A guide to buying refurbished desktops

Refurbished computers and laptops are commonly available on the market for customers who are looking for budget options. If you find exceptionally low-priced offers to buy PC or notebook computers, you should check the details and you may realise that these are refurbished systems. With careful PC selection, you may be able to save a significant amount of money and buy a good refurbished desktop for your needs.

Types of refurbished desktops

Refurbished desktops or servers for sale may be broadly divided into two classes. The first category includes PCs that have not been able to pass the QC inspection at the time of manufacturing. The manufacturer may decide to rebuild such computers to pass the quality checks but may sell them as refurbished systems at a discounted price. You can buy cheap business computers and business servers which are sold by recognised manufacturers as refurbished products. The second category of refurbished computers and laptops may include systems that were returned by the customers for poor performance. The common cause of such returns may be the failure of a particular component. The manufacturer may choose to replace the component and refurbish the computer to sell it at a cheaper price on the market. The refurbishment may not necessarily be performed by the manufacturer, and it may be outsourced to a third party. Third parties that refurbish computers independently may not have access to original components from the manufacturer, and may use alternative ones. This may alter the desktop’s original design.

Cost comparison and warranty

Customers who are looking for very special and affordable deals for good quality computers such as HP computers or Dell laptops may consider refurbished units. If the model is still in continuation on the market, it becomes easy to do a price comparison between the refurbished unit and a fresh unit. However, if the model is old and discontinued, you should be more careful about the price being offered for the refurbished product. Older models should be purchased only if the discount offered is very attractive. Furthermore, you should also consider whether the refurbished unit comes with a warranty. The terms and conditions of the warranty will be usually modified for a refurbished PC. If the warranty is reasonable, it is safer to buy such a desktop because any potential defects can be rectified under the warranty period.