These days, money is a big issue.  When looking for a laptop, you want the best deal for your money.  This is why you need to critically look at the features out there, and see if they meet your needs and expectations.  You know if you are getting a good deal if you know exactly what it is you are looking for, how long the features you want will last you, and what you may need to buy in order to compensate for personal needs: do I want a different mouse, keyboard, or monitor?  Is there hardware like RAM, a graphics card, or sound card that I may want to upgrade?  All of these questions are important when you are buying a laptop.  We have provided you with some basic questions you should ask yourself when looking at purchasing a laptop.

Is the processor speed what I need?

Many refurbished laptops come with slower processors installed.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  The first thing you need to do is check the system requirements for the software or online programs you want to use.  If the processor meets matches or exceeds the requirements, then you will be fine.  Consider, too, that you may have to upgrade your processor with a future upgrade to your software, so it might be better to seek a laptop with a higher processing speed so you won’t have to dish out more money in the future.

How much RAM does the computer come with AND can I add RAM if I need more?

Refurbished laptops sometimes do offer much RAM, but you can always add RAM rather inexpensively – just make sure that the computer specifications allow for you to add the RAM that you need.  Remember to include the cost of the extra RAM in your total price when considering a laptop, as you may be able to save with a different laptop that has the RAM you need.

How big is the hard drive?

Laptops usually come with the basic hard drive size to meet the average user’s needs (from 160GB – 320GB).  The hard drive is probably the easiest feature to upgrade.  This is great as you can usually buy a laptop with a larger hard drive without worrying about having to upgrade it in the near future.

Is the software up-to-date?

Refurbished laptops usually come with a set of applications already installed.  Sometimes, these aren’t the latest version.  This is usually ok, but you can see how much it would cost to upgrade to the latest application and include that in the total price of your laptop purchase.

What other features might you want?

Since refurbished laptops often come from manufacturers seeking to liquidate their inventory, you can often get features already included that may not otherwise come standard in a retail laptop.  Optical drives, more USB ports, built-in web cams may exceed what you are looking for, if you are willing to spend the time comparing models.  The key is patience.