The issue of whether kids should be allowed to bring laptops to class is a hotly debated one and frankly there are good arguments to be made both for and against the practice; especially for high school students and younger. But the fact is while the adults argue over whether laptops have a place in schools the practice is becoming more and more common by the day. If you are inclined to agree with those who contend that, in today’s world it’s never too early for kids to become technologically proficient you probably spend time thinking about what type of laptop is best for your youngster. We think the answer is pretty obvious: refurbished cheap laptops.

Why Refurbished Cheap Laptops are the Ideal Choice for Students

With new laptops today running anywhere from $500 to $2,000 parents have a lot of considerations to weigh before plunking down that kind of cash. Primary among those considerations is whether spending that kind of money on a new laptop makes any kind of sense at all. Or whether refurbished affordable computers are the smarter move. We think the answer is obvious and here are 5 reasons why:

1. The Price - Well, duh, right? Why pay $1,000 or more for brand new laptop X when you can probably get a 2 year old refurbished version of that same computer that is in top condition and can easily handle any of today’s most memory and processor intensive software for about 1/5 the price? When you think about it that way the question shifts from being “Which thousand dollar laptop should I buy?” to “Why would anyone spend a thousand dollars on a new laptop for a student?” Remember your kids aren’t going to use their laptop to mine for Bitcoins or produce CGI intensive Hollywood movies. They need to conduct some internet research, write a few papers and maybe take a test or two.
2. They minimize potential losses - It’s no fun to have to think about this but with more than a million laptops being stolen every year would you rather lose $2,000 or $200? The fact is brand spanking new high-end laptops are weasel magnets that are likely to be swiped if your son or daughter leaves them lying around somewhere while they go to the bathroom or get otherwise distracted. Sure, you can have them insured but how much is that going to cost? We promise you it’s not cheap, simply because laptops are such in-demand items for thieves these days.
3. They provide virtually the same performance - This isn’t the 90s where each new generation of computers was leaps and bounds better than the generation that preceded it. Performance pretty much maxed out a few years ago in the sense that only about 1% of the people today could tell the difference in performance between a 2017 laptop and its 2018 “upgrade”. The fastest laptop processors for 2017 were mostly in the 2.8 to 3.3 GHz range. And for 2018 you know what the range was? That’s right; 2.8 to 3.3 GHz. Cheap laptops that have been refurbished by Affordable Computers & Repair in Wheat Ridge are typically a year or two old which means they’ll handle any kind of software you want to install. In addition, they often run faster because they are cleared of the superfluous (and largely useless) programs many manufacturers get paid to load their machines up with.
4. They can be fully customized - Refurbished computers have had their hard drives wiped clean and a new copy of the operating system installed. Which means they’re lean and mean and ready to be customized to meet your child’s particular needs and wants. Some come loaded with an open source Office document reader/editor that allows you to open and make minor adjustments to Word and Excel documents. Of course, if you want the real thing you can get that too. Except that, whereas a few years ago you would have had to install the software directly on the laptop, today you can get a subscription to the cloud variant and save space, hassles and cost.
5. They’re under warranty - Refurbished cheap laptops fall into 1 of 3 categories: they’re either Grade A, Grade B or Grade C. Grade A laptops are the cream of the crop. They typically are either completely unused or were only used in a limited fashion. They are in near pristine condition, perform like new and look indistinguishable from new machines. These affordable computers are also typically covered by up to a 1 year warranty. Keep in mind that most problems that occur with laptops occur in the first weeks of use and are related to the way the machine was built or a faulty part that was installed. If the laptop operates perfectly for several months chances are it will be fine for the long run. So extended warranties are often not needed.

Conclusion

If you live in Colorado and are contemplating buying a laptop for your boy or girl to help them with their school work don’t throw away hundreds or thousands of dollars on a brand new machine if you don’t have to. Refurbished cheap laptops are cheap in price only. In every other regard they’re up there with the best new machines. Give Affordable Computers & Repair in Wheat Ridge a call today at (720) 643-5937 to learn more.