Buying a Dell refurb and NEED HELP!!

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  holdenmg on 26/08/2015 - 18:33

  If you are in an Auto Club such as RACV, check out the Member Discounts:
  http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/ap/topics/…

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    melbsparky6 on 26/08/2015 - 18:45

    Just checked apparently with DFO stock they don't offer any discounts.

    Thanks anyway though

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  YadaYadaYada on 26/08/2015 - 19:09

  +1

  If you're willing to spend $60 more you can get the same laptop new through dell's ebay store.

  http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-Dell-Laptop-Inspiron-15-3000-…

  This would be achieved by applying the code for 20% off (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/208273), and using cashrewards for cashback.

  Otherwise that 20% off selected stores at ebay also has some major retailers participating who sell laptops. You might be able to find something else there.

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    melbsparky6 on 26/08/2015 - 20:10

    Cheers definitely gonna go this route if I choose this laptop

    • 

      ozdesi on 26/08/2015 - 21:36

      spend 60 more and get a new one

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  scrimshaw on 26/08/2015 - 19:14

  Stay away from AMD APU series laptops, they are shite.

  You're doing yourself a disservice if you're buying an Inspiron, these are consumer grade stuff, if you want a laptop that can handle a few knocks get a business-grade line.

  Spend a bit more (say 600-680 ish) and get a Dell Latitude. Much better reliability, easier to repair and much better warranty options.

  why not try the DFO-3315486LT, for $689 it's not expensive plus it's also an AS NEW as opposed to a refurbed condition.

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    melbsparky6 on 26/08/2015 - 20:14

    Want a Latitude but the 3315486LT is i3. Would you see much difference between i3 and i5?

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      scrimshaw on 26/08/2015 - 21:30

      Would just be doing general browsing, spreadsheets, occasional HD movies and the misses needs sims so will probably get an external optical drive but will also need decent battery life.

      Nope. Not with the stuff the laptop needs to do. Gaming performance will be a tad lower but that's about it. If your spreadsheets are not huge then Core i3 shouldn't matter either.

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        melbsparky6 on 27/08/2015 - 01:09

        Thanks scrimshaw. Last one and I'm done lol. when it comes to future proofing that's obviously out the window but I at least want a laptop that will last. The latitude or the i5 do you think will last at least a couple years with daily use?

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        scrimshaw on 27/08/2015 - 02:33

        The Latitude will have much better longevity than an Inspiron. In terms of build and spare parts availability down the road.
        Latitudes also come with business tech support – and the business tech staff are much more competent than the consumer staff.

        As for the performance difference, benchmarks indicate that the i5-5200U is roughly 30% faster than the i3. That's owing to it's faster clock speed. The eBay inspiron also has a low-end nvidia 820M. That might interest you if you want to play some casual games on it, but the GPU has zero benefits for a work machine. Battery life is also a bit shorter too, because the graphics card also needs power. Expect maybe 4-5 hours of use with standard 4 cell battery.

        Re: The Latitude: 3315486LT does come specced with a bigger battery — the 6 cell 65Wh extended model, so you can be sure it has plenty of juice, maybe between 6-7 hours. Perfect if you are the traveling type, as the laptop is more robust. The laptop is also a 14" model, as opposed to the 15.6" Inspiron you were looking at.

        There's no hurry to buy it, if you want more oomph you can always keep checking the Outlet store to see if Core i5 latitudes show up. I can see a few for around $799.