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It is time for a new computer. Do you buy new or used one listed online locally?



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It is time for a new computer. Do you buy new or used one listed online locally?

I am wondering what the majority of members do when it is time to buy a new computer. Do you buy a new factory machine or do you shop for a used one i.e. listed online on Amazon, eBay or craigslist etc?

To date I have bought three used computers off of a local craigslist seller with good success. This seller buys pallets of computers from high-rise office buildings who are doing a full refresh so; he always has a lot to choose from. I have saved a lot of money buying high end machines for cheap! Currently, I have computers in use for over three years without problems.

I saw a couple of machines on amazon that have a nice set up and price but never bought a used PC from an online shopping portal.

Have you ever bought a used computer online, if so which website? What was your overall experience? How long did the computer last before having to get another?

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webseo123kh
I buy a new one as can't rely on the used computer in terms of performance.



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EliteWriter
I never bought a used computer actually. I always opt for one that is not too costly, but it has always been a new one. However if you manage to find a good bargain I would say go for it. It seems that you have a knack at buying this way, so you might as well keep at it as after all it is always great to save some money and use them for other stuff.



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Everett
I bought a used computer, a desktop. The desktop was sold in 2002, and I bought it in 2015 for $75. Well someone owed me money, and I told them I'll waive the remaining balance if I could buy their old 2002 IBM for $75. It was a nice investment. The computer came with like 256mb of ram, and I've upgraded it to 2GB of ram.

I would upgrade my desktop more, but that'll mean I'll have to replace the motherboard, as I believe it only has a capacty of 2GB otherwise it will not start. If you find a good bargain, by all means invest into it! It is time for a new computer.  Do you buy new or used one listed online locally?



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CryptoGuru
i can definitely agree with you elite writer you have to make sure you give your self the best deal , or should i say the best for your buck, you do not always have to have the greatest machine, you have to feel around for one you know has enough qualities to do the job your asking you do not want to sell your self short, you have to go with what you feel comfortable the most with sometimes you get those pesty sellers that will try to get you to buy something that you might skeptic about, best bet go with what you feel is best



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anwebservices
I guess it depends on your budget. I would always prefer to buy brand new computer because you get latest OS and software and hardware as well. There is also a lot of options to choose from large range of prices depend on hardware equipped within computer. But if for some reason you have to get new computer in emergency situations and you budget is not big enough to buy brand new computer, then i would also consider buying second hand to get me trough for some time until i save enough money for new one. So i believe it's all up to the budget



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Webguy2024
Hi anwebservices!
It is not so much about the money but sometimes I don't want the latest and greatest operating system because it can cause a lot of conflicts with what I have running. Generally, for Microsoft now, I wait until they have al least the 3rd major update. I ran a global business not too long ago and had the latest and greatest of everything from Microsoft. All that I can say is that total cost of ownership, TCO cost a ton on money to run their software/os. It seemed that it was always something that was messed up because of the constant updates and conflicts costing 3500$ + USD per month in IT costs. Actually, our productivity went down even thought they had a lot of bold claims for an increase in productivity, imagine that!. All the errors we had to fix for the new server OS cost a fortune on a continual and ongoing monthly basis. Can't say that I'll go down that road again but at least I am wiser to the issues of buying new as opposed to a used system, especially a new rack server with the latest OS.



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CryptoGuru
i agree budget does play a role for many , not too many people are willing to make top dollar investments on there pc, i have a buddy of mine who never buys the brand new stuff he works his patience as he says the price will always go down in a couple of months and it is true he has a point he always manages to make sure he works with his pocket instead of against , he takes the the time for the price to drop and he always ends up with good quality stuff for cheaper, you have to have consideration for your pockets



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Everett
I like upgraded older computers to meet the standards of today. It's just a little hobby of mine, and it's great for learning how to build a computer. I am sort of a nerd on the inside.

I have an issue with newer computer models these days, this is due to the interface of operating systems such as Windows 10. I do not like the Windows 10 design, or how the start menu is designed. It is confusing to me, so I tend to always downgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium. It totally defeats the purpose of "lastest OS", but at least I can get the latest hardware!



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CryptoGuru
upgraded old computers huh? you know i respect it you have to have real patience in order to put the time in to upgrading an old model, i truthfully would love to learn more about it , i feel you should maybe take the time to start a discussion about it , some thing informal you know i think it would be useful to know how to get a start on doing some thing like that you know, i really do think you are on too something and i feel like is could be a great money saver to be honest



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anwebservices
Well upgrading desktop computers is not hard at all. Hard part of it could be only choosing right parts to buy i guess, specially when it's about RAM memory, but installing it is fun. Once you open your PC it's all easy to do, take the slots out and insert new one... I actually never upgraded anything on laptop. I opened it couple times for clean up and it's packed so tight, so it would really be lot harder to upgrade then desktop.

However, it's good option to save money that way and extend life and capabilities of your computer that way too.



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Everett
It really depends if you can save money or not.. It all depends on the processor, ram, and many other components. So you can get an idea of how it can be quite tricky. Some newer hardware won't be compatible with the older hardware, so you are always trying to find things that fit together. It can either be a success, or a fail. It depends on what computer you have, really. Some older models deserve to be in a junk yard, whilst others do not. For instance, my roommate has an old Dell desktop, the ram ports only contain like 1.. 1 stick of ram, that is not worth it.. the motherboard would be too costly, and you'll have to upgrade everything else. :/



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CryptoGuru
budget is always going to play a part you can not buy what you can not afford am i right lol you have to make sure if any thing you do your self a favor even after you set a budget, go and find your self some savings man save save save you got to make that the key word, get the best for your buck you know how disappointing it is too see some thing better for cheaper after you bought your stuff already , let me tell you i have done it and it sucks makes me think like why didnt i wait lol



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Everett
That has happened to me quite a few times. I would save, save, and then save some more. Then I would get enough money from saving to buy what I initially saved for and after a couple of weeks, or even one month the product was on sale for cheaper.

It's like someone, or something knows you're saving up, and right after you get enough then pay for the product, the product will be on sale. It's like those memes: "I see what you did there".

It is time for a new computer.  Do you buy new or used one listed online locally?

It annoys the heck out of me. It happens every single time. WHY!



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Webguy2024
Hey, I've bought computers with dual quad cores and 128 gigabytes of ram, multi 2 SSD drives for less than 180$. A pretty good deal. Plus, I got a full OS with all the latest office toys and I also got the Disk! Make sure you GET THE DISK or most likely it will be a bootleg copy and you could have problems in the future getting updates or a real nice warning message that this is not a valid copy every time you boot up. This is not all that bad but can be a pain in the future with the warning messages, it can be a time suck stopping some errors (MS genuine copy message) that shows up. It could still be a huge bargain for people who use their computer like a truck hauling products instead of everyday use. After all it is a machine, right?



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CryptoGuru
i spent 325 on a refurbished dell Optiplex, the computer it self runs on Windows, has as Small Form Factor runs on a 2.5 GHz with 8 GB RAM Intel CPU & Dual-coreIntel Core 2 Duo 2.50 GHz incldues a Small Form Factor DVD drive, it is a Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 19, i mean it is not much but you know for me it got the job done and i feel i payed rather low prices for it, i was going to get a mac but i did not have mac kind of money at the time so i had to settle,



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hitmeasap
Hey Webguy2024,
I buy my computers in parts. The latest one I got is from mid January. Here's the details:
  • Fractal Design Integra M 750W
  • HyperX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 2133MHz Fury Black
  • Intel Core i7 6700K 4.0 GHz 8MB
  • MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Gaming
  • Samsung 850-Series EVO 250GB
  • MSI Z170A GAMING PRO
  • Deepcool Gamer Storm Maelstrom 240T


Oh, I bought this too: BenQ 24" XL2411Z

I paid more than 16,000 SEK for it, which is about: $1780

So yeah, I always go for a brand new computer, but I usually buy the whole shebang in parts and I've never bought a used computer. Not online or offline.


Best Regards,
hitmeasap



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CryptoGuru
1780? whoa man that is some serious paper but i respect it not too many well let me re phrase i dont know too many people who buys there computers in parts that must mean you build them, well put them together your self then too, have you ever thought of making some kind of business out of that , i would be interest in hearing more on building and buying parts separate if you have time i think you should really take the time out too write about it, create a discussion i would love to hear what you have to say



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hitmeasap
Yeah, $1780 (Edit: actually $1895,49 with today's currency). But the monitor is included in that. Here's the monitor:
It is time for a new computer.  Do you buy new or used one listed online locally?


You can read more about the monitor here:
http://gaming.benq.com/gaming-monitor/xl2411z

I buy the parts and I put the parts together. Simple as that. It is time for a new computer.  Do you buy new or used one listed online locally?

I've never had any problems doing this but I've never had any business thoughts for it either.. Thanks for the suggestion to make a discussion about it.. Perhaps I'll do just that. Just need to figure out what I should write It is time for a new computer.  Do you buy new or used one listed online locally?

And you can always ask whatever you feel like. I'll answer your questions in the best possible way I can It is time for a new computer.  Do you buy new or used one listed online locally?



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Everett
Wow, almost two thousand dollars for a computer. I would probably never spend that much. If you have luck like mine, you'll probably spill a coffee in it or drop it, and break everything inside.

My maximum budget for a computer is only $750. I can not see me paying more than that due to my bad luck, or clumsiness. If I ever bought a computer for over two grand, than I hope I am rich when I purchase it.



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Webguy2024
I never built a computer. Once or twice I looked into building my own machine but the prices for the parts cost almost as much as buying new. Maybe I wasn't shopping around enough for the best deals but I decided to buy because it seemed like it was not worth the time and effort I would have to put into shopping, ordering, building and then not having a warranty in the end.



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TommyCarey
Hey Webguy2024,

I've bought one computer online, and that was enough for me. I bought an HP laptop for around $1000 on overstock.com and I regret it all the time. The computer was pretty sweet, it had a few USB ports as well as an HDMI port. The screen size was like 17" or around there. It had a good graphics card, it had 4 or 6gbs or ram that I never had to mess with. Over all, I really liked it because it could do almost anything I needed to do in the SEO and Online Marketing world. The only thing I didn't do with it was run software because some of them needed a dedicated server in order to run at their full potential It is time for a new computer.  Do you buy new or used one listed online locally?

Now, my review. I liked the computer, but I hated the service at overstock.com. They were really friendly prior to purchasing, but if I had a question after my payment went through I could never get a hold of anyone. I would have to email them from a different email and ask something random, not the question I had originally wanted to ask. When they would respond, I would drop my real questions on them so I could hopefully get a response.

When I purchased the laptop I also paid an extra $120 for some gold level protection plan. Basically if the laptop died I'd get to pick a new one at no extra charge. Well my laptop died and they said they could not honor my $120 payment for the insurance/protection plan because my laptop didn't fit the specifications blah blah blah. If it didn't fit the specifications, why was I recommended the plan in the first place?

So now I have a dead laptop that and they aren't helping me out. I paid in advance for the protection plan in case anything happened and now they're ignoring me. They wouldn't even refund me the $120 for the plan that didn't cover my laptop....

I finally went to a local shop and they fixed my laptop for around $90. I don't remember what was wrong with it though, I think it was a power problem. My laptop wouldn't hold a charge and also the power port was messed up or something.

In conclusion, never use overstock.com



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CryptoGuru
personally i am a little skeptic of online shopping myself, i do not like to buy online endless what i am buying has a warranty or some kind of insurance usually you have to buy new products for that kind of treatment used stuff like the things you would see on Ebay and some other sites do not really come with guarantees, and i have been through similar situations were the things i have bought have been damaged or defective and that can be such a pain anticipating some things arrival then having to go through the process of sending it back



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TommyCarey
Yeah, buying "overstocked" items or from websites that are liquidating, is a bad idea and I wish I knew this when I first purchase a while back lol.

I was more annoyed with my situation because I purposely bought the protection plan because I was going to be using this computer every day and I wanted to have some type of back up. If the computer died, I wanted to be able to get a new one or get it fixed right away, and that's what the "protection plan" was suppose to do. But when I contacted overstock.com they said I cannot get anything fixed because it wasn't covered and they would not replace my laptop because they did not have the exact model anymore. I was furious.



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EliteWriter
Whenever I bought electronics or gadgets online I always ended up with some sort of problem. For instance I bought a cctv camera a couple of months ago and when I opened it I found that the power supply cord was not even in the box. I had to ask the seller to send on, and when he did (and I paid extra), it was way to short, and considering it had to be hung outdoors it was useless. This is just one case which makes me refrain from ordering anything electronic from an online seller.



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Everett
That is one issue you have to look out for. Another issue is shipping and handling. They make you pay premium prices for shipping and handling only to find that your items have been damaged during shipping. It's a real pain.

The last laptop I bought online, for $220, it came with a broken screen. I'm unaware if the seller sold it like that, or if the postal guy dropped it on the front porch and then just left... very devastating.



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EliteWriter
Oh my what a pity! Yes indeed, shipping and handling need to be in the picture when you buy something that could get damaged if it is not handled with utmost care.



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Everett
Even when I had purchased shipping and handling, the product arrived broken! The screen was so cracked, it was almost as if the delivery guy just literally dropped it on the front porch and left.

The laptop would come on, however you couldn't really see anything due to the screen being so cracked. The crack was on the right side of the screen, and it went all the down to the bottom, and there was a long line that nothing showed up.

I was pretty angry when I opened the boxed, and to make matters even worse I couldn't return it. :|



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ajlancer
Hi jkeyz2 I agree with you. If you thinking concern of warranty of product, online never preferable. But, time has change and now lot of online seller providing such warranty of their product via online from local office. I think it may problem, if you purchased from international marketplace. But, if you purchase from your local online market, I think you will get such warranty easily. Because, I did so. I do not prefer international marketplace, when main issue is warranty. But, you can purchased used products with low price from online, where warranty is not issue.

Regards by Ajalncer



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Everett
Yes, that is very true. One of the main benefits of purchasing online is price, and the option for free shipping and handling. However, the shipping and handling may be a bit more, or a lot more depending on what country the item is located in.

If you can find the same exact product within your country, then you can waive this large shipping and handling fee. Warranties are a little different, and they change from store to store. I believe the best warranty for electronics is the electronic store called "Best Buy". I love Best Buy, and I have only invoked their warranty twice after years of being a customer.



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ajlancer
Hi Webguy2024 thanks for your question and nice to hear, you have purchased 3 used computer with cheap price. I have 11 computers in my office and among all of them I just purchase 2 computer completely new. And one is my first computer which I have purchased brand new from Toshiba.

Another I purchased new tablet PC recently. It is also superb for working anywhere.


Remains all used computer but looking new and I purchased also very cheap rate from local online marketplace. Now I prefer used computer more than new. Because, I can purchase used computer half of amount which as new need to invest double price and product temperament also same as new an old.

Regards by Ajlancer



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Webguy2024
So, your not the only one who has a lot of computers. My last purchase with Dell business was $56,000 and change just for all the desktop tower PC's. Another purchase I had to make was for for two rack servers and a managed switch. This was another $41,000 that went out the door. Running a business has a lot of costs that eat into your profits. After being forced to make big purchases like this I find myself getting cheaper every day. It is time for a new computer.  Do you buy new or used one listed online locally? Now I am always trying to find a work around for any large purchases we have to make. The ultimate goal is to save money while not sacrificing quality and productivity.



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Lynne
I've only ever bought new laptops and pcs before. I want to replace my pc as it is old and running really slow now that I have some software running on it. I am considering buying a used pc. The problem I have is that I am not very clued up at all when it comes to the specs and I wouldn't know what I need. I have a friend that works in computers and I think the best is for me to tell him to find me something that will suit my needs. That way I know I won't come short.



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CryptoGuru
you know the smart thing is going with your friends advice , especially if you are un sure and he is more of an expert then you are from what it looks like you might want to take the time to make sure that you let him know every little thing that you are looking and what you need for your work feel free to be specific so that he can really help you look into a couple different options you dont want to feel pressured in to buying one machine cause that was the only option make sure you have a few to choose from



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Lynne
Yes for sure. We go way back. I would then just need to tell him what I need to do with it and he can find me one or build me one. It is what he does!



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Everett
It's always best to confide in a friend that knows their technology, I agree. I started out by trial and error, and it was mostly error. When I "built" my first computer it was from computers that my parents friends didn't want, and they gave them to me. I took apart everything, and switched a lot of components around. I can not even remember how many different parts this one desktop was using, but it probably was like 10 different parts from 10 different computers. It was very fun, and it helped me to gain a lot of knowledge with building a computer.



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Lynne
That is great for you, me on the other hand I have no interest in building a computer or learning about all the parts so I will have to rely on other people to guide me It is time for a new computer.  Do you buy new or used one listed online locally?



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CryptoGuru
i would go with used or better yet i would go one up and look for a refurbished computer you do not have to go to crazy in finding one you just have to make sure the specs are up to your what your looking for in your search for computers , if it does not do the job you want why buy it right. but i feel you could fine some thing that us used that meets your criteria for what you need, i say that with price in mind you can always find good quality used stuff it is up to you



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Corzhens
When it comes to electronic items, it is our policy to buy only the brand new. It is just like a car that may have some hidden problems and you will only discover when the problem surfaces. With a brand new computer you have the peace of mind that it is new and therefore a technical problem is remote to occur. Our home desktop is 8 years now and it is still doing good because we bought it brand new.



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