Quote:
Originally Posted by Flash Walken
Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I am capable enough to clone and replace drives.
Probably need to stick in the 14" range for familiarities sake, but they already have an ipad, the laptop needs to be a bit more robust than a chromebook or one of them fancy 2 in 1s
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I just realized there was an echo in my other post.
Oops.
Anyways, I think all the computers I've purchased then gifted my parents were used deals from friends/Kijiji, refurb, open box or display. I personally don't have any issues acquiring such types of electronics but I'm not sure if you have any apprehension to buying anything other than new. The main thing I focus on afterwards is clearing out bloat ware, clearing out temp files and excess backups as well as installing all software updates. Every few months I help them do some maintenance and they generally last quite a while.
I am always surprised how often very usable laptops are thrown away/replaced because X time has passed. Usually with just a SSD replacement, the thing is as good if not better as something <$500 at many retailers, often due to the HDD bottleneck. Some people do things as dumb as junking i5s because "they're slow" even if they're only a year or two old. If you know someone or a business getting rid of them for nearly nothing, always worth the time to see if you can acquire it.
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Clearan...5-91728b56ddef
This one popped up. i5 computer, 8 GB ram for $420 (Probably $460 ish after GST/recycling?). All it needs is a SSD. A 120 GB one should be inexpensive. You can always convert the 1TB drive into an external drive (after you wipe it out) with a $20 enclosure if that tickles your fancy. Main annoyance is Win 8.1 and I'm not sure if 5 lbs is too heavy. LED-backlit display (1366 x 768) is kinda gross IMO, but older folks don't generally notice anything.
I often ask the staff at a store to demonstrate to me that the refurb computer works fine and confirm what the return policy is before buying. Usually you can figure out whether the computer is perfectly fine/junk within that time frame.
The only junk refurbs I've seen are from Staples and those are few and far in between. Bestbuy, Memory express, London Drugs etc. generally look more like reasonably new returned units with whatever fixes (probably just software) done and called "refurb" instead of open box.