Pros and cons of a used computer?

[06civictx]

ok i will be buying a used computer in a few months for school and stuff,i know a good thing is i will be getting one cheap instead of wasting over a $1000 for one,right now i have a crappy laptop that sux at uploading and downloading and dont have $$$ to upgrade,anyone ever experience bad things with a used computer?

[e60.deluxe]

used computers are generally good deals if you know what you are looking at otherwise you can get ripped off.

one thing about computer parts, is that they dont wear down, they only break, and thats pretty rare. there is no reason a computer cant be on 24/7 and still be working 10 years later.

the most common computer problem is probably HDD failure, and thats really not going to change much on a new or used HDD, as its pretty random, and the MTBF is quite high.

[06civictx]

awesome,thanks for the reply

[YOGIx213]

What are the specs of your laptop? What brand and model number? You might be able to just upgrade your RAM and it could make a world of difference and cost you less than $75 bucks.

[Firestrife]

buying a laptop not as bad as selling one. Personal info and stuff from the previous owner.

[Shark Tek]

Nothing that a good format can fix and if you want to go a step farther there are tools that wipe out everything from your HD. That gives you an xtra layer of protection for those people that like to sniff the HD for undeleted data located deep inside the HD.


And for the guy of the old notebook there is a good chance that a reinstallation of windows and a replacement of the memory in the case that have a low amount will bring a new life to your computer.

[CivicCoupe06]

if you can get the specs I can tell you if its worth it. I've been building systems for 5 years now.

[Duce2k]

I work on pc's for a living, If you want to buy used you are better off buying a used desktop not a used laptop, laptops are harder and more expensive to upgrade, chances are if the laptop is more than 2 or 3 years old it's probably almost outdated and depending on what you want to use it for it'll probably seem real slow against "your buddy's brand spanking new Core 2 Duo loaded with Vista premium." If you have to buy used get a desktop with a full size case that is easily upgradeable with more RAM, bigger and faster hard drive, faster cpu, etc.

[zumzumzoom]

You can get a decent laptop these days for under a 1000. Some are even closer to 500's. Go to www.gotapex.com They have the latest deals on Dells and is updated daily.

If you do go used do not get anything under 1GHz, less than 256 mb of ram, and Windows 2000 would be the best OS for a used computer.

[06civictx]

thanks for all the reply guys,i have a dell inspiron 600m with intel celeron m,am i doomed?

[mort]

Originally Posted by 06civictx

thanks for all the reply guys,i have a dell inspiron 600m with intel celeron m,am i doomed?

It's fairly old.. Upgrading memory might help you a bit but not much. Upgrading to a Pentium M is way too expensive for a dated laptop imo.. So basically if your current laptop isn't fast enough for you, yes, you are doomed. Post up the specs and price of the pc you are interested in and we'll give you feedback..

[Way2Short]

How are we supposed to "clear" the hard drive if someone is planning to sell their laptop or computer?

[RaskyR1]

I think it depends on the price and age of the used computer. New laptops start at around $500. I feel anything older than 2 years is not worth buying.

Just my $.02

I think Dentrecords is good with computers...he may be a good person to ask.

[mort]

Originally Posted by Way2Short

How are we supposed to "clear" the hard drive if someone is planning to sell their laptop or computer?

Format c:

There are a number of ways. The most common is to simply format the drive so it is blank when you sell it, or you can format/re-install an OS so the person buying the pc doesn't have to do it. There are also a number of ways to format a drive/partition--the most common being DOS/Command Prompt or you can format in Windows Setup.

[06civictx]

Originally Posted by mort

It's fairly old.. Upgrading memory might help you a bit but not much. Upgrading to a Pentium M is way too expensive for a dated laptop imo.. So basically if your current laptop isn't fast enough for you, yes, you are doomed. Post up the specs and price of the pc you are interested in and we'll give you feedback..

well im just gonna get a used dell pentium 4 laptop with 512MB,basicly just looking for one right now

[mort]

If you can give some more detailed specs it will help. What kind of Pentium 4? Is it a regular Pentium 4, a Mobile Pentium 4, or Mobile Pentium 4 M? etc..

Also, what do/will you typically use your current/future laptop for?

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edit: so you haven't found one that you want yet?

[06civictx]

Originally Posted by mort

If you can give some more detailed specs it will help. What kind of Pentium 4? Is it a regular Pentium 4, a Mobile Pentium 4, or Mobile Pentium 4 M? etc..

Also, what do/will you typically use your current/future laptop for?

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edit: so you haven't found one that you want yet?

yeah its just a regular intel pentium 4,i might sell this old one and use the new(used) one for school and playing games on etc.

[Izzy]

Originally Posted by Way2Short

How are we supposed to "clear" the hard drive if someone is planning to sell their laptop or computer?

I used this: http://www.killdisk.com/downloadfree.htm after a format. It's not the BEST protection, like FBI uses, but it's pretty good for most people.

As far as games, 06civictx, what kind of games are you going to try and play? Current or older?

[e60.deluxe]

use dban to wipe the disk before selling it.

[mort]

Unless you get a really good deal I'd advise against it. A regular P4 in a laptop means it is a desktop cpu. They provide the worst possible battery life. What type of games do you play?