If you are looking into purchasing a new computer you would be remiss NOT to first consider purchasing a quality refurbished PC. Refurbished computers generally offer all the computing power, features and reliability you will need at a fraction of the price of a new one. Whether you are purchasing a first or second computer for home, buying for a school or school district, or a business looking to upgrade or expand, refurbished computers should be considered as an alternative to pricier new machines.

What is a refurbished computer?

A refurbished computer is any computer that has come from a working environment, be it business or personal, and has been reconditioned to like new condition for resale. This can include machines that were leased by businesses, schools, or government organizations and computers that are traded in by home users. Generally speaking the computers that make the best option for refurbishing and reselling are business class machines. Business class computers were designed with corporate users in mind and are developed to be reliable, upgradeable, and easily maintained. Quite simply these computers are built to work every day and every time, year after year. Examples of these computers include but are not limited to the Dell Optiplex line; including the Dell Optiplex GX150, GX240, GX260, GX270 and GX280. Other Dell business variations would include GX50 and GX60 machines and Dell Precision machines. The Dell Optiplex and Precision lines were designed with business in mind and are extraordinarily reliable, easy to maintain and upgradeable. Computers that were originally designed for the home user often do not come close to meeting the quality standards set by their business counterparts and as such should be considered to be a somewhat less desirable option.

Generally there are two distinct types of refurbished computers available, off lease and factory refurbished computers. Factory refurbished equipment has been retuned to the original manufacture, usually by a dissatisfied consumer. This equipment is then reworked by the manufacturer and sold as such; generally these computers come with a reasonable warranty, the original manufacturers guarantee, and a premium price. Off-lease refurbished machines are refurbished by the seller and not the manufacturer. Off-lease machines generally offer the same reliability, conditioning, options and warranties as those refurbished by the manufacturer but can often be found at a significant discount compared to factory refurbished equipment.

Where do refurbished computers come from and if they are so reliable why are they available?

Businesses, Government organizations and schools generally lease their computers and equipment for a period of time ranging from months to a few years. At the end of a lease many organizations opt to return this completely functional and useful equipment to comply with their accounting practices. You may ask why organizations would return completely functional equipment only to spend millions replacing it. The answer is simultaneously simple and complex, but in brief; most companies adapt accounting practices that devalue their computer and office equipment yearly as a tax benefit. Generally, at the end of three years, companies show that their existing equipment has no value and accept that the purchase of new equipment is merely a part of their accounting practices and not a waste of good equipment and money. Refurbished computers almost always come out of a clean, well maintained corporate environment. These computers are generally in a working condition, other than perhaps some minor flaws, or cosmetic damage. Other sources for refurbished computers include customer returns, floor or testing models.

How to tell if you are good candidate for a refurbished computer.

Refurbished computers are an excellent choice for virtually all but the most demanding power users. Many refurbished computers today can offer virtually identical performance as new equipment and at less than half the cost. It is important to ask yourself what kind of user you or your organization is. Those users who only want to work in Microsoft Office applications may have drastically different computing needs than people who want to play 3D games or edit video. Those of you who are into the latest and greatest computer games, video editing or CAD programs may need to invest in a new computer.

If you are purchasing for a business, school or government organization, very few users on your network will be power users. This gives you a great opportunity to save your organization thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars, by supplying computers to your users that specifically meet their needs.

Home users generally do not need the latest and greatest in computer technology. Most home users are looking for solid internet access, the ability to edit photos, download music and play simple games, all of which can be easily handled by most refurbished computers. Home users who consider themselves to be power users can often tweak a refurbished computer to meet their needs and save hundreds of dollars in the process.

Most major manufactures offer potential customers the illusion that newer is better. In most instances this simply isn’t true, refurbished computers can meet the needs of virtually any user and at a fraction of the cost of new.

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