Buying used laptops can be a very cost effective way to gain mobility in business and leisure.
There are a few caveats that you need to look out for when buying used laptops.
Some of these are:
1) The speed of the processor
* A slow processor can hamper your productivity. In fact, it can sometimes mean 10 minutes just to start the machine and have it ready for you to use (called boot time).
Why? Well as operating systems progress the graphics and "bells and whistles" call for faster and more efficient processing. (Personally I would have been happy if they stopped with Windows 2000) If you don't have a reasonably fast processor good luck trying to run the newest operating system on your laptop.
* On the other side of the coin:
If you’re not doing heavy processing or multimedia creation you absolutely do NOT need he latest, greatest, and fastest processors. Think of it this way... we used to use manual typewriters for documents. So why would a word processing program need high mathematical processing or the computing power to create 3D graphics.
2) Does it have wireless capability?
* In my opinion, one of the best recent innovations is Wireless Access.
These days you can find free internet in hotels, coffee shops, and even some bars!
3) Portability of the machine (size, weight, and useful charge)
* What good is having a laptop if it is the size and weight of a sewer manhole?
* Useful charge - this is a tough one to mitigate when buying a used laptop. The batteries are much like your normal rechargeable batteries. Meaning they WILL vary from battery to battery on useful life and charge capacity. Fortunately, if you buy your laptop smart and on a discount eventually replacing your battery will not be as painful since you did not pay top dollar for the laptop.
So now that you've been a little bit informed:
Here is what I like for laptops which can be found on the internet for under $400.
Weight: under 3lbs
Processor: 1.2 GHZ (or faster)
RAM: no less than 256 MB (1GB ideal)
Wireless: Internal 802 B or G
Some other thoughts about buying online:
** Buy from reputable sellers (look for feedback or recommendations)
** Try and Buy close to your home city (it's never fun to wait 3 weeks on something that is relatively expensive)
There are a few caveats that you need to look out for when buying used laptops.
Some of these are:
1) The speed of the processor
* A slow processor can hamper your productivity. In fact, it can sometimes mean 10 minutes just to start the machine and have it ready for you to use (called boot time).
Why? Well as operating systems progress the graphics and "bells and whistles" call for faster and more efficient processing. (Personally I would have been happy if they stopped with Windows 2000) If you don't have a reasonably fast processor good luck trying to run the newest operating system on your laptop.
* On the other side of the coin:
If you’re not doing heavy processing or multimedia creation you absolutely do NOT need he latest, greatest, and fastest processors. Think of it this way... we used to use manual typewriters for documents. So why would a word processing program need high mathematical processing or the computing power to create 3D graphics.
2) Does it have wireless capability?
* In my opinion, one of the best recent innovations is Wireless Access.
These days you can find free internet in hotels, coffee shops, and even some bars!
3) Portability of the machine (size, weight, and useful charge)
* What good is having a laptop if it is the size and weight of a sewer manhole?
* Useful charge - this is a tough one to mitigate when buying a used laptop. The batteries are much like your normal rechargeable batteries. Meaning they WILL vary from battery to battery on useful life and charge capacity. Fortunately, if you buy your laptop smart and on a discount eventually replacing your battery will not be as painful since you did not pay top dollar for the laptop.
So now that you've been a little bit informed:
Here is what I like for laptops which can be found on the internet for under $400.
Weight: under 3lbs
Processor: 1.2 GHZ (or faster)
RAM: no less than 256 MB (1GB ideal)
Wireless: Internal 802 B or G
Some other thoughts about buying online:
** Buy from reputable sellers (look for feedback or recommendations)
** Try and Buy close to your home city (it's never fun to wait 3 weeks on something that is relatively expensive)
posted by Research : projects: findings at 5:12 PM
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