer 8

they can be exactly the same as a new one if they are looked after by the previous owner. as for reasons why they get refurbished,- hard drive failiure,backlight failiure, broken switches, damaged usb ports, part exchanges(reformatted and os reinstalled) there are plenty of genuine reasons why so don't let it put you off cos 2nd hand can save you a bundle.

Answer 9

good question. Awhile lower back, i'd have stated a refurbished workstation. yet, those days the fee of a refurbished unit isn't a lot different from a sparkling one. even if it truly is notably more inexpensive, then i'd question the reliability of it and also who replaced into promoting it. My suggestion will be to purchase a sparkling one, somewhat for the guaranty. Costco contains good on a daily basis pcs and has an somewhat beneficiant go back coverage. they have an inclination to carry high quality products and do analyze so as that they don't look to be promoting junk to the commonly used public. also have a significantly better possibility of having each and each and every of the efficient aspects you want on a sparkling workstation.