refurbish laptop
- Thread starter mez
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I bought one of those 16GB HP i7 refurbs, with a 512 SSD. It is a business oriented machine, so the speakers/audio are not "game quality", but for my use its fast, fast fast. No SD slot, but you can get a SD card to USB adapter for under $10
Back up the data and format it before you buy a new rig. Might as well.
Better to get an SSD from newegg, copy WINDOWS onto the new drive. Take out the old drive and put the new one in. As good as new. The bottleneck on your laptop is the mechanical hard drive.
I had to replace the fan in my laptop a while back. PITA! Won't happen again. That being said, the hard drive is usually easy to replace. Get the OS cd and re-format and start over after you save onto an external device what you need to keep. That should at least point you into a direction of what needs repaired/replaced.
Originally Posted by sloinker
I had to replace the fan in my laptop a while back. PITA! Won't happen again. That being said, the hard drive is usually easy to replace. Get the OS cd and re-format and start over after you save onto an external device what you need to keep. That should at least point you into a direction of what needs repaired/replaced.
If the laptop still has a factory image on the HD, there should be some sort of recovery suite that you can use to format it. I used one that even allowed access to the HD so you could back up your files without booting the OS. I love that about laptops, they are super easy to format.
I had to replace the fan in my laptop a while back. PITA! Won't happen again. That being said, the hard drive is usually easy to replace. Get the OS cd and re-format and start over after you save onto an external device what you need to keep. That should at least point you into a direction of what needs repaired/replaced.
If the laptop still has a factory image on the HD, there should be some sort of recovery suite that you can use to format it. I used one that even allowed access to the HD so you could back up your files without booting the OS. I love that about laptops, they are super easy to format.
There are different types of refurbs, you can usually tell by how old the model is, and if the model is hard to pin down just use the CPU generation to determine when it was sold new.
The best refurbs are those that were returned shortly after initial purchase because the buyer did not like it, or made a mistake, or the unit has some minor problem that could easily be fixed. These usually sell for 50% to 70% of new price and, if purchased from the OEM outlet, come with the same warranty as a new unit.
The dicey refurbs are those that were used full time for 3+ years, usually lease returns. Sometimes they are fine, but sometimes they are rather beaten up and worn. These may only be worth the chance when you can get them for 20% or less of the new price. These generally come with short warranties, anywhere from 30 to 100 days.
All the refurbs out there with Haswell CPUs are lease returns. Ivy Bridge is even older, although I liked some Ivy Bridge laptops they are just to old to start with now. But refurbs with Kaby Lake, for example, are likely the first type.
The best refurbs are those that were returned shortly after initial purchase because the buyer did not like it, or made a mistake, or the unit has some minor problem that could easily be fixed. These usually sell for 50% to 70% of new price and, if purchased from the OEM outlet, come with the same warranty as a new unit.
The dicey refurbs are those that were used full time for 3+ years, usually lease returns. Sometimes they are fine, but sometimes they are rather beaten up and worn. These may only be worth the chance when you can get them for 20% or less of the new price. These generally come with short warranties, anywhere from 30 to 100 days.
All the refurbs out there with Haswell CPUs are lease returns. Ivy Bridge is even older, although I liked some Ivy Bridge laptops they are just to old to start with now. But refurbs with Kaby Lake, for example, are likely the first type.
Why would you do that when you can do this and have a 2 year warranty?
https://www.costco.com/Dell-Inspiro...l-Core-i7---1080p.product.100403040.html
https://www.costco.com/Dell-Inspiro...l-Core-i7---1080p.product.100403040.html
Cost a lot more with a SSD drive.
Looking at this one
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=5595175&sku=41454101&SRCCODE=3WWEBEML2074&utm_source=EML&utm_medium=main&utm_campaign=3WWEBEML2074&ecm=c4SDio23QjIJZrSgVosCdHEHwq0GQs3YpbEqN%2FTcr9tlnIMNGYmfQRmhhBsYad74&elqTrackId=fed8ac5f97964f1f8ecdeaf06aa97a0d&elq=780fbd4de2b74765bedf9eb7c4598b84&elqaid=7047&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=6287
Looking at this one
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=5595175&sku=41454101&SRCCODE=3WWEBEML2074&utm_source=EML&utm_medium=main&utm_campaign=3WWEBEML2074&ecm=c4SDio23QjIJZrSgVosCdHEHwq0GQs3YpbEqN%2FTcr9tlnIMNGYmfQRmhhBsYad74&elqTrackId=fed8ac5f97964f1f8ecdeaf06aa97a0d&elq=780fbd4de2b74765bedf9eb7c4598b84&elqaid=7047&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=6287
I like the idea of trying a SSD first with fresh install of operating system. My last one was less than $30 and made night and day difference.
In my case I keep an extra drive with a good image and settings like she likes it. If things go bad I have a good image ready to go.
In my case I keep an extra drive with a good image and settings like she likes it. If things go bad I have a good image ready to go.
Yeah installing an SSD was a huge difference on the laptop that I'm currently typing this on - Core i3 2350M Sandy Bridge, 6GB RAM only, Windows 10. Pretty old but it runs good this way. I keep at least 20 tabs open at all times, no problem.
I'd go for the SSD and forget the new computer, unless there is some other glaring problem.
That said the plastic case is starting to come apart on this laptop again, I've already replaced it once and the part was close to $200. If it breaks again I think I'm going to be in the market for something new.
I'd go for the SSD and forget the new computer, unless there is some other glaring problem.
That said the plastic case is starting to come apart on this laptop again, I've already replaced it once and the part was close to $200. If it breaks again I think I'm going to be in the market for something new.
I have a 200 dollar inspiron, I put a SSD I had kicking around in it.
I realized the bottleneck was the cpu and the ram.
Laptop is maxxed at 4gb ram. Cpu is not worth changing out.
I'd take a look at the Dell Outlet and buy a refurb or open box dell with a good warranty. Check the business section for Latitudes.
Sub 500 dollars you can get a great laptop with a long warranty.
I realized the bottleneck was the cpu and the ram.
Laptop is maxxed at 4gb ram. Cpu is not worth changing out.
I'd take a look at the Dell Outlet and buy a refurb or open box dell with a good warranty. Check the business section for Latitudes.
Sub 500 dollars you can get a great laptop with a long warranty.
sometimes you can install an uprated hard drive, depending on model it can be eze or not.decent HP's laps with a 15.6" screens can be about $250 @ wallys, got one 2 years ago + seen another new on the bay for even less i bought it for a spare!!! always shop around + thicker models are easier to work on if needed!
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Originally Posted by mez
Anyone have experience with refurbish laptops? My wife's i3 is slow and disk is always 100%. Cannot figure whats causing it. Seeing great deals on HP i7 with 16GB ram and 256+ SSD for around $600-700. Thanks
I always look up the CPU speed in the PassMark website so you can compare apples to apples. I7 means it has more cores than an I5 or I3 but there also is the generation of I7. I think the latest ones are 9th generation. Anyway PassMark is your guide.
Also look up the model of the laptop on the HP website and see if its listed. Some places sell these special version HP laptops that are made strictly for resellers. Not listed on the HP website. It has good specs for what people look for but other areas are cheaply made.
A SSD is getting to be the standard type of drive along with 16GB of memory. Few have CD/DVD drives, so buy an external. Some have high speed USB ports like Thunderbolt.
Anyone have experience with refurbish laptops? My wife's i3 is slow and disk is always 100%. Cannot figure whats causing it. Seeing great deals on HP i7 with 16GB ram and 256+ SSD for around $600-700. Thanks
I always look up the CPU speed in the PassMark website so you can compare apples to apples. I7 means it has more cores than an I5 or I3 but there also is the generation of I7. I think the latest ones are 9th generation. Anyway PassMark is your guide.
Also look up the model of the laptop on the HP website and see if its listed. Some places sell these special version HP laptops that are made strictly for resellers. Not listed on the HP website. It has good specs for what people look for but other areas are cheaply made.
A SSD is getting to be the standard type of drive along with 16GB of memory. Few have CD/DVD drives, so buy an external. Some have high speed USB ports like Thunderbolt.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
Originally Posted by mez
Anyone have experience with refurbish laptops? My wife's i3 is slow and disk is always 100%. Cannot figure whats causing it. Seeing great deals on HP i7 with 16GB ram and 256+ SSD for around $600-700. Thanks
Do what I did, put a $40 SSD in it and try it out.
It'll totally transform the PC back to way better than new.
Even if for some reason it doesn't, it only cost $40 and you've still got the hard drive.
Here's my post from the other week:
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4860472/ssd-upgrade-wow#Post4860472
Anyone have experience with refurbish laptops? My wife's i3 is slow and disk is always 100%. Cannot figure whats causing it. Seeing great deals on HP i7 with 16GB ram and 256+ SSD for around $600-700. Thanks
Do what I did, put a $40 SSD in it and try it out.
It'll totally transform the PC back to way better than new.
Even if for some reason it doesn't, it only cost $40 and you've still got the hard drive.
Here's my post from the other week:
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4860472/ssd-upgrade-wow#Post4860472
What does she do with the laptop? In some ways, you could very likely "refurbish" the one she's using yourself, with no cost whatsoever, with a Linux install of some sort. Of course, that depends what she uses it for and what everyone's comfort level is.
You might look here for a better selection -
http://www.hp.com/sbso/buspurchase_refurbished.html
Price list is updated daily. My current laptop was purchased from HP refurbished about 9 years ago.
http://www.hp.com/sbso/buspurchase_refurbished.html
Price list is updated daily. My current laptop was purchased from HP refurbished about 9 years ago.
I've gotten a couple good refurbs. One was $90 and the battery was shot but a new one was $17 on ebay so I didn't hold their feet to the fire. Got them from newegg IIRC. One HP, one Dell. You would not know they had been previously used from cosmetics or the wiped OS.
Thanks everyone for their feedback. I going to try the clone OS to SSD, replace the HDD and see what happens. I can purchase a 240GB SSD and the USB to SATA adapter for under $50 at Microcenter. I'll use the free EaseUS Todo Backup to make the clone of the OS.
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