Community Newsletter: Q&A: Your thoughts on refurbished or "recertified" computers
- 2/29/08 3:23 PM
I have been Lucky
by Fredrick Bun - 3/2/08 8:03 AM In reply to: Your thoughts on refurbished or "recertified" computers by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I struggled for the longest time weather to purchase used or refurbished, I read many horror stories and have been skeptical for the longest time, than my neighbor asked for my help cause he knew nothing about computers and very limited with money, I also am no techie but know enough about basics.
I explained the ins and outs about refurbs or used from what I read, we decided to take a chance with globalcomputer.com, same people as tigerdirect.com, why they use different names I dont know, but I helped my nieghbor a refurb gateway for 300 bucks, it had plenty of bells and whistles also, more than he needed, that was a year and a half ago, till this day it runs great, he and all 3 of his kids use it, than his oldest son wanted his own and we got him one from the same place, another gateway for the same price, that was 6 months ago, so far no problems.
Than 3 months ago I ordered one from the same company, this was a little faster computer and it was also a gateway mediacenter, it was $350, it runs very fast, the hardrive does grind some when I defrag, I know that could run into a problem later maybe but so far none.
Than I also got a HP media center from craigslist.com I saw this guys add, he was in new jersey, I'm in Pennsy and close to the jesey bridge, so it took me about 45 min and I was there, this thing was like brand new, it also was a media center with the biug slot up front for an external hardrive, I use to see them new at bestbuy for like $1100, I got this baby for $400 and his 19" widescreen viewsonic lcd monitor to boot, so I must say I have been extremly lucky, but dont forget, like most people said on this issue, I did do my homework, I asked many questions, talked to many people on different forums about opinions and made my decisions from there.
So dont be afraid, you can diffinatly get much better deals, just do some research and homework. I also will add that I have seen some friends that bought new computers that had more trouble than I had.
Guaranteed, Re-Certified, All the Good Words, but . . . . .
by drhesqiq - 3/2/08 8:27 AM In reply to: Your thoughts on refurbished or "recertified" computers by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I can only suggest this. Any refurbished system has already proven it can do one thing just great, fail! Could you draw an analogy with divorced men? Do the right and long-term best thing, take a long look at what you want, don't jump into any system without first using one like it, and most importantly, buy the best parts, whether in a system or OEM. They will save you a world of pain, cheap parts will fail soon and always at the worst time. No magic, you get what you pay for and this applies especially with refurbs.
Refurbs depend greatly upon your vendor.
by pat_h6 - 3/2/08 8:36 AM In reply to: Your thoughts on refurbished or "recertified" computers by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
There are some great businesses out there that sell refurbished machines and back them up with warranties. It definitely allows an organization to increase their technology on tight budgets. Most of us have learned that new is not better until it has been out there for a time to get the bugs out.
dell Certified Refurbished
by eric wilhite - 3/2/08 8:40 AM In reply to: Your thoughts on refurbished or "recertified" computers by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I bought a Dell Dimension E521 Mini-Tower: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ (2.1 GHz),2000 mb memory, Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium,$299,free shipping 1 year ago also,2 years ago i bought a dell e1405 1.66mgz,512mb memory dual core, xp windows $439,free shipping,and my niece in college just got Genuine Windows Vista Home Premimum, 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz (2 DIMMs),250 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM),ATI RADEON Xpress1270 HyperMemory, Microsoft Works 8.5 with MS Office Software,Integrated 2.0 Mega Pixel Web Camera,9 Cell Primary Battery
Inspiron 1521 Laptop: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology TK-55 (2.3GHz)
8X DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability
Network Interface Card 1390 Wireless Card
System ColorJet Black
Laptop Screen15.4 WXGA Laptop Screen Display with TrueLife
all this for $439 free shipping Certified Refurbished
purchasing a refurbished or "recertified" com
by Gary Hutchinson - 3/2/08 8:46 AM In reply to: Your thoughts on refurbished or "recertified" computers by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I personally would not have a problem with a refurbished or redertified computer. However, have you concidered building your own system. It is not that difficult, and a lot less expensive than purchasing a new system from a computer manfacturer. You can go to an electronics store, ie(frys,etc) and purchase all needed components. You get more for your money. Thanks
Purchasing what amounts to "returns"
by DDT3 - 3/2/08 8:52 AM In reply to: purchasing a refurbished or "recertified" com by Gary HutchinsonI have had great luck with Outlet computers (name brand) better than this new one from another Vendor. If you are mission critical like me the savings can pay for the multi-year on-site service I require and still come out the same or cheaper than "new". So if you want something like the warranty I would be buying anyway, what's the difference? It's still guaranteed. I have one 5 yr. old "outer" computer still working everyday (it crashes less than this new one that was "new in box")
sometimes I like old systems
by ghost&thedarkness - 3/2/08 9:48 AM In reply to: Your thoughts on refurbished or "recertified" computers by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
To, if you like HP then why not there a good company but if you are using it for gaming too, then you might want to consider making shure that that perticular system is capable of using a graphics card upgrade PCIe 16x prefarably since AGP IS quickly losing there availablity.IF this is not youre concern then go head and buy it too thy hearts content, buy the way some of those refurbished systems are usually missing one of the ram cards open the case and check it out,if you get only DDR RAM is best if at least is 184 pin since this is fast enough.REMEMBER THIS PROGRAMS NOW A DAYS ARE MEMORY HUNGRY.dont let anybody tell what you need is what you want.ghost& darkness.sign in out.have fun......................
Look at all the neat tech features !
by ubergeek111 - 3/2/08 9:55 AM In reply to: Your thoughts on refurbished or "recertified" computers by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I think old PC's don't do justice to all of the new features that sites have such as <a href="www.JustExpressing.com">Ajax, extensive video, music features, social networking demands etc - you can see it on this site for example </a>. They just don't have the horsepower to take care of it. And now DVD's are going to be on line, so it's tough for an old computer to handle the video processing. So, a new computer would mean no DVD player, do DVD's etc. and that's a saving !
neat features
by ubergeek111 - 3/2/08 9:57 AM In reply to: Look at all the neat tech features ! by ubergeek111example site http://www.JustExpressing.com
<<<REPLY>>>
by cyberspace_91 - 3/2/08 10:51 AM In reply to: Your thoughts on refurbished or "recertified" computers by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
MY OPINION FOR ANY REFURBISHED OR "RECERTIFIED" COMPUTERS...WILL BE DELL OR IBM...BECAUSE HP IS BEST WHEN YOU GET THE NEW ONE....BUT WHEN THE TIME COME FOR REFURBISHED IBM OR DELL ARE STILL CAPABLE TO PERFORM BEST AT SECOND HANDS, WHEREAS HP DON'T,BECAUSE OF MANY HARDWARE FAILURE...EVEN FEW YEARS BACK WHEN PRICE WHERE HIGH FOR PC I PREFER TO BUY DELL PC...AND THEY PERFORM THIER BEST NO HARDWARE PROBLEMS FOR 2 YEARS IF YOU DO USE DISK UTILITY AND VICE VERSA...BUT IF YOU WANTS TO HAVE LATEST OPERATING SYSTEM AND GAMES TO PLAY...IT WOULD BE BETTER TO WAIT LITTLE BIT...AFTER YOU GET ENOUGH MONEY YOU CAN BUY HP PC WHICH IS AROUND US $1000...
refurbs
by gdgatcnet - 3/2/08 11:10 AM In reply to: Your thoughts on refurbished or "recertified" computers by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have purchased many his way and have had no problems. I always
make sure that they are refurbished by the manufacturer and have a
limited warranty by same. The warranty is usually for 3 to 6 months.
Ubid has a number of such.
doesn't matter
by NobleWolf - 3/2/08 11:30 AM In reply to: Your thoughts on refurbished or "recertified" computers by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It doesn't matter what you call you computer whether it be "new" , "re certified" whatever. I wouldn't suggest a particular brand. The Key is what do you use it it for and is the computer capable of handling it. Specs specs specs is what it's all about. I have dealt with dells, compaqs, HP, Gateways, you name it. It's what is inside the tower that counts. Know what you need and get it whether it's new or not.
i wouldn't even recommend an hp at all.
by blueman96 - 3/2/08 11:56 AM In reply to: Your thoughts on refurbished or "recertified" computers by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
most people will buy a big name computer like dell, hp, gateway, stuff like that. well these computers are more expensive then other computers. so i would buy a brand new one from a small buisnes. or if you are feeling luky, build your own, very cheap.
just kike buying new.
by wkgdyw - 3/2/08 12:01 PM In reply to: Your thoughts on refurbished or "recertified" computers by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Do your homework. My advice is always, first decide what software you want to run, -then- buy the best platform to run it, with economy being one consideration. In other words, if you want to hunt with 7mm Mag, it's pointless to shop for handguns.
Also, the refurb market can run in streaks. The platform you really want may not be available in the refurb market at a given time. Don't get a great deal, then even if it works perfectly, regret some inferior feature every time you power up because it's not right for you.
FWIW, and this is just me talking, we have had awful luck with HP products. My daughter bought an HP desktop a few years ago, she received two replacements in a month for bad motherboards, and the third quit working after the warranty expired. I bought an all-in-one printer a couple years ago, installation was a f-ing nightmare, it never worked right, and a thumb-sized ink cartridge with almost no ink in it cost $40 at the discount stores. Never again.
My vintage IBM Thinkpad T40 is my favorite (!). I bought it refurbished with a new hard disk and XP Pro. Small and light, and IBM really makes a -great- keyboard. This is the most generic computer I own. It has never failed to install and run new software on the first try, and everything works as advertised, even wireless networking (this is certainly not true of our three Dell laptops). The 1080-dot screen is pretty measly by today's standards, but I only use it as a citrix workstation for the server at work, for which it is adequate. It does what I want it for, and at $400 from KEH (in 2005), a great deal.
Also FWIW
by wkgdyw - 3/2/08 12:14 PM In reply to: just kike buying new. by wkgdywI once talked to a guy who worked at HP in Corvallis, he told me that their ink cartridges hold so little ink because the printer transport mechanism has to whip them back and forth so fast to maintain print output speed. Also, the ink is corrosive and will eventually blow out the channels in the printhead wafer. Great design, guys, just not for the customer.
(interestingly, print nozzles are bored with a sandblaster (which doesn't use beach sand)).
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