A lot of people looking for a new computer don't always have the money to shill out for a high-end one, and buy lower-priced models like HP Streams and cheap Chromebooks with Celeron processors and 64 GB of eMMC storage. These are absolutely horrific devices created solely to hit the lowest price point possible in order to fly off a shelf, that'll more than likely die within a year and/or become unusably slow in months.

Instead of a brand-new cheap laptop, go with an old business computer. These are Lenovo ThinkPads, Dell Latitudes, and HP Pavilions for the most part. Used business computers often are able to be sold so cheap simply because of stock; large offices and corporations will often bulk order dozens or even hundreds at a time, and when it comes time for them to upgrade, those dozens or hundreds of laptops they bought end up flooding the used market for an affordable price.

You'll find lots of them on eBay, Amazon, BackMarket, or other stores with very respectable specs for even under $200 at times.

In the current year, I'd personally recommend searching for a used ThinkPad T490S or Latitude 7400, considering these both are new enough to support Windows 11. I've seen 16 GB + 256 GB ThinkPad T490S laptops going for $190 with 8th gen Core i5 processors. Depending on store they can go up to $300, but still, an extremely solid deal.

Why YSK: If you're in need of a computer and can't spend too much, a used ThinkPad or Latitude will be a much faster and longer-lasting computer for the same price, compared to the cheap brand-new models you find on store shelves.

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

• Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US: $400. The cheaper the better.

• Are you open to refurbs/used? Yes, exclusively looking for refurbished.

• How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life? Performance, build quality, and battery life.

• How important is weight and thinness to you? Pretty important, looking for something easy to carry around my university.

• Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A. 14 inches or smaller

• Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run. I don't do any intensive gaming or programming at all. I just need something that I can use to browse the internet with multiple tabs open and won't cause the laptop to heat up.

• If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want? N/A

• Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)? I would prefer something with a matte screen. Touchscreen and fingerprint readers are a must.

• Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are and beneficial to the discussion. From what I've heard, business laptops like HP elitebooks, Thinkpads, and Dell Latitudes tend to be a good bet in terms of quality. I'm not particularly tech savvy, so I'm not sure what sort of processor to look for. A lot of refurbished models on ebay have Intel i5 and i7 8th, 9th, and 10th gen processors. Not sure which of these would still hold up in 2024.

Does it still make sense to buy used business laptops in 2025 even if they can be had for 15% to 20% of their original retail price brand new?

I am asking given that RAM are now soldered to motherboard and batteries are installed internally. To replace used batteries, we have to dismantle the laptop, risking damage to it.

Laptop batteries after 3 to 4 years of use would probably only give 2 to 3 hours of use in the worst case. AFAIK, most used laptop sellers do not replace the worn batteries as they add to their cost.

Any thoughts?

Hi all, I'm looking to learn about business/commercial grade laptops. I'm wanting to buy a used one, and I've been looking at the Dell Precision series. Specifically the Dell 5520. You can get them with an i7 and a 4k screen which is pretty nice. The only problem is that they're circa 2018, and that only leaves 2 or 3 years before they're starting to get a bit long in the tooth. Perhaps something newer can be had for roughly the same price?

I've heard that HP and a few others also have business grade laptops. Who makes the best one? Any insight into this niche would be greatly appreciated!

As per the recommendation of the bot, here's their form filled out for anything that's relevant to my situation:

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

• Total budget is $1,000 but I'd really like to spend less if possible. That's why I'm going used.

• I am open to refurbished as long as it's in good/very good cosmetic condition.

• The form factor isn't all that important, but I'm not looking for a tablet. Just a traditional laptop. Also I am only looking for the 15" screen versions. They're typically 15.6" iirc.

• Weight and thickness aren't really important. But obviously it would be nice if it wasn't a thick heavy brick.

• The only real requirement is that it must be able to run Linux OS. However, as long as it's an intel or AMD laptop, that won't be a problem.

• I will not be gaming on this machine.

• The only specific requirement is that it be business/commercial grade. These are built to a somewhat higher standard and are tougher/sturdier than average consumer laptops. They're also made to be worked on which is necessary for me.

I’ve asked my employer if they’d sell me a retired work decide. The answer was no. They send it to tech recycling where they either shred them, or recycle the metal, or wipe them and sell them to charities!!

But buying it from them is not an option.

I’ve been searching and can’t find anywhere selling such devices, other than the usual refurbished sales websites that are very expensive.

Do you know anywhere to buy the ex company machines?

P. S. I’m looking for a Macbook Pro or Air with an M chip. 2021 or later.

Does it makes sense to buy one used? Which Thinkpads are good and which to avoid? I need something well built and fast max around 1000 eur. Also wanna do maintenance myself. So prefer not soldered ram.

Some will find this a silly question, but I've been so uncertain and uneasy about it. I know renewed/refurbed is cheaper and better for the environment, but I'm kind of terrified of the gamble. Are they really okay to buy? And what should I specifically look for to be most secure?

I don't do gaming or any programming, just need a good laptop which would run smoothly and last for hopefully atleast 5 yrs. I pretty much do admin work, internet surfing, videos and streaming Netflix/similar stuff, that's about it. I've owned a HP before and had a good experience lasting 7yrs, only reason I got rid is because it wasn't compatible with windows 11 anymore.

My budget is 600-650$ max. Any other laptop suggestions would be welcome aswell.

Prices are these: 1 - 500$ 2 - 690$ 3 - 450$ 4 - 650$ 5 - 650$ 6 - 590$ 7 - 500$ 8 - 650$ 9 - 450$ 10 - 450$ 11 - 700$

I know as a student, or just a regular living being in the modern world. Computer nowdays is a necessity, not a luxury. I personally prefer laptops than desktops for mobility. That said, I recently found out about the wonderful world of refurbished/used business laptops. Before I knew about them decent laptops I found for actual work always costed at least $600 minimum, but recently on ebay, I've been finding very functional refurbished business laptops like thinkpads for sub $300 that don't need any extra work!

If you're handy and good at troubleshooting and fixing, I've seen people from thinkpad communities buy them sub $100 and fix/upgrade them for another sub $100 and make prefectly capable machines. If you like to use macbook, it seems that there are plenty of refurbished macbook pros as well (and honestly, that would probably be the only apple computer I'd be willing to buy, I'll never shell out more than 1k for computer for simple tasks), and I've seen very functional macbook pros run sub $500 give or take.

It seems that for PC laptop, the major refurbished/used business laptops are thinkpads (like T series for actual work or x series for mobility), and for apple, macbook pros. Most people buy them on ebay, and you can set the filter to look for only refurbished computers if you don't want to do any work, or used ones for cheaper price.

Just thought I'd share this information!

I’m in need of a new laptop or something close to new. Are refurbished laptops worth buying? What are the pros and cons?

It's a pretty weird title I know, but I was wondering whether to get a refurbished business laptop (Latitude, ThinkPad, Pro Book, etc.) or a brand-new low-end tier gaming laptop (Nitro or LOQ for example). Both hover around the same price at my place.

People say business laptops tend to be more rugged compared to normal gaming laptops, but I got my hand on a Nitro V 2023 from a friend today and the build quality feels not that much different from my 2018 Latitude.

To be fair I kinda lean towards getting a gaming laptop, but still need more input.

Thanks to anyone who reads and answers this post. Cheers

My friend says unlike Mobile phones laptops are not durable. So buying a refurbished laptop is not worth it unlike a refurbished phone. Right now I need a laptop to learn coding and try hackathons so I'm considering i5 8th gen 16 gb ram 512 SSD Refurbished Lenovo ThinkPad l480 from Amazon. Also is buying a refurbished laptop from Offline store better than Amazon? I really wish to get opinion of people who are trying or have tried a refurbished laptop before.

https://amzn.in/d/04TjeB9O

Hey, guys! Posting here to avoid bias from both the ones who swear by ThinkPads and Latitudes (for good reasons!).

I am thinking to buy a refurbished laptop, here are my options with their displayed specs:

Dell Latitude 5300 Business Laptop, Intel Core i5-8th Generation CPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 13 inch Display, Windows 10 Pro --> for around 160 USD.

Dell Latitude 5400 14 Inch Laptop PC, Intel Core i5-8265U Quad Core 1.6Ghz to 3.9Ghz, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 256 GB SSD, Webcam, Windows 11 Pro --> for around 200 USD

Lenovo ThinkPad T480s Business Laptop, Intel Core i7-8th Generation CPU, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB Hard, 14.1 inch Display, Windows 10 Pro --> for around 190 USD

Dell 2020 Latitude 7410 Laptop 14" - Intel Core i5 10th Gen - i5-10310U - Quad Core 4.4Ghz - 128GB SSD - 8GB RAM - 1920x1080 FHD - Windows 10 Pro ---> for around 217 USD

My budget is around 150 - 200 USD

So which one is best for value? I looked at the 5300, with its 16 GB ram, which was a bit too good to be true? Or am I wrong?

I've seen some nice-looking refurbished laptop deals on Ebay. What are your thoughts on buying used/refurbished? Obviously, there is always some risk with an item that is not brand new, but the savings are tempting. How does a warranty usually work in these cases?

So I am looking at laptops and see that there are a ton of different options. However I want to hear your opinions on which type of laptop I should get. So there a lots of models of Hp EliteBook's and ProBook's from the 2020s and 2019s that are selling for around $300-$500. These have really good specs featuring good quality i7 8th or 9th generation CPUs. For that price, you can also get a brand new Acer Aspire Laptop with Ryzen 5 5th gen or Intel i5 11th or an Hp Laptop or low end Pavilion Laptop. So I am asking whether I should get the new computers or get a refurbished high quality business laptop?

I keep noticing that so many of these old HP business laptops are being sold at extremely low prices, on par with Celeron e-waste, but with decent specs. Are these actually good deals, resulting from some large businesses deciding that it was time to upgrade and flooding the market, or is it likely just broken junk being passed off as working?

Employee is currently working from a Chromebook and is requesting an upgrade so she can work from dual monitors (external from the laptop monitor). I was recommended the Latitude line but it seems expensive For what we need which is: connecting to two screens, accessing an EHR and working within a Google suite. Looking at 16GB memory, 512 GB SSD. USB-c lightening charge.

Any Recs? Which latitude line? Can I get a refurbished one? Hoping to spend less than $1000…

I'm looking at buying a new, or at least new to me, desktop computer for work. It has to meet certain specs because of the programs I will be running on it. Atmark seems to have really good prices but seems kinda scam-y. Help me, reddit.