Refurbished Laptops 101

by Alison Quinn

Many people want to buy a refurbished laptop in order to save money. There are several companies that conveniently sell used laptops over the Internet. However, regardless of the company one gets his or her laptop from, one should so a bit of research before buying.

There are four major laptop manufacturers. They are IBM, Dell, Hewlett-Packard/Compaq, and Toshiba. Different companies have different components in their laptops. All of these companies sometimes get their components from other distributors. Laptops are usually assembled by different companies other than the company that is selling it. Some of the components made by third party companies are LCD displays, CPU, hard drives, keyboards, and memory.

Having components from other companies can ensure that those components are high quality. However, when refurbishing a laptop, it can make it difficult because the components are not all from a single source. When looking for a refurbished laptop, it is always a good idea to try to find out what is inside the refurbished laptop. Some companies may have a bad product year, and one certainly does not want a bad product inside of his or her laptop.

Another tip for looking for good refurbished laptops is to check the warranty offered by the refurbishing company. Companies that offer great warranties do so because they have faith in their products. Skimpy warranties often mean that the company may not use the best products in order to refurbish laptops. You can also call customer support in order to observe how responsive they are. Companies that take pride in their service and are committed to their customers will have good products.

It is important to decide what the purpose of the laptop will be. If the laptop will be used mainly for word processing and browsing the web, then minimal CPU is needed. Additionally, copious amounts of memory won't be needed for simple computer processes. For Internet access, it again depends on what the purpose of the laptop is. 56k modems come standard in many laptops. Wireless Internet access is constantly increasing across the country. Many laptops come with wireless access standard. For business purposes, wireless access is a great feature. Older laptops may lack Ethernet connections, but with refurbishing, they can be easily added.

The final and most important rule when shopping for a refurbished laptop is to keep price in mind. The more features that a laptop has, the more expensive it will be. If the laptop will be used for graphics programs or video games, then it will probably be much more expensive. Search Google for the best laptop prices, and make sure to inquire about each seller's reputation. Buying a good refurbished laptop at a reasonable price won't be difficult if you do your research.

About the Author

Alison Quinn recommends UsedLaptops.com for refurbished laptops.