A refurbished computer is one that was returned, came off a lease, or was replaced by a business, then tested, cleaned and resold. The best ones are a year or two old, cost half of new, and carry a warranty. The worst ones are old, worn and sold as-is by someone who did no more than wipe the drive. The word covers both, so the seller matters more than the word.
Where the good ones come from
- The manufacturer's own outlet. Apple, Dell, Lenovo and HP all sell refurbished machines directly, tested by them, with a warranty from them. These are the safest purchase and the prices are fair rather than spectacular.
- Business lease returns sold by large refurbishers. Three-year-old business laptops are well built, were maintained by an IT department, and are sold in quantity with a warranty. A three-year-old business laptop often outlasts a new consumer one.
- Amazon Renewed and similar programs set standards for sellers and back them with a return window. Read the individual seller's ratings; the program is a floor, not a guarantee.
Where the bad ones come from
- Marketplace listings with no warranty, a stock photo and a description that says only "refurbished".
- Anything described as "for parts" or "as is", however it is worded.
- Sellers who will not say the year or the exact model. They know why.
What to check before buying
- The exact model and year. Search it. A computer older than four or five years is near the end of its supported life and is not a bargain at any price.
- Windows 11 or a current macOS. If the machine cannot run a version that still gets security updates, it is not a computer, it is a project. Our guide to old PCs after Windows 10 support explains why.
- 16 GB of memory and an SSD. The same rules as buying new; our guide to choosing a laptop covers them. Many refurbished business laptops can have memory added, which makes an older one worth more.
- The battery. A used laptop's battery has been used. The good refurbishers state the battery health or replace batteries below a threshold. The rest do not mention it. Budget for a new battery unless the seller promises otherwise.
- The grade. Sellers grade cosmetics as A, B or C. Grade B, with visible marks that do not affect use, is where the value is.
- The warranty. Ninety days is the minimum worth accepting. A year is what the manufacturer outlets give.
What to do when it arrives
Check that the model, memory and storage are what was advertised. Run the battery report described in our battery guide. Look at the screen for dead pixels and the keyboard for keys that stick. Then reinstall the operating system from scratch, because you do not know what the seller left on it; a refurbisher should have done this, but a clean install takes an hour and removes the doubt. Then set it up as you would a new computer.
When refurbished is the right choice
- A second computer, a computer for a child or a student, or an office computer for someone who uses a browser and email.
- A business buying several identical machines, where three-year-old business models are a fraction of the cost of new.
- Anyone who wants a better class of machine than their budget buys new. A refurbished business laptop at the price of a cheap new one is a far better computer.
When to buy new
- When the computer has to last as long as possible. A new machine has its whole supported life ahead of it.
- When you want the newest features, the longest battery or the lightest weight, none of which are on the refurbished shelf yet.
- When the refurbished price is within a fifth of the new price. At that point the warranty and the fresh battery are worth the difference.
A second opinion
If you send us a listing, we will tell you whether it is a sound buy for what you need, and what to check when it arrives. We do not sell computers, and the advice is only about the machine.