In recent years, laptop computers have become much more popular than desktops, especially among students. It is estimated that well over 90% of college students that own a computer will buy a laptop instead of a desktop. The advantages of portability and the growing number of available wireless internet hubs make this an easy choice.
The downside of buying laptops is that they are generally much more expensive than desktop computers that have the same amount of power and memory.
Fortunately, this is one area where college students can easily save a lot of money. Many laptop computer manufacturers, such as Dell, HP, and Gateway, all have a wide selection of used laptop computers which are refurbished and resold at prices much lower than you would pay for a brand new notebook. Although they are “used”, they have been refitted and re-inspected by the manufacturer and even given a warranty that usually covers the first 90 days after purchase.
At today’s prices, it’s hard to find a new laptop computer for less than $750, and even then you are buying the cheapest model with the smallest screen size and minimum amount of power. To get a bigger screen, more memory, and more processing speed, you can easily end up paying from $1,000 to $2,000 or more for a new laptop.
With a used laptop, you can get the same power and screen size of the pricier new laptops without paying the higher price. The lower-priced used laptops can range from $300 to $800, and these aren’t weak little Celerons or Semprons. At this price range, you could be getting a Pentium M, Centrino, Core Duo, or Turion 64 with 512MB to 1GB of memory and at least a 14” screen. Used laptops in the $300 to $800 price range also typically have a hard drive with 30 to 120 gigabytes of space, plus a preloaded operating system, such as Windows XP or Vista. Brand new laptops with the same specifications would easily cost two or three times the price of a similarly-equipped refurbished model.
So, if you’re looking for areas to save money as you head off to college, start by buying a refurbished used laptop instead of a brand new one. You’ll be walking around campus with a very capable computer for your college studies, except you’ll have a few hundred extra dollars left over for other expenses.