Used PC VS Refurbished PC: everything you need to know

The differences between a used PC and a refurbished PC, why they are completely different products and which is the best

Do you want to buy a new PC, but you need to keep costs low and/or you want to respect the environment, you will surely have come across used PCs and refurbished PCs. Be careful, these are not the same products. Do you want to change your smartphone or tablet and have found an excellent offer, but you don't want a scratched, used device with no warranty? At the end of this simple guide you will be able to understand the differences between a used product and a refurbished one and you will finally be able to make the right choice for your needs.

The term refurbished is becoming more and more used in the IT sector and you will surely have come across this definition. Unfortunately, however, many confuse a PC or any other refurbished device simply for a used and serviced product, but there is much more underneath.
Let's see together the most frequent doubts and the differences between used and refurbished.

Guarantee
Whenever we purchase any device, the seller must provide us with an after-sales guarantee that covers any failure of the machine not due to mismanagement or our negligence. All this is taken for granted when we talk about new products, but when we buy a refurbished or used PC we still have a guarantee. Here is the first big difference, while a used PC will be sold to us "as is", therefore in the conditions in which it is found with any malfunctions or faults, it will not benefit from any after-sales guarantee. Before being sold, a refurbished PC (or any other device) is subjected to dozens of operation and quality control tests and is looked after in all respects. Any missing or faulty parts are replaced and returned as new, for this reason the seller will be able to offer you a guarantee on this product. In our case we offer at least 12 months of warranty included in the price and after-sales assistance on all our products.

Cleanliness and appearance
One of the big concerns when purchasing a used or refurbished product is its appearance. In what condition did it arrive when purchasing? In the case of used products it depends on the use that the previous owner made of them, so it could appear to be in excellent condition or it could be very worn, you actually have no guarantee that it is aesthetically perfect. However, as regards refurbished products, there is a real quality scale for its aesthetic state divided into degrees. The best sellers are grade A and grade B. Grade A products are practically like new, with no scratches or signs of wear while grade B products have slight signs of use or small scratches. Furthermore, all reconditioned products are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, to guarantee maximum sterility. In our store you will only find grade A refurbished products and where clearly expressed some grade B occasions.

Does it perform as well as a new product?
When purchasing an already used, used or reconditioned product, similarly to a used car, a doubt assails us. Will it perform like a new product? To answer this question we must understand that in the IT sector the components inside a PC determine the performance of the machine itself, in fact it is enough to restore it to the factory settings to make it as good as new. This reset procedure is what is usually done on used PCs. But are refurbished ones subjected to the same procedure? Absolutely not, refurbished products are subjected to dozens of stability and functionality tests, each component is individually tested and maintained. Just think about changing the CPU's thermal paste, to ensure the best possible heat dissipation to ensure long life. Replacing the Hard Disk with a higher-performance SSD. So to answer the question does it perform like a new product, we must make a distinction between used and refurbished products. Used items are returned to their original state but their performance may suffer from the wear and tear of the components. Refurbished PCs, on the other hand, are many times more efficient than their new counterparts, as the amount of RAM is increased or the hard disk is replaced with a very fast SSD.

I can trust?
Nowadays the world of commerce is increasingly moving away from the concept of a physical shop and moving towards an electronic one. In fact, thanks to the expansion of large marketplaces, purchasing even a very expensive product on the internet is no longer a cause for concern on the part of the buyer, provided they use secure payment methods and above all reliable sellers. How to understand if an online seller is reliable? Just check a few simple things within the seller's site. Reliable payment methods such as PayPal and above all reviews, if a site uses services such as TrustPilot or TrustedShop (review collectors) it is certainly reliable.

Where do these devices come from?
Once again: the difference is made by the seller. If you purchase from certified platforms, it is certain that the devices do not come from private individuals but from reliable sources (fairs, exhibitions, unsold stocks of companies, stocks of company devices, returns of little-used products).

Price
One of the determining factors in the purchasing phase is certainly the price. In fact, usually the choice to purchase a used or refurbished product is dictated by the desire to keep costs low. The economic savings in purchasing these products compared to new ones is indisputable and this too needs to be clarified. While used products are slightly cheaper, on the other hand, reconditioned ones have the advantage of a much more elaborate manufacturing process, which also involves the cost of new replaced components in addition to the warranty and after-sales service. So, at the expense of a slight increase in price, we will have a guaranteed machine with perfectly serviced or replaced components.