Umer Zahid
Believe it or not, nowadays it is nearly impossible to find a good new laptop within an affordable price range. The prices of new laptops are increasing day by day so, it’s better to buy a nice used laptop that would more than suffice your needs. With that said, this is going to be a buying guide for you to pick the perfect machine for yourself. This article is all about how to check a used laptop before buying to make sure it works perfectly.
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Things to consider before buying a Used Laptop
Buying a brand new laptop is not possible for everyone and there are times when buying a used laptop is considered as a wise decision. Not only will you get what you need – if you know what to look for – but also get a great deal out of it as well. However, there are some risks involved in buying a used laptop. So, in order to reduce those risks, here’s a few things you need to consider before buying a used laptop.
Identifying your Needs
Before buying any laptop, you should analyse your needs first. If you need a laptop for basic use like sending an email, browsing, watching movies, working with MS Office etc. then a laptop with a 4 GB RAM and a Core i3 processor is more than sufficient for you. However, if you need a laptop for advance use like gaming and video editing, then a laptop with 8 GB of RAM with core i5 or core i7 processor would be ideal for you.
After that, check its reviews online and look at what people are saying about its performance. Search for the make and model of the laptop online and print out its specifications. So, when you’re about to make the purchase, you can use that print out of specifications to verify whether or not it matches with the product you’re about buy.
Laptop Body
After identifying your needs, inspect the body of the laptop that you’re about to buy. Look for any cracks, scratches, dents etc. across all corners of the laptop body. A laptop with cracks or dents indicate that its been used carelessly by the previous owner and can malfunction in future. So, examine the physical condition of laptop carefully and look for any missing screws as well. If there is anything like a missing screw or keyboard key, then it’s better to not buy that laptop.
Laptop Screen
If you’re buying a second-hand laptop, then make sure to check the screen. Look for uneven brightness, flickers and dead pixels in the screen. If the screen has black or white spots or any of the aforementioned problems, then don’t buy it.
Battery
Next thing you need to consider before buying a used laptop is the battery. Because in second-hand laptops, you will not get a 100% battery performance. The battery backup time will not be the same as it used to give when it was new. So, ask the seller or check it yourself when you’re inspecting the laptop. Turn on the laptop and watch a video or browse the web to see at what rate the battery loses power.
Check Laptop Keyboard and Trackpad
Keyboard and Trackpad are the most used parts of any laptop. Look at the condition of every button on the keyboard and see if they are working properly or not. Also, check if your finger movement on the Trackpad is detected properly or not.
Check CD/DVD drive and all laptop Ports
After checking the keyboard and Trackpad, see if USB ports, Ethernet port, SD card slot, HDMI port, Headphone jack and CD/DVD drive is working or not. All these ports are connected to the motherboard which, if not functioning properly, can be very costly to replace.
Test Speakers and Camera
Play any video or audio to inspect speakers of the laptop and see if the sound gets distorted or muffled. Plus, although most of the webcams in the laptop are not good but it’s still better to test it before buying the laptop.
Wireless Connectivity
You don’t want a laptop which cannot connect to Wi-Fi. So, ask the seller to turn on the laptop and see if it can connects to a new network or not. Check the laptop Bluetooth as well for satisfaction.
Laptop Charger
Last but not the least, check if the laptop charger is working properly or not. Ask the seller to connect it with a power supply and see it is charging the battery or not.
These are all the things you should check before buying a used laptop. If the laptop is in warranty, then be sure to ask seller to give you the warranty card to claim any damages in the future.
This is all about how to check a used laptop before buying to make sure it works perfectly. Let us know in the comments if you have any queries pertaining to the topic.
