Buying a second-hand laptop. What to watch out for?

Pasch · 12-13-2006, 04:04 PM

Hi there,

I'm thinking of buying a second-hand laptop. I'm a student, so I don't have a lot to spend. I would like to keep the price around 200 euro at most. I want to buy the laptop online (on an e-bay-ish site), and I've seen some reasonable laptops for that price. I would prefer something along the lines of a 1Ghz computer with 192MB of RAM and around 15 to 20GB HD. The main reason I'm getting it is because I will be starting my computer science study at a university next year, and I want to be able to work there without having to use school computers. The main tasks I would like to perform on the laptop are programming (Java and C++) and running basic office applications. I might occasionally want to use Photoshop CS2, but not too often. I don't need to be able to game on it or anything like that, so it doesn't need to be a monster computer. I'm thinking of running either Windows XP or Linux Mandriva on it. 192 MB RAM might be a little short for XP, but that should work fine if I turn off most of the heavy graphical features, so that's no problem. I would like to be able to use the laptop for at least 2 or 3 years to come, though obviously the longer the lifetime, the better. My main concerns are the state the laptop is in, battery time etc. I would like some advice on what to watch out for when it comes to that, what common pitfalls to be aware of etc. I'd mainly like to know what kind of components to check extra for damage, about how long a typical battery should last and things like that. I'd appreciate any advice on this a lot, as I don't want to waste my money on something that turns out to be useless.

*Bofinn* · 12-13-2006, 04:21 PM

What are the memory requirements for Photoshop CS2? 256K memory works for XP, just very slow long boot up.

Most batteries will last 1 - 3 hours. Most batteries can last 2 to 5 years depending on how the laptop was used. At work we have them docked, the people who never use their battery causes them to die early. You won't be able to test this when buying on e-bay.

Maybe a used laptop shop would be better than ebay - I'm not not sure?

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Pasch · 12-13-2006, 04:36 PM

I agree that I can't test how long the battery will last on e-bay, but some people, when posting their ads specify something like "the battery works for 1,5 hour", and so if it works a lot less, I could take back the laptop and say they gave me false promises. I'm actually going to try to find a laptop on a site similar to e-bay called "marktplaats" (dutch for marketplace), which is a dutch site, so I'll easily be able to take the laptop back if they don't give me what they promised. It's a similar site to e-bay, which is why I used that name in my original post. I'm not sure about the memory CS2 needs. I don't mind the long loading times too much, I just want to be able to work in it well enough once it's done loading, though my biggest priority is being able to program on it (preferably without compiling taking excessively long). I'm seeing a lot of ads where people say the battery works for about 1 hour. That seems a little short to me. Is that typical for laptops that age or should I keep my eyes open for something better? Battery duration is kind of my main concern here.

Also, I'll keep an eye open for used laptops. Thank you for that suggestion. I might be able to find some in some local computer stores, or maybe I can even find some used laptops through people I know who work with them. (who knows)

*Bofinn* · 12-13-2006, 04:52 PM

yes - 1 hour is typical for a used laptop.

Pasch · 12-13-2006, 04:56 PM

Thank you for the quick reply.

Is there anything else in specific that I should watch out for?

yamawho · 12-13-2006, 05:08 PM

Check the prices on new ones.
They are sometimes just abit more than used ones.
I have a dell 1.4ghz with 256mg of ram and it takes about 5 mins for it to boot

The battery lasts about an hour and it's 3 years old..
This is my wife's old one from her work ... they kinda forgot about so I get to use it

ronbo 613 · 12-13-2006, 06:14 PM

Once you decide on a laptop, check the internet for any issues. I got a used Thinkpad T30, really nice P4 2.0M, Win XP Pro. It had 256MB RAM, which is not enough for anything, really, so I wanted to add 512MB to the second memory slot. Popped it in and it didn't show up. Searched the web and found out this model Thinkpad often had a bad second memory slot. Luckily, it had like two weeks left on the warranty so I was able to get the motherboard replaced. The battery is about half dead, but you probably won't get a new battery with a used laptop.
Also, look very carefully for small chips or cracks in the case, especially around the corners, that may be an indication that the computer has been dropped or slammed into something. A crack in the case or lid may not seem too bad, but internal damage may have happened, especially to the LCD panel or backlight. Too much pressure on the lid may also cause damage to the panel. Sticky keyboard keys may mean something(Starbucks coffee?) may have been dumped on it.

SpeedDMN · 12-13-2006, 06:35 PM

A computer show is a great place to look for an old lappy. I have an old P3 Dell I just retired and it would still be going if not for a faulty powercord. Bofinn wasn't kidding about the slow boot with 256mb of memory on XP. We are talking over 10 minutes. Also unless you are willing to also invest in a new battery there is no real way to determine how long they will last used. I would not plan on extended use on batteries. Another thing to consider (if there are any left) is several of the big box stores like Walmart had some very good promotional deals on new ones. For used my vote is for a P3 era Dell Latitude from personal experience. In fact I would consider selling you mine but you are overseas and you would have to buy a battery and a power cord which straight from Dell would be around $100.

ronbo 613 · 12-13-2006, 08:35 PM

You can probably get a decent Thinkpad T22 or T23 for less than $300.

**Gorganzola** · 12-13-2006, 11:25 PM

What model is the Dell. I have a couple Dell power adapters for an old Dell C600. I'd be willing to part with one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpeedDMN

A computer show is a great place to look for an old lappy. I have an old P3 Dell I just retired and it would still be going if not for a faulty powercord. Bofinn wasn't kidding about the slow boot with 256mb of memory on XP. We are talking over 10 minutes. Also unless you are willing to also invest in a new battery there is no real way to determine how long they will last used. I would not plan on extended use on batteries. Another thing to consider (if there are any left) is several of the big box stores like Walmart had some very good promotional deals on new ones. For used my vote is for a P3 era Dell Latitude from personal experience. In fact I would consider selling you mine but you are overseas and you would have to buy a battery and a power cord which straight from Dell would be around $100.

Pasch · 12-14-2006, 01:30 AM

Thanks for all the replies. I'll be sure to watch out for damage on the case, good advice there. I'll probably do some snooping around the cheaper PC stores here that sell second hand stuff as well as some older new computers. Maybe I'll be able to find an affordable new one there. I would consider buying overseas but I imagine that might be kind of difficult since I don't have a paypal account or anything (though I have been considering getting one). I might also consider buying a new battery if the old battery proves bad, though I imagine prices on that differ greatly and that might make things too expensive.

Monkey Hanger · 12-14-2006, 03:15 AM

Just make sure that you have the BIOS password.

We bought one many moons ago for our daughter going to uni. We never had the BIOS password. No big deal at the time, but later on "Oh boy"!

Pasch · 12-14-2006, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monkey Hanger

Just make sure that you have the BIOS password.

We bought one many moons ago for our daughter going to uni. We never had the BIOS password. No big deal at the time, but later on "Oh boy"!

Very good idea. I usually go into the BIOS as soon as I get a new computer, to see if any settings are incorrect or anything like that so I'd probably notice it soon enough, but I hadn't thought of this before.

Thanks!

*Bofinn* · 12-14-2006, 09:24 AM

There are so many good deals for the holidays right now on new slower speed laptops. If you can swing it, you'd be 3 years ahead of the problems from a used one...

Pasch · 12-14-2006, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bofinn

There are so many good deals for the holidays right now on new slower speed laptops. If you can swing it, you'd be 3 years ahead of the problems from a used one...

That's true. I'm going to do my best to get the money in time for one of those deals but I'm not sure if I'll be able to.

Would be very nice though.

12-13-2006, 04:04 PM	#1
Pasch Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 427	Buying a second-hand laptop. What to watch out for? Hi there, I'm thinking of buying a second-hand laptop. I'm a student, so I don't have a lot to spend. I would like to keep the price around 200 euro at most. I want to buy the laptop online (on an e-bay-ish site), and I've seen some reasonable laptops for that price. I would prefer something along the lines of a 1Ghz computer with 192MB of RAM and around 15 to 20GB HD. The main reason I'm getting it is because I will be starting my computer science study at a university next year, and I want to be able to work there without having to use school computers. The main tasks I would like to perform on the laptop are programming (Java and C++) and running basic office applications. I might occasionally want to use Photoshop CS2, but not too often. I don't need to be able to game on it or anything like that, so it doesn't need to be a monster computer. I'm thinking of running either Windows XP or Linux Mandriva on it. 192 MB RAM might be a little short for XP, but that should work fine if I turn off most of the heavy graphical features, so that's no problem. I would like to be able to use the laptop for at least 2 or 3 years to come, though obviously the longer the lifetime, the better. My main concerns are the state the laptop is in, battery time etc. I would like some advice on what to watch out for when it comes to that, what common pitfalls to be aware of etc. I'd mainly like to know what kind of components to check extra for damage, about how long a typical battery should last and things like that. I'd appreciate any advice on this a lot, as I don't want to waste my money on something that turns out to be useless.
(Offline)

12-13-2006, 04:21 PM	#2
Bofinn I'm gettin' dizzy! Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 11,035	What are the memory requirements for Photoshop CS2? 256K memory works for XP, just very slow long boot up. Most batteries will last 1 - 3 hours. Most batteries can last 2 to 5 years depending on how the laptop was used. At work we have them docked, the people who never use their battery causes them to die early. You won't be able to test this when buying on e-bay. Maybe a used laptop shop would be better than ebay - I'm not not sure? Cheap Laptops UK Dell laptops notebooks Aplle Toshiba Sony Compaq laptops battery ink cartridges toner Desktops Personal Computers __________________ ---------- JimBo ----------- When in doubt, smack it!
(Offline)

12-13-2006, 04:36 PM	#3
Pasch Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 427	I agree that I can't test how long the battery will last on e-bay, but some people, when posting their ads specify something like "the battery works for 1,5 hour", and so if it works a lot less, I could take back the laptop and say they gave me false promises. I'm actually going to try to find a laptop on a site similar to e-bay called "marktplaats" (dutch for marketplace), which is a dutch site, so I'll easily be able to take the laptop back if they don't give me what they promised. It's a similar site to e-bay, which is why I used that name in my original post. I'm not sure about the memory CS2 needs. I don't mind the long loading times too much, I just want to be able to work in it well enough once it's done loading, though my biggest priority is being able to program on it (preferably without compiling taking excessively long). I'm seeing a lot of ads where people say the battery works for about 1 hour. That seems a little short to me. Is that typical for laptops that age or should I keep my eyes open for something better? Battery duration is kind of my main concern here. Also, I'll keep an eye open for used laptops. Thank you for that suggestion. I might be able to find some in some local computer stores, or maybe I can even find some used laptops through people I know who work with them. (who knows)
(Offline)

12-13-2006, 04:52 PM	#4
Bofinn I'm gettin' dizzy! Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 11,035	yes - 1 hour is typical for a used laptop. __________________ ---------- JimBo ----------- When in doubt, smack it!
(Offline)

12-13-2006, 04:56 PM	#5
Pasch Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 427	Thank you for the quick reply. Is there anything else in specific that I should watch out for?
(Offline)

12-13-2006, 05:08 PM	#6
yamawho Linux user Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Montreal Posts: 4,067	Check the prices on new ones. They are sometimes just abit more than used ones. I have a dell 1.4ghz with 256mg of ram and it takes about 5 mins for it to boot The battery lasts about an hour and it's 3 years old.. This is my wife's old one from her work ... they kinda forgot about so I get to use it __________________
(Offline)

12-13-2006, 06:14 PM	#7
ronbo 613 Computer User Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 1,642	Once you decide on a laptop, check the internet for any issues. I got a used Thinkpad T30, really nice P4 2.0M, Win XP Pro. It had 256MB RAM, which is not enough for anything, really, so I wanted to add 512MB to the second memory slot. Popped it in and it didn't show up. Searched the web and found out this model Thinkpad often had a bad second memory slot. Luckily, it had like two weeks left on the warranty so I was able to get the motherboard replaced. The battery is about half dead, but you probably won't get a new battery with a used laptop. Also, look very carefully for small chips or cracks in the case, especially around the corners, that may be an indication that the computer has been dropped or slammed into something. A crack in the case or lid may not seem too bad, but internal damage may have happened, especially to the LCD panel or backlight. Too much pressure on the lid may also cause damage to the panel. Sticky keyboard keys may mean something(Starbucks coffee?) may have been dumped on it.
(Offline)

12-13-2006, 06:35 PM	#8
SpeedDMN Silicon Avatar Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hyde Park, NY Posts: 2,927	A computer show is a great place to look for an old lappy. I have an old P3 Dell I just retired and it would still be going if not for a faulty powercord. Bofinn wasn't kidding about the slow boot with 256mb of memory on XP. We are talking over 10 minutes. Also unless you are willing to also invest in a new battery there is no real way to determine how long they will last used. I would not plan on extended use on batteries. Another thing to consider (if there are any left) is several of the big box stores like Walmart had some very good promotional deals on new ones. For used my vote is for a P3 era Dell Latitude from personal experience. In fact I would consider selling you mine but you are overseas and you would have to buy a battery and a power cord which straight from Dell would be around $100. __________________
(Offline)

12-13-2006, 08:35 PM	#9
ronbo 613 Computer User Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 1,642	You can probably get a decent Thinkpad T22 or T23 for less than $300.
(Offline)

12-14-2006, 01:30 AM	#11
Pasch Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 427	Thanks for all the replies. I'll be sure to watch out for damage on the case, good advice there. I'll probably do some snooping around the cheaper PC stores here that sell second hand stuff as well as some older new computers. Maybe I'll be able to find an affordable new one there. I would consider buying overseas but I imagine that might be kind of difficult since I don't have a paypal account or anything (though I have been considering getting one). I might also consider buying a new battery if the old battery proves bad, though I imagine prices on that differ greatly and that might make things too expensive.
(Offline)

12-14-2006, 03:15 AM	#12
Monkey Hanger Registered User Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 10,590	Just make sure that you have the BIOS password. We bought one many moons ago for our daughter going to uni. We never had the BIOS password. No big deal at the time, but later on "Oh boy"!
(Offline)

12-14-2006, 09:24 AM	#14
Bofinn I'm gettin' dizzy! Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 11,035	There are so many good deals for the holidays right now on new slower speed laptops. If you can swing it, you'd be 3 years ahead of the problems from a used one... __________________ ---------- JimBo ----------- When in doubt, smack it!
(Offline)

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