Topic: New laptop advice

[jonnypb]

How do you feel like refurbished units go compared to new ones?  The spec difference is obviously higher with refurbs, but I've felt like there's more reassurance with a new-from-factory computer.

I had a refurb from Dell many years ago and it was fine, no issues with it at all and it looked as new.  Depending where you buy from then a lot of the refurbs still give you 12 months warranty and some are just customer returns etc.  I'd avoid the ones off ebay that only give you 3 months guarantee, but buying from more established retailers will be sound.  Always a good idea to buy things like this with a credit card as well if you have one as you'll have more protection if anything does go wrong.

[Statto Red]

My laptop is in need of repair, think it's an issue with the ribbon cable as my screen has pink tint on 3 quarters of the screen, is it worth repairing my laptop ot buying a brand new one, i've seen one i like the look of  in Argos which is

ASUS VivoBook 17 17.3in i3 8GB 256GB Laptop - Silver for £450

Specs are

General features:

Size H2.14, W40.6, D25.6cm.
Weight 2.3kg.
CPU, Memory and Operating System:

Intel Core i3 - 1115G4 processor.
Dual core processor.
3GHz processor speed with a burst speed of 4.1GHz.
8GB RAM DDR4.
256GB SSD storage.
Windows 11 Home.
Display features:

17.3 inch screen.
Full HD Display.
Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Refresh rate60Hz.
DVD optical drives:

Disc drive not included.
Graphics:

Intel UHD Graphics .
Shared graphics card.
Interfaces and connectivity:

2 USB 2.0 ports.
1 USB 3.2 port.
1 USB Type-C port.
1 HDMI port.
Headphones jack.
Bluetooth.
Wi-Fi enabled.
Multimedia features:

HD webcam.
Built-in mic.
Backlit keyboard.
SonicMaster sound system.
30 days Microsoft Office.

General information:

Manufacturer's 1 year guarantee.
 
Is it worth buying this one if i can't repair my current laptop, although i'd rather get my laptop repaired?

Or would i be better off buying a tablet, as most of the stuff i use my laptop for i can buy & use a tablet instead?

[WhereAngelsPlay]

My laptop is in need of repair, think it's an issue with the ribbon cable as my screen has pink tint on 3 quarters of the screen, is it worth repairing my laptop ot buying a brand new one, i've seen one i like the look of  in Argos which is

ASUS VivoBook 17 17.3in i3 8GB 256GB Laptop - Silver for £450

Specs are

General features:

Size H2.14, W40.6, D25.6cm.
Weight 2.3kg.
CPU, Memory and Operating System:

Intel Core i3 - 1115G4 processor.
Dual core processor.
3GHz processor speed with a burst speed of 4.1GHz.
8GB RAM DDR4.
256GB SSD storage.
Windows 11 Home.
Display features:

17.3 inch screen.
Full HD Display.
Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Refresh rate60Hz.
DVD optical drives:

Disc drive not included.
Graphics:

Intel UHD Graphics .
Shared graphics card.
Interfaces and connectivity:

2 USB 2.0 ports.
1 USB 3.2 port.
1 USB Type-C port.
1 HDMI port.
Headphones jack.
Bluetooth.
Wi-Fi enabled.
Multimedia features:

HD webcam.
Built-in mic.
Backlit keyboard.
SonicMaster sound system.
30 days Microsoft Office.

General information:

Manufacturer's 1 year guarantee.
 
Is it worth buying this one if i can't repair my current laptop, although i'd rather get my laptop repaired?

Or would i be better off buying a tablet, as most of the stuff i use my laptop for i can buy & use a tablet instead?

If that's all you use it for then just get a tablet, could wait for the next Amazon sale & get the HD10 (were £109 last month), cracking little things if you're not too bothered about the play store.

[Henry Gale]

How do you feel like refurbished units go compared to new ones?  The spec difference is obviously higher with refurbs, but I've felt like there's more reassurance with a new-from-factory computer.

I buy quite a bit of refurb stuff. Few years ago I picked up a 2011 imac, full HD 27" screen, added a SSD and some extra RAM and it runs brilliantly. Picked it up from Ebay for £120 and spent about £70 on it.

[Statto Red]

Had a word with a mate of mine who has bit more knowledge, showed him my laptop, he thinks it's the LED screen thats gone rather cable ribbon.

[CornerFlag]

I had a refurb from Dell many years ago and it was fine, no issues with it at all and it looked as new.  Depending where you buy from then a lot of the refurbs still give you 12 months warranty and some are just customer returns etc.  I'd avoid the ones off ebay that only give you 3 months guarantee, but buying from more established retailers will be sound.  Always a good idea to buy things like this with a credit card as well if you have one as you'll have more protection if anything does go wrong.

I buy quite a bit of refurb stuff. Few years ago I picked up a 2011 imac, full HD 27" screen, added a SSD and some extra RAM and it runs brilliantly. Picked it up from Ebay for £120 and spent about £70 on it.

Cheers lads, I have a decent amount of confidence upgrading certain items but not others so it's as much a question of how competent am I if it goes seriously tits up!

Most likely going to keep my ageing one for now and look at building a desktop for myself.

[Lee1-6Liv]

The missus is after a laptop, she will use it mainly for excel and browsing so was going to get a refurbished one, would this be a decent buy

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285392404358?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=cK5bp7rPQSW&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=ZB-sJSqMT9m&var=587298741082&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[Titi Camara]

The missus is after a laptop, she will use it mainly for excel and browsing so was going to get a refurbished one, would this be a decent buy

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285392404358?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=cK5bp7rPQSW&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=ZB-sJSqMT9m&var=587298741082&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

It reviewed very well 6 years ago.
https://uk.pcmag.com/laptops/90910/lenovo-thinkpad-t470

The Lenovo ThinkPad T470 exemplifies the mainstream business laptop, with a no-nonsense body, manageable weight, excellent keyboard, dual pointing devices, and long battery life.

Personally I would never go refurnished, especially not from ebay. Appreciate you get more spec for your money going that route, but tech does degrade, buying something newer but less powerful, for similar money would always be my preferred option, especially when your requirements are so minimal.

Not endorsing/promoting this laptop but its an example of a laptop made by the same company, for around the same price point (has £100 off), and will obviously be brand new.

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/lenovo-ideapad-i1-14-laptop-intel-celeron-128-gb-emmc-blue-10240554.html

[Graeme]

Agreed, seller refurbished for me is one to avoid. Manufacturer refurbished usually a much safer bet as more likely to be a new laptop that was delivered with a hardware or cosmetic issue that has been resolved by replacing the affected part.

T470 likely to be an ex-public sector user laptop that’s been hoofed around and it’ll show.

[bradders1011]

DROP TABLE 'Voyager'

[Kenny's Jacket]

Having previously posted another laptop issue in the ask Rawk thread, I was advised to try here.  My previous issue was that it wouldn’t switch on, I eventually figured this was a memory issue when it eventually did turn on a I moved a load of stuff to an external hard drive and it seemed to work.

Now it won’t charge,  the orange charging light comes is working and comes on and holds a solid light but it’s power doesn’t boost. I’ve tried doing a full reset but there wasn’t enough battery to complete it. If I charge it for ages when it’s switched off. It may occasionally go from 0% to 2%, but generally it doesn’t do anything
I’ve also tried using various sockets with same results.

It’s an Asus laptop bought off Amazon.

Do you think it’s the charger or the laptop?
Any advice on fixing the problem

I don’t want to buy a new charger if that’s not the issue.


Forgot to mention the white power light does come on and sometimes it will give me a few minutes off. Use and sometimes it’s a few seconds

[Claire.]

Is it on and working with the charger plugged in? If so, likely to be the battery is dead - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/caring-for-your-battery-in-windows-2db3e37f-5e7d-488e-9086-ed15320519e4

They used to slot in and out easily enough but if it's fixed, then bit more faff but will be able to replace it, places like iFixIt have articles on a lot of models.

[Kenny's Jacket]

Is it on and working with the charger plugged in? If so, likely to be the battery is dead - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/caring-for-your-battery-in-windows-2db3e37f-5e7d-488e-9086-ed15320519e4

They used to slot in and out easily enough but if it's fixed, then bit more faff but will be able to replace it, places like iFixIt have articles on a lot of models.

Thanks Claire
That situation happens occasionally but after a few minutes it dies when still plugged in.   Given that info could it still be the battery?

[Claire.]

Not if it's plugged in, no, it should ignore the battery when plugged in. Do you not have another charger to try? If it's USB-C could take it to a repair shop and see if they'll let you test it before buying a new one.

Though saying that, the port could be fucked as well. I'd try the charger on something else if you can.

[Kenny's Jacket]

Ok thanks so we are ruling out the battery

My understanding of a usb-c is thst it’s the type of thing used on a phone ?

The charger is a black box connected to a plug with with a protruding  metal nozzle that goes inside the laptop.  There isn’t another device I can think of that the charger would work on ?

Cheers Claire

[Claire.]

Ah okay, chargers have been standardised now to use USB-C but I can't think when that happened, sounds like this is from before that.

Though you said it charges a bit, and I can't think why a broken charger would work for a bit and then conk out, they normally go dead dead. Could be the port, have a look and see if there's any dust or that or if it's loose.

[Graeme]

I've had an Asus laptop that did this, it was the charger that was faulty.

[Ben S]

My experience of Asus laptops is the charger port is a crap design and eventually doesn't hold the actual plug in.

[Kenny's Jacket]

I’ve tried blowing and wiping the hole and the charging nozzle but it’s still fucked
I’ve just re-orded the same laptop from Amazon so I will try the charger in the old laptop to see if it was actually the charger

Thanks for the advice 

[Graeme]

That’s like buying a new TV to check if the HDMI cable is faulty

[afc tukrish]

That’s like buying a new TV to check if the HDMI cable is faulty

Kenny's got a system. Don't fuck with the system...

[Titi Camara]

I’ve tried blowing and wiping the hole....

What have a stumbled onto here

[WhereAngelsPlay]

I’ve tried blowing and wiping the hole and the charging nozzle but it’s still fucked
I’ve just re-orded the same laptop from Amazon so I will try the charger in the old laptop to see if it was actually the charger

Thanks for the advice 

The joy of Amazons free returns, if it works the new charger was faulty 

[Titi Camara]

The joy of Amazons free returns, if it works the new charger was faulty 

If the new charger works, keep it...stick the old one in with the new laptop and send it all back

[WhereAngelsPlay]

If the new charger works, keep it...stick the old one in with the new laptop and send it all back

They will have a flood of faulty 4k max sticks when the new one comes out 

[Kenny's Jacket]

Kenny's got a system. Don't fuck with the system...

It’s not as daft as it sounds, if I bought just a new charger and it was the laptop, then I’ve wasted £30 on a charger and I still need a laptop

Now I might have 2 laptops,  and a charger that fits both, so I’ll just put the new one away until the old one is completely fucked.    Smart

[Kenny's Jacket]

What have a stumbled onto here

  cleanliness is next to godliness

[afc tukrish]

It’s not as daft as it sounds, if I bought just a new charger and it was the laptop, then I’ve wasted £30 on a charger and I still need a laptop

Now I might have 2 laptops,  and a charger that fits both, so I’ll just put the new one away until the new one is completely fucked. Smart

[Kenny's Jacket]

[afc tukrish]

 

[Kenny's Jacket]

Amazon have arrived. It was the charger.
Any tips on storing a laptop you dont use

[Graeme]

Told ya

[ScouserAtHeart]

Amazon have arrived. It was the charger.
Any tips on storing a laptop you dont use

Leave it at 50% charge before you put it away

[WhereAngelsPlay]

I'd send it back with the faulty charger or buy a new charger.

[Kenny's Jacket]

Told ya

If Id listened to you Id be £140 richer
that would get me about  6 bottles of Somersby on Walton Breck Road tomorrow 

[Kenny's Jacket]

That’s like buying a new TV to check if the HDMI cable is faulty

This sees quite poignant now 

[Kenny's Jacket]

Leave it at 50% charge before you put it away

Thanks

[PaulF]

Might be best to return it. It could be obsolete by the time you need it.

[Kenny's Jacket]

Might be best to return it. It could be obsolete by the time you need it.

Obsolete?

[PaulF]

What I mean is , if your current laptop lasts well. And you only get out the other laptop when it fails, it might well be only good for windows 11 as windows 12 comes out.

Possibly I'm being biased as I'm always being told I have too many laptops cluttering the place up. Admittedly some of those probably still have windows 95 on....