1. Most gamers find it difficult to find brand new laptops that are both affordable and
meet their needs. Instead, they tend to choose used or refurbished laptops at a lower price.
While this is a great way to save a little extra money, it can also lead to a bad experience and
even more costly circumstance. It’s important for gamers to understand what to expect from
these types of laptops prior to making a purchase.
Purchasing a used laptop means buying one from someone that had plenty of time to
use that computer in any way that they saw fit. This could include the previous owner
improperly maintaining the laptop, thereby increasing the wear and tear that it endured. It
could also mean that the computer was left on for long periods of time whenever it as not in
use. Unauthorized modifications may have also voided the laptop’s warranty.
Even worse, the former owner may have set up a tracking program to steal sensitive
information from the new user. These programs can secretly take screen shots and even videos
of the user’s actions and then email those files to the original owner. Credit card information
and passwords can be stolen this way. These programs can also be found throughout the web.
If the former owner did not realize this, they may have been installed secretly.
Still, used laptops can be a good investment for gamers. Provided, of course, that
gaming is all that they will be used for. Tasks that would reveal private information about the
user should not be entered on a used laptop. This will limit the gamer’s options (especially
among games with DRM software) but it’s a necessary sacrifice until a better system can be
purchased.
Refurbished laptops are used laptops that have been restored as close to their original
functionality as possible. This operation is typically conducted by the manufacturer, making
refurbished laptops a trustworthy source. The price of one typically falls between the cost of a
new and used laptop, but users can feel free to do whatever they please on the laptop without
worrying about malware that may have been installed by the previous owner.
There is, however, an important exception to this. If a local repair shop refurbished the
laptop in order to sell it, the machine may not be as safe. That’s because a local computer
repair technician’s knowledge is usually on computer parts in general rather than the specific
aspects of a particular brand. There is always that chance that something went overlooked,
making an investment in one of these somewhat of a risk. Refurbished laptops should not be
bought online unless they are coming directly from the manufacturer or a national retailer.
In conclusion, both used and refurbished laptops have their place. Used laptops are
better for those that just want to use it for gaming, document creation, and extremely limited
online activity (nothing that involves passwords). If the tasks required of a laptop extend

2. beyond this scope but the consumer still wants to save money, a refurbished computer is the
best choice.