Looking around the average home you’re likely to see a range of computers and other electronic equipment, representing a significant investment of money over the years. Depending on what you’re using them for, refurbished laptops and second-hand computers are a great way to save money where you can – meaning you can spend it on higher-end items when you need to.
How many computers do you have at home? His and hers desktops, perhaps a laptop or netbook if you’re used to bringing work home from the office or need something that can travel with you. Maybe a tablet for entertainment, checking email and browsing; a console – or two – dedicated to gaming. Perhaps you each have a smartphone, which may or may not double as a sound system and library for music and podcasts. If you’re a little higher-tech then you might have any number of further machines – servers, backup computers, storage for video and other media. Needless to say, when you start adding up the cost of it all, you’re easily looking at a four-figure sum – and probably much higher. So how do you kit out a new place from scratch or give your home a high-tech overhaul without breaking the bank?
Refurbished laptops
One of the key factors in determining how much to spend is what you need your computers for. In some cases you’ll want something towards the top end of the market; if you’re looking for a games machine or have specialist software for work then you’ll need something fairly powerful and up-to-date. On the other hand, if you’re just looking for a basic machine for casual browsing and email, you can opt for something far lower-spec.
Similarly, if you want a word-processing machine or something that’s little more than a big hard-drive, you can get away without the kind of high-end set-ups that will set you back a thousand pounds or more. The computer industry moves fast, and what’s cutting-edge today can look fairly blunt in a couple of years. Consequently, refurbished laptops can sell for as little as a hundred or two hundred pounds, but depending what you need them for they will be more than adequate.
Smart choices on smartphones
The electronics industry is arguably the most obvious face of consumer culture. It’s not just technology that drives change: it’s advertising. We’re encouraged to buy the latest big thing, whether or not we need it. The good news is that if you don’t fall for the propaganda there are plenty of second-hand devices around to pick up cheaply. Like refurbished laptops, these are perfectly serviceable and offer all you will need from them – without the inflated price tag.
Smartphones are becoming ubiquitous additions to the list of household computer equipment, but the latest models are pricey – you can expect two years tied into a contract at thirty or forty pounds a month. That’s easily £1,500 over the period – three months of the average household’s mortgage payments. However, you can find older iPhones and other smartphones comparatively cheaply online – and whenever a new model comes out, a flood of second-hand devices hits the market and drives prices down further. Pick one up with a sim-only deal and you can save yourself more than £1,000 over two years.
Open source is your friend
Finally, you may be put off not by the hardware of a refurbished laptop or other second-hand machine, but by the outdated software on it. Many computers have a thoroughly decent spec but are let down by ancient and unsupported versions of Windows and Microsoft Office. A new licence can set you back more than the computer.
The great news here is that there is a community of people in the world who believe so strongly that software should be free that they spend their spare time creating and distributing it for nothing. If you don’t want to pay to upgrade the operating system or creaky office software on a refurbished laptop, this can be a very smart alternative. Linux still has something of a geeky reputation, but there are versions (like Ubuntu) around that are easy to install and use and are slim enough to work well on anything from a netbook upwards. They typically come bundled with all the software you’ll need, including Firefox and the excellent Open Office, which is largely compatible with the Microsoft suite.
