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How to Buy a Quality Laptop Under $500

How to Buy a Quality Laptop Under $500

Posted by Team Recompute on 24th Mar 2022

At this point in time, laptops are less a luxury and more of a necessary tool for students and businesses to keep up in an increasingly tech-focused world.

But despite the ever-growing need for a laptop, many people find that the cost of a laptop is far too high.

Here's how you can get a refurbished laptop for $500 or under, as well as some tips on what you should look for.

Why Refurbished?

What are refurbished laptops, anyway? It's a question we get all the time.

Refurbished computers are used computers that are tested and restored by manufacturers or professional third-party refurbishers to ensure that they are fully operational, and ready to be put back to good use. Recompute Refurbished units are usually:

  1. Ex-Lease computers that come from large corporate companies or government departments
  2. Out of a business environment. They are high-end durable business-grade models
  3. Professionally repackaged to create the same out of box experience that you would get from a brand-new product
  4. Backed by a warranty, and support from a company that has been doing this for over two decades.

A 'refurbished' computer is a high-quality business-grade computer that is thoroughly tested and repackaged.

Rest assured, we would not offer our best-in-class warranty on a refurbished product without first conducting rigorous testing. So your laptop will work as well -- if not better -- than it would if it were straight from the factory.

What to Consider

By now it's evident that refurbished laptops work as well as their factory-sealed counterparts. So when you're ready to find the perfect "new" laptop, here are a few things you'll want to pay attention to.

Environmental Impact

One of the best things about refurbished laptops is that they're better for the environment. Each year, 20 to 50 million tons of tech products are dumped in landfills, causing massive damage to the environment.

Buying refurbished products is a great way to extend the reuse lifecycle while saving some cash.

Warranty

First and foremost, look for a quality warranty. Buying refurbished can still be a gamble, after all. Ensuring that there is a flexible returns policy coupled with a track record of great service over many years minimise any risk.

Your new laptop should come with warranty. Only buy from companies that offer industry-leading warranties, with a minimum of one year, so if you do have problems with your new laptop, you can get it serviced no questions asked.

Storage Space

How are you planning on using your laptop? Your intended uses will have an impact on your choice, and thus, the price of your new laptop.

For example, if you plan on using your laptop for gaming or photo or video editing, you'll likely need something with a solid-state drive or SSD. SSDs are faster than standard hard drives so you can do more, faster.

That said, if you're using your laptop for word processing or business functions, a traditional hard disk drive storage solution may be fine. However, considering recent improvements in SSD storage space and affordability SSDs are generally the better option.

Speed

No one likes a slow computer. You may expect a refurbished computer to be older and therefore slower. This isn't always the case. In fact, our 4th gen intel i5 or i7 laptops are faster than some brand-new computers with Celeron processors, so you're getting more speed and better quality for less money.

Most of our refurbished products come with 8 GB of RAM, which is industry standard or better.

Cut The Cost, Not The Quality: Buy a Refurbished Laptop

Choosing a refurbished laptop may seem like a gamble, but when you buy from Recompute, you're getting a better product at a lower price. When you're ready to shop for a new laptop, keep these tips in mind.


And if you'd like to check out our selection of refurbished laptops visit our store.