Do Computer Repair Shop Buy Used Computers

The research

Why y'all might desire to buy used
Reasons not to buy used
What to look for
Where to wait
Near similar new: Manufacturer-refurbished PCs
Upgrades and repairs
Software updates
Sources

Why yous might desire to buy used

In getting a used PC, you can salvage a few hundred dollars on a computer that can do about of the same stuff a new i can. For the things most people practice on their computers—browsing the web, editing documents and spreadsheets, or looking at and editing pictures and videos from your telephone—a new computer and one from a few years ago don't perform that differently from ane another.

If you're on a strict budget, buying used may allow you to buy something that'due south nicer than a mod budget laptop for the same money. A high-finish Lenovo ThinkPad that sold for $1,400 2 or three years ago, for example, will have an as-fast-or-faster processor and a better screen, and will be made of nicer materials, than a new laptop that'due south selling for $500.

Plus, buying a used PC cuts down on electronic waste. You rescue an old but functional computer from getting thrown in the trash, and you avoid buying a cheap PC that will vesture out and exist tending of in a few years.

Reasons not to buy used

If you're looking to play high-finish games or do professional 3D drafting work, a used PC might not be the best choice for you. Graphics processors are still advancing more than quickly than other computer components, and the new game consoles that are due out in the fall will prompt higher system requirements for PC games, too. A used laptop might still exist a good fit for photograph and video editing, though, since those apps don't demand every bit much graphics performance.

A used laptop normally doesn't come up with a top-tier level of customer service or warranty support, the kind you lot tin can get with an AppleCare Protection Program or an extended manufacturer warranty. You can find used PCs with a yr or ii left on their original warranties, and those warranties generally transfer to new owners without problems. But information technology'southward more common to find limited 30- or ninety-day warranties that volition cover you lot if the estimator is dead on arrival just not much else. 3rd-political party extended warranties from companies like Asurion, Geek Squad, or SquareTrade (depending on where you purchase from) tin can offering some peace of mind, but the customer service these companies provide can exist striking or miss, and you should read the fine impress carefully to check what is and is non covered. The best back up comes with a manufacturer-refurbished PC, which carries a like-new warranty from the visitor that made the computer.

What to wait for

Lenovo Yoga C740 (14″) Laptop — Photo: Michael Hession

The iii well-nigh important things to expect for in a used PC are its physical condition (especially for laptops, which motility around more and take more penalty), its make and model number, and its specifications.

Some used-PC sellers post pictures of the actual computers they're selling, which makes it easier for you to appraise a computer's condition. Others might assign it a letter course—stick to systems with an A or B rating to reduce the risk of visible impairment or wearable. The merely way to guarantee you'll go something that looks truly new is to buy a manufacturer-refurbished system.

Generally, we suggest sticking to desktops and laptops fabricated by Dell, HP, or Lenovo (or Apple tree, if you're ownership a Mac). It'due south okay to buy used computers made past smaller outfits similar Acer or Asus, but it's usually easier to discover parts and support for older computers made by the bigger companies. In item, nosotros like business concern desktops and laptops such as those in the Dell Optiplex and Latitude series, the Lenovo ThinkCentre and ThinkPad family, and the HP Pro and Elite lineup. These kinds of PCs are chunkier than modernistic ultrabooks like Dell's XPS xiii or Apple's MacBook Air, but they're easier to upgrade and repair, and they're built out of sturdier materials more than likely to hold up under stress.

Minimum requirements

Most people can go past with a computer that meets our minimum requirements. If you lot just need to do basic tasks like web browsing, document editing, and video chatting, here's what you should look for:

Processor: Choose a sixth-generation or newer Intel Cadre processor (look for a model number that starts with Core i3, i5, or i7, followed past a number in the 6000s or higher). While these chips are going on half-dozen years sometime, as of May 2022, they're all the same getting current software support from Intel and many PC manufacturers.
Retention: For basic web browsing and app usage, iv GB is the absolute minimum. But if you buy a computer with 4 GB, bank check to see if yous can upgrade the retention yourself—yous can almost always upgrade a desktop, but lots of laptops don't allow it.
Storage: A 128 GB or larger solid-state drive is preferable to a larger simply slower mechanical hard deejay drive, in both reliability and responsiveness. But ownership a computer with a hard drive and upgrading it to an SSD yourself tin let yous to save some money.
Screen blazon: For notebooks, expect for IPS displays, which provide better colour reproduction and viewing angles than cheap TN displays (WVA displays, although rarer and not as expert as IPS, as well normally wait okay). Used-reckoner listings don't ever specify the display technology, but 1080p screens are more probable (albeit not guaranteed) to be IPS.
Screen resolution: We prefer laptop screens with a 1920×1080-pixel resolution, besides called 1080p or Full Hard disk, simply some older laptops might get by with 1440×900 or 1600×900 screens. Avoid 1366×768 (also called Hd) screens, which expect worse and tend to use junior TN technology.

Preferred requirements

If you want a calculator that looks and feels a bit faster and more modern—and can run higher-end professional apps when you need them—look for a system that meets our preferred requirements instead:

Processor: Await for an eighth-generation or newer Intel Cadre i5 or i7 processor (Core i5, or i7, followed by a number in the 8000s or higher) or a 3000-, 4000-, or 5000-series AMD Ryzen processor (Ryzen 3, 5, or 7, followed past i of those numbers). These processors are a good baseline if you're playing 4K video or connecting to 4K monitors, and they have boosted processor cores that help when yous're opening lots of tabs or switching between multiple apps at one time.
Memory: Most people can become by just fine with eight GB of memory. The biggest reason to buy more than that is if you'll be playing games or using professional apps like Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, or Premiere.
Storage: When you're buying a new PC, we recommend an SSD that'southward 256 GB or larger, which is enough for your operating system, your most important software, and your photos and documents. If yous demand more than space, consider a cloud storage service or an external drive.
Screen blazon: Same every bit above—IPS displays are the best thing to aim for in a notebook, and they're more mutual in newer computers.
Screen resolution: Nosotros think 1080p screens offer laptops the best combination of sharpness and battery life. You may be able to find laptops with 4K displays, but such a screen adds to the laptop'due south cost and reduces battery life without calculation benefits almost people are likely to observe. In Macs, look for a Retina Display.
USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 ports: These aren't a necessity, only a USB-C port that tin charge a laptop and connect to newer monitors is especially user-friendly (these ports are non equally big a deal for desktops). Replacement USB-C chargers are also easier to find and cheaper to buy.

Things to avert with used PCs

Old or deadening processors: This list includes Intel Celerons and Pentiums, Intel Core ii Duo and Core 2 Quad processors, first- through fifth-generation Intel Cadre processors, as well every bit AMD A-series processors. These are older or slower processors that volition all feel their historic period as you use them. Some may fifty-fifty have trouble supporting basic features of Windows ten or running modern versions of macOS.
1366×768 screens: These low-resolution screens, sometimes called HD or WXGA displays, can't fit as much information and don't look as sharp every bit higher-resolution screens. They're also more likely to apply cheap, done-out TN brandish panels.
Spinning hard drives (HDD): A traditional hard drive is the slowest part of any older or cheaper computer. If you buy a computer with an HDD, consider replacing that storage with an SSD.
Less than 64 GB of storage: That isn't plenty infinite for you lot to comfortably install Windows and your well-nigh important apps while leaving enough room for Windows Update to piece of work properly. Computers with such tiny SSDs too tend to use a cheaper kind of storage called eMMC, which is slower than a typical SSD and not upgradable.
802.11n Wi-Fi (aka Wi-Fi four): A estimator with an older Wi-Fi adapter tin can still connect to a Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6 network, so if an 802.11n Wi-Fi adapter is the just matter wrong with a computer you like, that shouldn't be a dealbreaker. Only Wi-Fi v (or 802.11ac) has been standard in about computers for the past 5 or six years, then you should avoid Wi-Fi 4 if you can.

Things to avert with used Macs

Pre-2013 Macs: These computers still run okay, but they won't be supported by the latest macOS release, Large Sur, or any future releases of macOS. This means you'll stop getting security updates sooner, and apps will become incompatible sooner.
MacBooks released betwixt 2022 and 2022: xiii- and 15-inch MacBook Pros released between 2022 and 2022, 13-inch MacBook Airs released in 2022 and 2022, and all models of the 12-inch MacBook all employ a shallow, unsatisfying "butterfly" keyboard with well-documented reliability problems. Apple tree is still offering free repairs for these keyboards fifty-fifty when they're out of warranty, simply you should avoid such models entirely if you tin help it.

Where to expect

When it comes to buying used PCs, it's all-time to avoid sites similar Craigslist, eBay, or Reddit—it's possible to find good deals at that place, but if y'all don't know exactly what you're looking for, you tin hands get tripped up by fake or misleading listings or even a PC preloaded with malware. If you're buying your first used computer, you can avoid scams and heartbreak past sticking to major retailers. Computers from these sellers are also more probable to be professionally cleaned and restored.

Best Buy has a broad selection of preowned, refurbished, and open-box laptops and desktops. The site'due south filters make information technology fairly easy to narrow down the specs by our recommendations above, and the desktops in item are skilful deals if you're able to upgrade the memory or install an SSD yourself.

When buying from Amazon, stick to models with the Amazon Renewed tag, which Amazon says "take been inspected and tested by qualified suppliers to look and work like new" and come with a 90-day replacement-or-refund policy.

A screenshot of Newegg's laptop listings. — When y'all're searching Newegg, limiting your search to systems shipped and sold by Newegg tin can return higher-quality results.

Newegg, a popular site for people who like to build or upgrade their own PCs, also has a lot of used laptop and desktop PC listings, though the search part isn't as dainty. Some of Newegg's listings are for much older computers than you'll find at Amazon or All-time Buy, so exist especially careful nigh checking the offerings for our minimum and preferred requirements. Using the "sold/shipped by Newegg" search filters limits the models available but makes information technology easier for you to find something in expert condition sold past the site itself rather than a potentially sketchy 3rd party.

If you're looking specifically for Macs, OWC has a corking reputation for used and refurbished products and offers quite a few MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac models, among others. These computers have ninety-mean solar day warranties out of the box, but you tin can add upward to ii years of additional warranty coverage if you want information technology.

Local calculator stores may also be a skillful place to bank check for used hardware. Micro Heart keeps a decent option of refurbished desktops and laptops on hand—some of these are bachelor online, only many are available merely if you can arrive to an actual shop. You might have other decent options local to you—in the San Francisco Bay Surface area, for case, Primal Computers is a well-regarded local chain. A lilliputian enquiry and checking Yelp and the BBB might reveal skilful, reasonably priced options near you, and calling ahead with our recommended specs in hand can aid y'all figure out if whatever of the store's in-stock systems will work for you.

If you practise take your chances on a site like eBay, it'south especially important to make sure the pictures in the list are of the actual reckoner you'll be buying—not one laptop among several, or pictures that claim to be "representative" of what y'all're buying. Avert ownership computers from outside the US, since they can have several weeks to send and such listings are more likely to exist scams. Check the listings for laptops to make sure that the charger is included. And don't buy from sellers with niggling to no feedback or a lot of negative feedback.

Almost like new: Manufacturer-refurbished PCs

A screenshot of Apple's refurbished laptop listings. — Apple's refurbished site almost always has a skilful selection of recent MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac models.

If yous want to salve some coin but don't want to take the risks that come up with buying used, you might exist happy with a manufacturer-refurbished computer. These are systems that are returned to the visitor that fabricated them, repaired with new parts, and resold in similar-new status with the same warranties you get with new laptops and desktops. Annotation the difference between a manufacturer-refurbished PC and ane listed as "refurbished" on the sites of All-time Purchase, Newegg, and elsewhere—at many online stores, "refurbished" is usually but a fancy word for "used."

The companies with the best pages for refurbished PCs are Apple tree and Dell. Both take frequently updated inventories of near-new desktops and laptops; both offering the aforementioned warranties you get with their new products, including the opportunity to extend those warranties from ane to three or iv years; and both brand it piece of cake to sort computers by specs then you can buy exactly what yous want. HP offers some refurbished items, just y'all need to look upward what you want on its website and then phone call to order, while Lenovo'southward refurbished site is sparsely stocked and hard to search.

If you lot're buying a refurbished MacBook, we suggest sticking to 2022 and afterwards models of the 13-inch Pro and MacBook Air so you don't finish up with the oft-maligned (and justly and so) butterfly-switch keyboard. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is also fine. Yous might also consider holding out for a version with Apple's M1 fleck rather than Intel processors, since those perform better, get amend bombardment life, and are probable to get new macOS updates for longer.

For a refurbished Dell reckoner, look for 8 GB or more than of RAM, 256 GB or more of storage, and a 10th- or 11th-generation Cadre i3, i5, or i7 processor—steer away from Celerons and Pentiums, especially those with a model number that starts with North. If you're buying a laptop, look for a 1080p screen. I adopt Latitudes because they're ordinarily built better than Inspiron models, and information technology's usually easier to upgrade their storage or memory; y'all could likewise look for recent XPS xiii models, since that series has been our favorite ultrabook for years at present. As you store, bank check out Dell'southward coupon codes to encounter if there are whatsoever models with particularly skillful discounts; these codes refresh every calendar week or then.

Upgrades and repairs

The laptops we tested to find the best laptops side by side. — Photo: Michael Hession

When you purchase a used PC, you might notice that it needs maintenance more than quickly or more regularly than a brand-new computer. Or it might demand some extra retentivity or faster storage to assist it cope better with modern websites and apps. You can upgrade almost all desktops and many laptops with a bit of time, research, and a few tools. We tin can't advise you on every possible repair to every possible system—iFixit has some PC repair guides, though not for all models—but we can cover the basics. And we have some more communication for repairing and resuscitating an old laptop.

SSD: If y'all purchase a used PC with a spinning hard drive, that component will exist past far the slowest affair in the entire computer. Upgrading to a solid-country drive volition dramatically speed things up. Nosotros take SSD recommendations for older and newer computers—Crucial'southward System Advisor page can requite you some information on the kind of drive yous need. If the computer you bought already has a small, 128 GB or 256 GB SSD and y'all want more space, 500 GB and 1 TB drives are much more affordable than they were a few years agone.
Retentivity: A Windows PC with four GB of retentiveness or less will struggle once you've opened more a couple of apps and a few browser tabs. Nosotros recommend viii GB for general utilize and xvi GB for people who plan to regularly play high-finish games or utilize high-end apps like Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom. Again, the Crucial System Advisor folio can tell you what kind of memory to purchase for your system—though many laptops, including all MacBooks made after 2022, don't permit retentivity upgrades at all.
Chargers: Some used laptops are sold without chargers, and older MacBook ability supplies in particular are prone to fraying. It's safest to buy a replacement directly from your computer's manufacturer, and Acer, Apple tree, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo all accept stores you lot can try. Avoid inexpensive knock-off chargers, which don't concluding as long and can be fire hazards, and don't buy Apple chargers from eBay, where counterfeits are nigh unavoidable. OWC sells genuine Apple chargers for older MacBooks for less than Apple'southward prices. For newer USB-C laptops, whatsoever certified USB-C charger should work fine.
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi adapters might not be included in your used PC, especially in older desktops. That's fine if yous can connect the reckoner to your router with a wire, simply if you can't, reliable USB Wi-Fi adapters are available for as niggling every bit $20.

Software updates

Windows 10: If your used PC came with Windows 10 already installed, you might not need to worry most updating. But if it came with Windows 7 (which is no longer receiving security updates) or Windows viii (which is awkward and less familiar than other versions of Windows), you should consider upgrading. A new Windows x license usually costs around $130, simply if your PC shipped with Windows viii or has a Windows 7 production key, you may exist able to activate Windows 10 for no extra price. If you need advice, see our instructions on how to install Windows from scratch. And fifty-fifty if your PC came with Windows 10, a fresh install that yous perform yourself tin get rid of any bloatware that came installed on the estimator.
macOS: Apple tree makes it pretty like shooting fish in a barrel to upgrade to the latest version of macOS that your particular Mac is capable of running—this folio can help you determine whether yous can install the latest version (macOS Big Sur, as of this writing) and what you need to do. Near Macs released in or later 2022 can run Catalina, which is notwithstanding being supported with security updates and should continue to be until sometime in 2022. Macs older than 2022 can no longer officially run any version of macOS that is still receiving security updates, and they're pretty deadening at this betoken, anyway—consider upgrading if y'all ain ane, and definitely don't buy a pre-2013 Mac at this point.

Sources

Damian Carrington, $10bn of precious metals dumped each yr in electronic waste, says United nations, The Guardian , July 2, 2022