As a former college student, I remember the chief complaint that my friends and I had- which was lack of funds. Trekking to the computer lab late at night was not only inconvenient, but, (especially for my female friends), not the safest thing in the world to have to do. Having my own laptop computer would make things a lot simpler, but should I finance a laptop using money I didn’t have, or should I look at purchasing refurbished?
In order for me to make a wise decision, I stepped through a logical process:
1. What activities will I be using this laptop for?
2. What will I need to do to make this laptop integrate with the on campus network?
3. What “bells and whistles” do I want, and can I afford them.
Using budget as the primary concern, a refurbished laptop would make sense. First of all, most students needs are basic - Internet for research, Microsoft Office,(or equivalent), for papers and projects, and email to stay connected to friends. Everything else is in essence a “bell and whistle” that definitely adds to the experience, but doesn’t necessarily tie in to my budget.
Another concern is the great specials going on at the major electronics superstores. A lot of these prices come close to the prices of refurbished laptop computers, however, upon closer inspection most “deals” are based on mail in rebates. Waiting 6-8 weeks for $200.00 or more of my much- needed cash is not high on my list of priorities right now.
Looking at the situation, a refurbished business class notebook was right for me. When you think about it, it makes sense. Most business class notebooks focus on doing the basics well while throwing in a couple of bells an whistles such as a DVD drive or a firewire port here and there. They almost certainly are capable of connecting to most any network and aren’t so heavy as to not be portable.
If I were to choose today, I might look at a refurbished Dell latitude D600 [http://www.notebookspecials.com/laptops-notebook-Dell_Latitude_D600.html] which retails for $489.00. or a refurbished IBM Thinkpad R40 [http://www.notebookspecials.com/laptops-notebook-IBM_Thinkpad_R40_2682K2U.html] which retails for an even cheaper $469.00 Both offer DVD Rom, (in the case of the D600, CDRW as well), Microsoft Windows XP Professional, all required ports, and in the case of the R40, a 15″ screen, ( nice for using my laptop as a portable entertainment station.)
All in all, there are plenty of refurbished options for students which will make campus life a little richer, and ligher on the pocket.
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