Should I buy a used laptop?

[virgigirlie 0]

So, I want to get a laptop. Ideally, I'd get a Mac (that's what my desktop is), but I don't have the money.

I only want it for Internet browsing (not downloading, gaming, storing pictures or music - that's what the desktop's for) and typing papers. Just so I don't have to be in my computer room, so I can type in the living room and take stuff to class with me.

I've been looking at inexpensive HPs. Then I found that ebay has a lot of laptops, just what I was looking at or better, that are relatively new and cheaper than getting it from Best Buy or where ever.

What do you think? Is it safe to buy a used laptop (for my minimal uses)? What are the risks involved?

"If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning." ~Catherine Aird

[mrwrong 0]

Wear and tare are higher on laptops since they are being dragged around a lot....

None of my work laptops have lasted more than 3 years before they have died

“The sum of intelligence on the planet is a constant; the population is growing.” - George Bernard Shaw
He who dies with the most toys, wins.....
dudeist skydiver # 19515
Buy quality and cry once!

[SkyBastard 0]

my dell 1501 has been on almost continuously for over two years and used a LOT and, touch wood, it's still perfect, never had an issue. even spilled coffee all over it once.

so i rate dells quite high. i was in government IT for a few years, all our kit was HP and we saw quite a few problems with HP laptops, whether they would be more or less if everything had been dell or another manufacturer though i can't say. but they were problems with ram and problems with cooling fans touching the casings, building quality/design issues which imho should not have occured.

Dude #320
"Superstitious" is just a polite way of saying "incredibly fucking stupid".
DONK!

[theonlyski 8]

Quote

my dell 1501 has been on almost continuously for over two years and used a LOT and, touch wood, it's still perfect, never had an issue. even spilled coffee all over it once.

so i rate dells quite high. i was in government IT for a few years, all our kit was HP and we saw quite a few problems with HP laptops, whether they would be more or less if everything had been dell or another manufacturer though i can't say. but they were problems with ram and problems with cooling fans touching the casings, building quality/design issues which imho should not have occured.

Agreed on the dell, Ive had my Inspiron E1505 for 4 years, just bought a new Studio 15 couple weeks ago.

They are easy to work on, have their entire service manual online and dont have the same issues as all of my friends HPs.

I dont know about the Mac hardware, but from what Ive seen, they work fine for years.

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[IanHarrop 42]

if you are not going to be using it as your main computer consider a netbook.

My son is going to university and I bought him a Dell Mini 10 with the 6 cell battery for longer life when his old laptop died.

Good price, easy to carry, long battery life. He really likes it better than is his old laptop, but he does have a very good desktop with a large LCD screen for when he's working on papers.

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[anthonyfellows 0]

Personally I wouldn't spend the extra money for a Mac, if the only thing you want it for is internet browsing and word processing.

Serious relationships turn into work after a few weeks and I already got a fucking job :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
H.A.F. = Hard As Fuck ... Goddamn Amateurs

[shropshire 0]

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if you are not going to be using it as your main computer consider a netbook.

My son is going to university and I bought him a Dell Mini 10 with the 6 cell battery for longer life when his old laptop died.

Good price, easy to carry, long battery life. He really likes it better than is his old laptop, but he does have a very good desktop with a large LCD screen for when he's working on papers.

Same here - I love mine

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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What do you think? Is it safe to buy a used laptop (for my minimal uses)? What are the risks involved?

I wouldn't do that. Buy a new one instead - Fry's has some nice ones for under $350. I'd suggest a netbook (because you really don't need much horsepower for what you're doing) although I can't type that fast on the small keyboards. If you're using it for business I'd also get a service contract with on-site service so you're only down for a couple days at a time.

Laptops are unreliable due to too much vibration from commuting in a car trunk or on a bicycle, heat from people using them on soft surfaces like their laps, and shock from being set down too hard on the board room table. The batteries are life-limited items that can cost $100 to replace, which is 1/3 of a totally new laptop.

While you might get one that's had an easy life, you might not.

I got my current laptop in April, 2008 (Dell Inspiron 1420).

So far Dell has installed two new main boards and an LCD screen under warranty.

I replaced the hard drive (it developed hard errors) at my company's expense because that was cheaper than waiting a couple days (I have the next business day on-site service contract, although it's always been two days) to work effectively.

One of the battery packs won't charge beyond 90%; I'll probably have to replace that soon.

These problems aren't specific to Dell; they're just part of the environment laptops often get used in. The only reason I'd buy a Lenovo instead of a Dell next time is that Dell's next business day service is often second business day.

[justinb138 0]

Many companies also sell refurbed laptops. Check out techbargains.com, they usually have some pretty good deals.

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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Many companies also sell refurbed laptops. Check out techbargains.com, they usually have some pretty good deals.

While fine for a desktop which should last until it's too slow to run new applications (like high quality video or the latest Microsoft Windows) you don't want "refurbished" parts in a laptop because whatever environmental issues caused the failure which got them back to their maker the first time can create other latent issues.

My second mainboard replacement was weeks after the first one because Dell installed a reworked one which then failed.

[tkhayes 348]

I would not buy anything more than a year old. Just like a car, it depreciates a lot in that first year. SO see what is the latest greatest, and then back up one year's models, then shop around for the best used deal.

refurbished are often a great deal, they still have warranties usually.

www.geeks.com, Dell outlet, Mac clearance center, etc,

[virgigirlie 0]

Thanks for your help everyone! I've decided to buy new. I don't want a netbook simply because I appreciate more keyboard space and a somewhat larger screen.

I'm considering this and this.

"If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning." ~Catherine Aird

[tkhayes 348]

my wife has the dell laptop 1545, we just bought it a month or two ago and upgraded to Windows 7 and 4gb memory. so far so good, very zippy and easy to use little machine.

Only thing I do not understand is the goddamn power saver settings, which do not seem to work the way you would think they should.

[theonlyski 8]

Quote

Thanks for your help everyone! I've decided to buy new. I don't want a netbook simply because I appreciate more keyboard space and a somewhat larger screen.

I'm considering this and this.

Go dell!

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[justinb138 0]

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Thanks for your help everyone! I've decided to buy new. I don't want a netbook simply because I appreciate more keyboard space and a somewhat larger screen.

I'm considering this and this.

Here's one I happened to come across earlier tonight:


http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?vt=5&GroupID=243&Code=29586SU&hide_menu_area=true

It's the same price as the HP, but has 4GB of DDR3 instead of 3GB of DDR2 (I think DDR3 is a little easier on the battery), a slightly faster processor, and an LED-backlit screen, which is also a little bit better for battery life.

[Gene03 0]

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my wife has the dell laptop 1545, we just bought it a month or two ago and upgraded to Windows 7 and 4gb memory. so far so good, very zippy and easy to use little machine.

Only thing I do not understand is the goddamn power saver settings, which do not seem to work the way you would think they should.

I'm very computer illiterate so consider the source...

How about a used laptop and then installing Linux Mint on it?

I'm playing with Mint on a seperate machine and i'm liking what I'm seeing, so far.

“The only fool bigger than the person who knows it all is the person who argues with him.

Stanislaw Jerzy Lec quotes (Polish writer, poet and satirist 1906-1966)

[theonlyski 8]

Quote

Quote

my wife has the dell laptop 1545, we just bought it a month or two ago and upgraded to Windows 7 and 4gb memory. so far so good, very zippy and easy to use little machine.

Only thing I do not understand is the goddamn power saver settings, which do not seem to work the way you would think they should.

I'm very computer illiterate so consider the source...

How about a used laptop and then installing Linux Mint on it?

I'm playing with Mint on a seperate machine and i'm liking what I'm seeing, so far.

You can no longer claim you're illiterate if you know of and use linux...

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[Gene03 0]

While I apreciate your vote of confidence, you don't know me all that well.

Just ask Warped.

“The only fool bigger than the person who knows it all is the person who argues with him.

Stanislaw Jerzy Lec quotes (Polish writer, poet and satirist 1906-1966)

[lippy 918]

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Thanks for your help everyone! I've decided to buy new. I don't want a netbook simply because I appreciate more keyboard space and a somewhat larger screen.

I'm considering this and this.

You don't necessarily need to knock the netbook for keyboard/video reasons. I'm running a netbook bacause it's small and cheap, but I've got no issues with keyboard or video. I'm sitting on my sofa typing on a Bluetooth keyboard and I'm using my 50" plasma as a monitor.

Even when using the Netbook's own keyboard/monitor, I don't have any issues. I had a Dell mini 9 and that keyboard was a real pain in the ass, but with the 10 I can type at full speed with no issues. I've not had problems with the monitor, but I haven't been using it for extended periods of time either

I got nuthin