New Vs. Used Laptops: 5 Things You Need to Know

In the current age owning a computer has become a necessity. They allow us to communicate with faraway relatives, do work, indulge in hobbies, help us study, and fulfill plenty of other functions due to their versatile nature. Among personal computers laptops have a special spot due to their extra portability. They are perfect for people who work remotely, students, and anybody who doesn’t require the often superior specifications of a desktop computer. However, no matter which type of computer we are eyeing one concern springs to mind, price. After all, these are expensive devices and price goes up exponentially as specifications increase. Due to this, used laptops provide an ample source of affordable hardware for those who require a laptop. These come with their quirks so let’s dive into a comparison between new and used laptops.

1. Difference in Security of Purchase

This is probably the biggest concern people have when deciding between new and used laptops. The reassurance of a newly manufactured laptop usually pushes people away from used ones. However, used laptop’s value for money can be secured to an extent through a couple of methods.

We all want to make sure our considerable investments are going to be fruitful. Moreover, we prefer knowing that the transaction we are entering has us protected. In this category sites like eBay and Amazon excel. Protection policies utilized by eBay side with the buyer in cases where the product is in a worse condition or completely dysfunctional. It’ll allow you to return the item, refunding the money you spent without extra expenses for shipping it back. Amazon also offers additional security to your purchases, offering a wider selection of used devices as well.

There are other sites you are using to make a purchase, such as Craiglist or similar advertising sites. In this case, the best way to properly secure yourself is to pick the item up yourself and test it before making a purchase. Failing that, make sure to use PayPal for payments as their buyer protection policies are very formidable. Using a bank transfer for these transactions isn’t recommended, it can be very hard to get the payment back after the transfer has been made even if the seller is willing to refund you the money.

The security of the buyer is a frequent concern of sellers which is why a multitude of storefronts for used goods will offer good policies for refunds, such as the ones eBay has. After all, the quality of purchase reflects on the storefront.

2. Difference in RAM

New laptops will usually be recent models with updated hardware and software standards as well as some quality of life changes. The RAM on newer laptops is usually around 8GB, rarely going below. The size of RAM also determines how many simultaneous applications can run on our computer although the type of RAM also impacts this. The type of RAM used varies between DDR3 and DDR4, DDR4 using one will be the better laptop most of the time. Newer models like this can be expected to run multiple applications without any strain on the infrastructure, usually running multiple active windows without any slowdown.

For used computers the RAM will depend on their age, as do most other specifications, usually showing significant disparity if they are older than three or four years. This is due to the speed at which computer technology develops. By Moore’s law, it is stated that the effectiveness of computers doubles every two years.  This increase in effectiveness has slowed down in recent years but still holds true for the aforementioned age difference.

3. Difference in Processors

The processors are a bit of a different story. Usually, the lower-cost computers that are intended for word processing will have Pentium or Celeron series processors while higher up we see more versatility with both Intel and AMD processors being readily present. The two manufacturers both have their advantages and disadvantages but it’s safe to say that more choice is often good.

The used laptops usually don’t have too many differences in terms of models when compared to new ones but rather their series. The higher the series the better the processor, these signify constant updates and improvements done on existing models over the years. However, the inherent benefits of the model are retained by older series as well. There were some decent changes in architecture for Pentium and Celeron models during the 2010s but if you are sticking to the three to four years rule you’ll be equipped with them.

4. Difference in Storage

Storage is something we usually don’t worry much about as 500GB of hard disk space seems impossible to fill up, especially to those who use laptops for low-intensity tasks. The difference nowadays doesn’t come exclusively in size of storage but its type too. There are three types of storage HDD, SATA, and SSD. The HDD and SATA storage types usually come in huge amounts but are considerably slower than SSD which we usually see in 256GB capacity. For new laptops the SSD is all but guaranteed, spiking the price somewhat and sometimes costing us the additional space but providing an ample boost to any software that’s stored on it.

As for used laptops, the further back we go the lesser the chances of SSD being incorporated. Despite this storage type being around for a while now, it was less present a few years back. Overall, you’ll most likely suffer storage and storage speed loss with used laptops.

5. Difference in Durability

The thing with laptops is that they get outdated after a certain number of years, usually requiring a new unit for the sake of keeping up with the times. The benefits of a new laptop usually come from it being a recent model and thus taking more time to become outdated compared to used ones.

However, if you don’t need to keep up with the technology the used laptop does provide an equally durable choice of purchase. Unless there were already present malfunctions, in which case you should discuss the price with the seller or a refund if the malfunction isn’t disclosed in the advert. Laptops have a decently long lifespan and their most frequent issues can be resolved with cheap replacement, making them very cost-effective. The used laptops are also very environmentally friendly so you’ll be doing a favor to both your wallet and nature when purchasing one, assuming it has your necessities fulfilled. Find more here at laptopsmate.com for better purchasing experience.

Closing Thoughts

The new laptops will always have a head start when compared to used ones. Even with reassurances from the seller and the ability to refund we will still be worried about our purchase of a used laptop. However, the utility of a used laptop shouldn’t be discredited. They provide ample satisfaction to any low-intensity needs for an extremely cheap price while even high-intensity task-capable laptops will have an affordable price tag. Keep in mind that these items can always be replaced later down the line, so if you are currently in a hurry for a device fetching used one until more funds flow in is a valid option.