Buying Amazon Refurbished PCs - Good Idea, or Not So Much?

Do you really need that high-end, expensive new PC? Or are there alternatives that can get you everything you need at a fraction of the cost of new? In this video, I explore the world of "Amazon Renewed" PCs: what to look for, what you can expect to pay, and what you'll find when that beautiful, big brown box comes in. Check this out and then go shopping!

[wnewbury]

I bought 2 different refurb computers from Amazon. Both worked as expected but I have purchased cheaper computers on ebay. I was happy buying from Amazon because of much less risk, their return policy and the quality of their refurbs. Paying a little more was worth it to me.

[ScarletAmethyst]

One thing to be aware of when buying renewed PCs from Amazon (maybe possibly Walmart and eBay) is the seller tends to use poor quality components namely the SSD and Wi-Fi adapter. That SSD shown in 11:57 is a KingFast SSD which are known to fail and that may explain the 1 star reviews complaining of the "hard drive not found". The Wi-Fi adapter (if included) is usually one of those no-name "Realtek" adapters which don't perform well compared to name brand adapters like TP-Link and in worst case scenario, they may be N150 or 2.4 GHz only which will result in slow Wi-Fi compared to a good quality Wi-Fi 5 (AC) or Wi-Fi 6 (AX) adapter. The keyboard and mouse, especially the "gaming" keyboard and mouse, usually aren't good and I would replace them if a better keyboard or mouse is available.

[DennisJWilson]

i buy Refurbished computers get taken apart then sell the parts for more money

[Youtub]

I bought an Amazon refurbished Dell optiplex 7050 as a "just in case" extra computer. Delivered April 29, 2023. Set it up. It worked. Turned it on a couple times since. Didn't run it more than 2 hours. October 5th, 2023, I actually needed it. Apparently the motherboard is dead. It is 35 days past the last return date. Amazon won't do a damn thing about it. I use Amazon for shopping all the time. I will continue to do so; however, I will never buy any type of refurbished product from them again. First time I ever attempted to return an item. Very bad taste in my mouth.

[blinderII]

Thank you from New Brunswick! Just stumbled upon your video, and the information within was exactly what i was looking for! I've been humming and hawing for about a week now about whether to buy new or refurbished, and i think i'll take a chance on a refurbished unit. You spoke clearly, not too fast, organized and informative. Thanks again...great video!

[juanmeowmix]

Good video and what I was looking for. I had been thinking of getting one for a family member who would use it for limited productivity. If I had known that they were not that expensive I would have bought one for myself there.

[Andrew-dpkf]

I agree with the sentiment here regarding not buying more computer than you need, I gave up buying new PCs for our office ages ago

having recently upgraded from an older HP I5 Windows 7 to a HP elite desk 800 g3 i7 6700, running windows 10, it’s blistering fast and still runs all the required workstation office/design apps without fuss.

[writerpatrick]

Another thing to note is that they usually come with OEM versions of the OS so you can't transfer them to another computer.

[TaskForce-nrsd]

The Dell/HP business-grade lines are higher quality. But they're typically left on 24/7 for 5-8 years until lease expires or the I.T. shop replaces them as part of a refresh cycle. So now you wonder, how much longer will it last? And what exactly did the refurbisher do? Just a cleaning and a cheap SSD? Did they replace the power supply? (if they did replace a proprietary power supply, the refurb price goes up) It's why I prefer something like Dell Outlet, rather than a refurbisher. An open-box/customer return/minor repair new system is a better gamble than one that's seen 7 years of hard usage. That being said, I'd trust Amazon more than the refurbishers on Newegg, and a 90-day return policy over a 30-day one.

[TOSStarTrek]

Never use Amazon. Plain to leave it. They just added shipping to the price. It says free delivery now not free shipping now.

[sethystevenson]

Thanks! I'm looking for a computer to make music and Amazon has such good deals compared to buying new from a retail store. I'm not very tech savvy so I'm a bit weary. Very good video thanks

[curtwuollet]

I just paid $100 for a elitedesk 800 G2 1gB sdd, 16 gb RAM, kb, mouse. Excellent deal, I run linuxmint, no issues at all

[JeffRyman]

The issue in the next couple of years is that most of these refurbished systems are not going to be able to run Windows 11 so their lifetime is going to be limited. This will change when, for example, 8th gen Intel cpus or the equivalent AMD cpus start showing up in these refurbished systems.

[lspoweredsx]

I bought two on Amazon with asurion warranty. First one had a hard drive failure they replaced drive and stull works good. Second one just had a port fail, they could bot repair vut gave me a gift card for what i paid for it. I found the same one i bought 2 years ago for half the price with more ram. Tempted to buy it again. Part if me wants new. Cant decide.

[my-yt-inputs]

This video popped up on my YT feed and thought I'd watch it. I've purchased 2 HP Elitedesk systems through Amazon. One is 800 G2 and the newest one is G5. Even though I got a wireless dongle my systems both had built in wifi so really no need for an added wifi dongle. I upgraded both to Wireless AX M.2 cards.
The most recent one I got I wanted one with a more modern cpu so got one with a 9th gen Intel. It was supposed to be a 9500T but got the plain 9500 instead(65w). It's now running Win11.

These are great little PCs depending on ones need.

[SuperFredAZ]

If the PC is not 8th gen Intel or 2nd gen Ryzen (this was a 6th gen), it will be obsolete in less than 2 years. You will not be able to install Windows 11 with a legitimate copy in October, 2025. If you don't do this you will be vulnerable to all kinds of bad things. This computer should only legitimately be used for Linux by then.

[riceski]

I bought one of these pc's a H/P 32 gig of ram 1T HD paid over 400 for it - it's a 2015. refurbished by Greentoptec this company is dead -- i have a pc that this week turned to a brick. I want to try to save the SSD -- it was pulled to test on an external drive and I am told it is a total brick. What's my next best move? The Asurence Co - says take it anywhere and we will reimburse you. I do not trust them -- what to do?

[alaaginger]

What brand would you recommend when it comes to mini/micro pcs renewed? Lenovo, HP or Dell.

[INSXNE]

Are these PCs good for light gaming and streaming?

[Alpha-msnj]

I appreciate these kinds of informative videos. I've been thinking of repurposing my old Dell GX520 to a linux OS and getting something a little more up to date with Windows 10/11 capable but wasn't sure about Amazon refurbishers. Thanks for the heads up.