Cheap Laptop: Choices, Pointers & Pitfalls Of Buying Cheap Laptops

Cheap Laptop: Choices, Pointers & Pitfalls Of Buying Cheap Laptops

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"Free Laptops": Why not start an article talking about buying a cheap laptop, with possibility of getting one for free!?By now you have probably seen emails or links claiming to offer a free laptop just for filling up some information, survey etc.
Needless to say there are tons of hidden costs here, not the least of which is your time. While I am yet to meet anyone who got a real laptop after filling up some surveys, it may be worth a try if you have a lot of time, and are ok with dealing with lot of spam in your mailbox. Be aware though many of these would want you to commit on items which will have on-going financial implications. E.g. Fine print of one such sites says: By "completing an offer", we mean that you take delivery of the product or service provided by the sponsors and abide the Terms and Conditions of their offers.
Refurbished Laptops: Note that in the laptop world sometimes the word "refurbished" has different implication than other gadgets. Since speed and capacity of laptop components have improved very dramatically in last 5 years, lot of users and corporations tend to upgrade to new laptops very rapidly. This results in availability of a wide choice of refurbished laptops in the market. Refurbished IBM Thinkpads have the best reputation when it comes to used laptops. IBM Global Services leases thousands of laptops every year, and then sells off-lease laptops, after refurbishing them, through hundreds of resellers. Many users find a three to five years old refurbished laptop to have sufficient power for their usage. While buying refurbished laptops, make sure to find out how long will be the warranty (if any) and what the state of the battery is. A dead battery vs. a brand new battery can make a difference of as much as $150 in the cost of a laptop. Some stores may also sell "floor units" at a very attractive price. These are basically units which have been used for display or demos. Make sure to inspect these units carefully, and check what the warranty implications are, i.e. does it still have full manufacturer's warranty from the day of purchase.
Low end offerings: Some vendors like Dell periodically have very attractive offers and discounts particularly for home users. Some of the advertised prices recently are as low as $399. These typically have three months warranty, instead of the standard one year warranty. In most cases, a new discount laptop will represent better value than refurbished laptops. Advertisements for refurbished laptops typically compare their current selling price with the selling price of the same model in new condition when it was introduced. This is not a fair comparison, because price for a laptop with same power drops very aggressively over time.
Tier two manufacturers: Desktop computers have long been commoditized. Custom desktops built by small manufacturers is a huge proportion of overall desktops sold. Many of these manufacturers focus on low-cost systems. This phenomenon is fast catching up in laptops market as well. Laptop platforms are becoming a commodity and many laptop manufacturers openly advertise themselves as "tier two" brand. The overall idea is that these vendors save on marketing costs of the bigger vendors and pass on the savings to you. Of course, you need to evaluate the true cost of the ownership, which includes initial purchase cost and cost of maintenance.
eBay:The largest marketplace on the Internet is of course great place to look for a cheap laptop. At any point of time, eBay has more than 20,000 laptops on sale. Standard cautions apply while buying over eBay. eBay has listings for all kinds of laptops mentioned above. While buying used laptops on eBay, pay special attention to quality of battery and cracks on screen. "No warranty on battery" typically implies that the battery is dead. "Battery holds charge" typically implies that the laptop will run for about five minutes on battery. Also, make sure that you will have proper rights to all software that you get along with the laptop. If you see a very cheap laptop on eBay, more than likely there is a catch to it - read the listing very very carefully!
If Craigslist is active in your area, it is a good alternative to consider before buying over eBay. You may pay a little premium on Craigslist, but you will be able to physically see the notebook before handing over the cash. This will enable you to ensure that display quality and keyboard quality is to your liking.

http://www.electrocomputerwarehouse.com/

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Electro Computer Warehouse - North America's Largest Reseller of Cheap Computers, Used Computers Refurbished Computers and Laptops



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