Refurbished Computers on the Internet

By Bryan Wayt
Posted Sunday, August 1, 2004

What is a Refurbished Computer?

Refurbished Computers. Remanufactured Computers. Reconditioned Computers. Essentially, all of these terms refer to the same thing. But what does refurbished really mean? A refurbished computer is one that is sent back to the manufacturer for a variety of reasons, refitted with different parts as necessary, and then tested and approved for resale by the manufacturer. Yes, this could mean that a computer was returned because it didn’t work properly. But, this is not always the case. There is a excellent chance that the problem was nothing more than a cosmetic defect, such as a small ding on the monitor. Or it could be that a custumer recieved the wrong model, but had already opened the box.

Most importantly, refurbished doesn’t mean that you’re buying a computer with a defect or something else wrong with it. All computers go through the same testing and approval process refurbished and new alike.

Refurbished Computers are not Old Computers.

Buying refurbished doesn’t mean you’re stuck with an outdated machine. While computers are forever becoming faster and able to hold more data on larger hard drives, the basics of the computer are still the same. The technology used is typically less than a year old, so you can get processing power and memory specifications that are almost the equivalent of brand new models, but at a much cheaper cost. If you just want an inexpensive computer to do e-mail, surf the Internet, balance your checkbook, play a few games, and do some word processing, you might want to invest in a refurbished model. Most are still upgradeable in case you want to add more memory, a larger hard drive, or even a faster processor later on.

Who Should buy Refurbished Computers?

Many people new to technology are unsure what there needs are. It often makes sense for them to purchase a refurbished computer. I recently did this for my grandmother. She enjoys geneology and has many boxes and books full of information about our family. The internet is a great tool for researching your ancestory and sharing the fascinating stories that you find. My grandmother had very limited experince with computers, but I purchased a Compaq for her for Christmas. She loves it, and it has allowed her to store much of her information electronically and to share that information with family all over the United States.

Small home offices can also benifit from purchasing remanufactured computers. Many companies cannot afford a huge investement into hardware. By purchasing quality used equipment these businesses can take advantage of the benifits of technology without breaking the bank.

About The Author
This article is written by Bryan Wayt webmaster at Cheap Computer Information.