Laptops are no longer a luxury; They have become a necessity for many people who need them for work, school, or personal use. While laptops are widely available and come in a variety of price ranges, brand-new laptops can be quite expensive. This is where used laptops come in; they are a great alternative to buying a brand-new laptop and can save you a lot of money.
The biggest dilemma when it comes to buying a laptop is whether to buy a brand-new one or go for a used model. After all, used laptops may have some wear and tear and may not have the latest features. However, used laptops come with a number of advantages that make them a great option, especially for budget-minded shoppers.
Used laptops are those laptops that have been used by someone for some certain period of time and for various reasons and factors it is available for sale at a low cost because it is already used. So, the price remains less.
Nowadays most used laptops are available in very good condition. They are as good as a brand-new laptop.
One common misconception about used laptops is that they are less reliable than brand-new ones. This is simply not true; used laptops can be just as reliable as brand-new ones. In fact, used laptops may even be more reliable since they have already gone through the “break-in” period.
This is when most laptops experience their first issues and are more likely to break down. Once a used laptop has made it past this initial period, it is likely to be more reliable than a brand-new one.
Furthermore, since used laptops are thoroughly tested before being sold, you can be sure that any used laptop you buy will be in good working condition. Any bugs or issues will have been ironed out before you even get the laptop.
For example, a used laptop from 2015 may have a faster processor, more storage space, and a better graphics card than a brand-new “affordable-priced” laptop. Of course, this will depend on the make and model of the laptop, but it is something to keep in mind when shopping for a used laptop.
In addition, used laptops often come with more RAM than new ones. More RAM means that your laptop will be able to handle more tasks at once and will run more smoothly.
Another advantage of buying a used laptop is that they do not require as much tech support as brand-new laptops. This is because used laptops have already gone through the initial break-in period where most issues occur.
As such, you are less likely to need tech support for a used laptop than for a brand-new one. Of course, this is not to say that you will never need tech support for a used laptop, but it is something to keep in mind.
For example, a brand-new laptop may have software issues that require tech support to fix. On the other hand, a used laptop will likely have any such issues fixed by the previous owner before being sold.
When you buy a used laptop, you have more flexibility in terms of price and specs. This is because there is a wide range of used laptops available on the market, from entry-level models to high-end ones.
This means that you can find a used laptop to fit your budget and needs. Whether you need a powerful laptop for gaming or a more basic one for browsing the web, you will be able to find a used laptop that meets your requirements.
In the case of new laptops, the prices increase as the specs do. This is also the case with used laptops, although to a lesser extent. As such, you can get a used laptop with high-end specs without having to pay the high price tag that comes with it.
The most obvious advantage of buying a used laptop is that it is more affordable than buying a brand-new one. You can save thousands of Naira by opting for a used model. While the price will depend on the make and model of the laptop, as well as its condition, you can expect to pay significantly less for a used laptop than for a brand-new one.
The cost of a brand-new laptop can range anywhere between ₦400,000 to over ₦1,000,000, while high specs. used laptops start at around ₦100,000. Of course, you can find used laptops that cost more than ₦100,000, but they will likely be high-end models that are only a few years old.
Thus, if you’re looking for a laptop that is comparable to a new one but don’t want to spend as much money, opt for a used model.
Before we go any further, let’s talk about used and refurbished laptops. “Used” means a laptop has been used by another person or organization, who bought the laptop and then either returned it or sold it.
“Refurbished” means that a previously used laptop has been repaired or otherwise rejuvenated, and is being sold by a retailer again.
Simple, right? Unfortunately, it isn’t. You see, the term “refurbished” used to mean that a computer had gone back to the original manufacturer, which had then done any necessary repairs and certified it as functional or like-new. This generally meant that a refurbished laptop was more or less indistinguishable from a new laptop, possibly with more basic packaging and 90 days warranty instead of a year.
Now that’s not always the case. With a preponderance of resellers, the term “seller refurbished” has become common. “Seller refurbished” means that it’s a used unit that’s been verified to work by the party selling it—that might mean that it’s been repaired, or just that it’s been booted up and verified as working.
Buying a used laptop can be a great idea. You get a fully functional laptop at a fraction of the actual cost. But getting a used laptop has its risks, and as with buying a used car, there are various checks and precautions you should take.
Here’s everything you need to check before buying a used laptop.
If you get to inspect the laptop in person, then a thorough body check is essential. You need to make sure the laptop frame is free from cracks and signs of impact. Also, check for missing screws, loose hinges, and any other irregularities.
Even if the laptop works well, if it looks like it’s been through the wars and dropped one too many times (or at all), then you don’t know what kind of internal damage there might be, which may shorten the lifespan of that laptop.
Random-access memory, or RAM, is your computer's short-term memory. It stores the information of current processes and uses the information to make your computer run smoothly.
A RAM malfunction occurs when a process writes data to RAM, but RAM returns different data when retrieving the same information.
If you buy a computer with faulty RAM, you will likely encounter crashes, distorted graphics, sluggish performance, and an endless stream of errors. Hence, it is imperative to test RAM before buying a used laptop.
While various third-party tools are available to test RAM, we recommend using the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool. Before the test run, save any unsaved progress as the tool asks to restart your computer.
☞ Here is how you can test the RAM with this tool
A faulty hard drive can cause various issues, including the inability to read from or write to the drive, frequent computer crashes, file loading that takes forever, and other issues. Hence, you should also check the hard drive or solid state drive before buying a used laptop.
SSDs and HDDs last long and seldom fail, but it is essential to ensure their health is good, their temperature is within an acceptable range, and they do not have bad sectors or bad blocks.
You can check the health of hard drives using any third-party software, but we recommend CrystalDiskInfo. It's a free tool that shows you pretty much all the information you need to know about any hard drive you have installed.
Nobody wants a laptop that cannot connect to Wi-Fi, so make sure you can view and connect to Wi-Fi networks without hassle. Also check to see how Bluetooth performs.
Most laptop webcams are mediocre. Still, it’s better to have a mediocre working webcam than no webcam at all.
I suspect not many people use their laptop speakers much, but it’s still a good idea to see how loud it can get and see if sounds get muffled or distorted easily.
The next important step is to make sure the screen is in good working condition. Check for flickering, discolouration, brightness and bad pixels.
Open a video and see if the viewing angles are wide enough. Compare with other laptops before making a purchase.
The trackpad and keyboard are the most used parts of computers, so it’s important to make sure both parts are working in a satisfactory manner.
Check for broken keys, pay attention to key travel and see if you feel comfortable typing with the keyboard. If you’re making too many mistakes, it may be best to try out other laptops.
Check what gestures are supported by the trackpad and try them out (such as pinch-to-zoom, two-finger scroll, three-finger swipe, etc.). If mouse keys are present, make sure they’re easy to press.
If you intend to use your computer for resource-hogging work or play graphics-intensive games, make sure the CPU and GPU are sufficiently robust to withstand the stress you're planning to put on them. Stress-testing both components is the best way to find out.
A stress test pushes the computer hardware (CPUs, GPUs) to their maximum performance and monitors how well they handle this extreme load. If the PC stays stable during the stress test, you made a good choice since it won't crash or malfunction under heavy loads.
If the CPU or GPU fails during a stress test, they don't have enough endurance to handle heavy loads, and you'll likely have serious performance issues.
When the computer shuts down during a stress test, it's because it's overheating at a critical temperature rather than being overburdened. If this happens, you can then decide whether you need an extra case fan, cooling kit, or anything else to keep the component's temperature at safe levels.
The charging capacity of laptop batteries continues to decline over time. If the battery in the laptop you're about to buy has suffered substantial abuse, you may not get as much charge time and may even need a replacement.
Therefore, run a battery health check beforehand to avoid bearing this extra cost after the purchase.
Follow these steps to generate a battery report:
The above process will generate a battery report and save it to a specific folder, which in most cases would be C:\Windows\System32\battery-report.
Analyse the battery usage and life estimates by thoroughly inspecting the battery report.
You should ensure that the estimated battery life the battery gives after full charge is adequate, and if you have to replace it with a new one, factor in that cost when purchasing a used laptop.
Now that you know the advantages of buying a used laptop, it’s time to start shopping for one! At Shopinverse, we have a wide range of used laptops available for purchase, making us Nigeria’s leading used laptop store.
We only sell used laptops that are in good condition and have been thoroughly tested by our team of experts. We also offer a warranty on all of our used laptops, so you can be sure that you are making a sound investment.
Don’t wait any longer; head to our store and shop for your used laptop today!
Feel free to drop your questions below, am always available to assist 🤓