Quick Hump Menu
>> Overview
>>
Proprietory Brands
>> Sold "as new" Clearance Stock
>> Refurbished computers
>> Do I really need the latest specs and features?
>> Accesories
>> Athlon or Pentium Computer?
>> Choosing the right Dealer
>> Warranties
>> Software Issues
>> Computer Maintainance
So you want a computer/laptop, but dont really know the in's and out's of different models and specifications, warranties, bits and bobs - how do you make a decision?
There are some great deals available when buying. However, buy the wrong unit from the wrong person and you could be opening a big can of worms. Bear these points in mind too if you are thinking about buying a second hand , privately owned unit from the classifieds section / news paper.
A cheap price is important to most people but don’t underestimate the importance of consistent and high quality customer service when choosing a dealer from whom to buy your cheap computers. The best way to judge the quality of the dealer is to shop around. You want to find suppliers that suit your needs, not fit in with their agenda. You also want to make sure that they provide value for money and are competitive with the rest of the market place, especially in comparison with other computers / laptops in the same category or range.
It's important to decide from the onset, which features you are really looking for, rather than trying to check every cheap computers on the market to find out which is the best. If you have seen a particular model or manufacturer that you like, then this is probably a good place to start. You may have a technical friend who could advise you which model to buy – be careful though, their opinions or strong recommendations may not be necessarily be entirely unbiased - take them with a pinch of salt! Check the forums - you may be able to get some good advice from people that have owned the unit you are considering, or a similar model before. Alternatively you may click here to ask a specific question form one of our advisors.
Proprietory Brands
Choosing a good proprietary make can be a good idea. You’ll likely to get better back up, compatibility and performance. There are some fantastic deals going on refurbished Packard Bell, IBM, Dell and Compaq cheap computers. Most Packard Bell machines are refurbished by a specialized company (PA Business Systems) who will also provide an excellent onsite warranty too. The Packard Bell laptops probably originated life in a PC World store and were returned by the customer for some reason – usually very minor. Any fault in the cheap computers would have been corrected by the refurbisher who will then reload the software and re-box the cheap computers in a very professional way – for all intents and purposes the cheap computers will be brand new. Many of the other proprietary makes will also be refurbished by an approved refurbisher.
There are some also fantastic deals available if you are prepared to take a less well known brand, you could expect to save about 25% on the price of a branded unit. There’s no need to stretch yourself and the odds are that you really don’t need and won’t use all those features on the expensive models – you could save a few quid and take the kids out instead. Go for the middle of the range specification with a good warranty and you’ll be happy with your choice of cheap computers. At the time of writing you’d be looking at about £500 for a low end unit, about £850 for a pretty good one and about £1300 for a top of the range model.
Most people would notice little or no difference between a middle and top of the range computer or laptop. More importantly you should consider the specific features that you want supplied with your cheap computers – don’t worry too much about gigabytes and MHz if you are buying new – even the cheaper models will be very quick and two years down the road the top of the range unit will seem little different from the slower one.
Clearance Stock - Quite different from refurbished
You can save good money on cheap computers. If you want to buy a cutting edge computer or laptop with the highest features available, you can expect to pay through the nose for it. Better to go for a more middle of the road cheap computers – unless you are a highly technical user. Most users are unlikely to notice any difference in the performance and features of the highest spec cheap computers, compared to a middle spec one – however the cost savings can be massive. The best deals available are on the “refurbished” branded, computers and laptops, which are more likely to be unwanted presents, shop returns etc, that have been returned to the store of their purchase. A machine of this type is reboxed, all software is re-loaded and sold as a “refurbished” computer – even though they are practically brand new. Some units may never have been used and may simply be ex-demo or end of line models. The reason these machines are branded "refurbished” is because of the lack of alternative description in the English language to effectively describe them! You should be able to save around 30-40% on high street prices on this type of cheap computers. You’ll usually find that theses machines are of top proprietary make and come with the same standard of warranty cover that you would expect with any new model.
Refurbished computers - avoid deals that seem "too cheap"
There's a MASSIVE range in the quality of refurbished gear available for sale. Some dealers at the lower end of the scale do not really refurbish computers at all – obviously broken parts may be replaced but little more than that is done. If you receive a cheap computers that is not even been properly cleaned, it is highly unlikely that it has been refurbished whatsoever – it is simply a used computer with software reloaded onto it’s hard drive, with little or no other inspection. Obviously the failure rate of units like these is much higher. In an industry with tightening margins, unfortunately many dealers now fill pressured to cut costs in the preparation of refurbished laprops and computers.
Common Issues with Refurbished computers / laptops
Chassis / cosmetic damage
Any crack (especially around the hinges), discoloration or other damage to any part of the cheap computers body should have been corrected with a replacement part
Drive faults
Any component faults in a unit such as a faulty Hard Drive, mouse etc must be corrected. Hard Drive, floppy drive and CD Rom drive faults are the most common hardware problems discovered.
Screen faults
The TFT screen has a limited life span and is very expensive to replace. Faults to look for include damaged pixels (dots on screen – a few of these are not serious and should be ignored) and overall darkening of the screen or a screen that is slow to warm up. The latter is more serious and is probably lead to complete failure
Very poor battery life / battery not charging
The quality the batteries supplied with a laptop very massively. You should not expect a battery to be “as good as new” on your cheap computers unless they are specifically described as such. A battery life of 30 minutes is good; in reality you will be using it with the PSU most of the time.
Intermittent crashing
If this is not the result of an incorrect or damaged software installation (which is usually the case), it is probably caused by motherboard damage – always requiring a professional repair.
Do I really need the latest specs and features?
A great way of wasting a good deal of money is to convince yourself to buy a computer or laprop with a load of features that you really don’t require. This is a common sales technique – akin to the attraction of £2000 worth of free software with your unit, remember there is no such thing as free! Concentrate only on the features you want – not those you think you might need or will grow into in the future, you’ll get a lot more for your money if you follow this simple advice.
1) Is there clear information on how to contact them if you have a problem with your cheap computers?
2) How did they respond to previous enquiries?
3) Is there clear information on the site about a money back or price match offer?
4) Is there any help on the site about your rights as a consumer when you buy?
5) Are contact methods clear and easy to use?
You are really looking for an internet based dealer who offers the product you are looking for at a good price, with good service and after-sales assurances. Smaller companies are often more customer focused these days than big companies that just don’t have time for individual customer problems, often putting you though automated call routing procedures and then cutting you off or never calling you back - we've all been throuh this and have got quite sick of it now.
Some internet dealers will sell cheap computers direct from the manufacturer to the public cutting out expensive middleman, shops and marketing allowing them to out-compete rivals with much higher overhead. Not all Internet vendors fall into this category, but find the right one and you’ll get a great deal.
Accesories
Even though there may seem to be a bewildering range of accessories, you should only buy what you thought you needed before you encountered all those other devices that you can plug into your new computer or laptop. The most useful extras to use are a printer, digital camera, good speakers matched with a good sound card. It’s also worth having a good optical mouse connected to you cheap computers.
Athlon or Pentium Computer?
For years Athlon and Pentium have been battling out to become king. I have owned many of both types, both in the desktop and laptop variety. Most technical users would say that a computer/laptop powered with an Athlon CPU is the better machine; it is my experience that the Pentium powered cheap computers are just as excellent, stable and quick, the difference really is not significant. More information is available >>here
Choosing the right Dealer
An unreliable supplier is a bane to any business or individual. Not only do you risk losing business because of a lack of ability to deliver orders on time, it can be very frustrating. Poor dealers may not just necessarily be the ones who deliver products late. It could be those suppliers who send the wrong or inferior products, those who refuse to take returns or who offer uncompetitive prices.
Always ensure that a supplier can offer some form of after-sales or technical support. When you buy your computer you will have some form of warranty with it. It is important to find out if it is an on-site warranty or not. If the warranty is not an on-site one, be aware that the computer will have to be returned to the dealer if it needs repair.
if you are buying a computer on the internet, you are unlikely to view the goods until they actually arrive. You must look for cover and assurances from the supplier from whom you decide to purchase so that if you are not content with the quality of the unit you receive, it can easily be returned without penalty.
Warranties
When you buy a computer or laptop from the internet, the warranty may actually be with the manufacturer or refurbisher, rather than the dealer from whom you have bought the computer. The service is usually quicker and more direct this way, but you should check if you are unsure before committing. Some dealers may offer you the option to extend the standard warranty. This can provide additional peace of mind, especially when it is being purchased for a 3rd party such as a son or daughter. It’s nice to know that if there is a future problem with the unit, it will all be taken care of.
Over 90% of any potential faults will show themselves within 30 days. Some refurbished models may come with 3, 6 or even 12 months warranty – this is quite a bonus. You should expect a return to base, rather than an onsite warranty with a refurbished unit. If you are required to register your computer, you should do so promptly after receiving it. Likewise, if you intend to return your unit under the distance selling regulations, you should put your intent in writing within 7days.
An onsite warranty is certainly better than a return to base, which can be inconvenient – especially if you no longer have the original box for your. To make sure your unit is not damaged in transit it is a good idea to keep hold of the original box that your computer came supplied in.
Software Issues
Often when a new user gets first gets their new unit, they can cause damage to the operating system before the learn what they are doing. Ideally you should use your restore disk, but these are often not supplied. Formatting the hard drive on a computer and re-installing windows should be considered a last resort. Unless you are very technical you will find it quite difficult to reload a working configuration onto a cheap computers although this is greatly simplified if installing XP, re-installing windows 98 on a laptop can be vert difficult. This is because you may find it difficult to the source and install drivers that are specific to your unit. In most instances you should try to find the source of the problem and reformat or reinstall it as a last option only
cheap computers supplied with windows loaded onto the hard drive must also have a valid windows license. Unfortunately, some dealers may not supply a windows disk – this can be a problem, especially with windows 98 and millennium as the disk is often required when new software of hardware is installed. Many suppliers will provide a restore disk which can be used to restore your computer to it’s original configuration – some will come with the required windows files mentioned above loaded onto the hard drive itself - in which case you wont need the disk and should be fine
Likewise, other software that is loaded on the hard drive should also be supplied with the original disks. Core software often includes an office package (not necessarily Microsoft) and a virus checker. Without these core applications your use will be quite restricted. We can provide you with an excellent suite of software free, but you must specifically request it when you order your computer.
Computer Maintainance
There are a few essentials for keeping your comuter or laptop in good condition, free from errors and viruses. Using the live update and scheduled maintenance option with Norton anti-virus will almost certainly protect you from nasty viruses. Likewise a firewall will stop your security being breached when you take your computer onto the internet. A regular defrag or run of Norton system works or utilities will help to keep the hard drive in good condition. Those are the core bits of software that will keep cheap computers running nicely. Of course, using your unit in a dusty environment could cause the cooling fan to clog up and consequently result in an over-heat.
If you need any advice about buying cheap computers, please >>click here to ask a question.
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