Cheap laptop deals - things of the past?

virhlpool on 01/07/2023 - 18:19
Last edited 01/07/2023 - 18:19

Hi.. I am looking for a cheap laptop for day to day basic use for a friend's kid who is in primary school. I owned this laptop in the past and I remember this deal was quite frequent on OzBargain three or so years back; I was quite happy with the value for the price. This seems to be a great deal even considering it's been a few years.

Don't we have any such laptop deals in market these days? Reebelo.com.au is another option for the refurbished ones but I would prefer to recommend a new one. Can anyone who is updated with the inexpensive laptop models in the current market recommend something like the above example? Thank you!

Computing

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 01/07/2023 - 18:59
    +2

    If you're okay with 15 inch
    Acer Aspire 3 15.6" FHD IPS Laptop: AMD Ryzen 3 7320u (4C/8T), 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD $498 Harvey Norman

    But do bear in mind a refurbished business grade laptop such as a Thinkpad T / X Series, HP Elitebook or Dell Latitude can still be had for cheaper, and they typically have better build quality (and possibly lighter). The battery life may not be as good (but it depends on the age of the device).

    This is just an example of a deal you could get

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/774852
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/774816

    Try not to buy anything with Celeron N4000 / N5000 nowadays. Those CPU's are super old (released 2017) but they are still found in many budget devices (cheap doesn't mean good value)

  • mitt on 01/07/2023 - 19:48
    +5

    Cheap new laptops are generally garbage these days. Underpowered e-waste as a rule. Soldered on ram means no future upgrades. The super cheap ones will have soldered on storage too, so no HDD upgrades.

    Better bet is to get a refurbished business class laptop, usually from Ebay. I have always had good results from auscomputertraders, the 1 item I had a problem with (shipping damage) they resolved quickly & without hassles.

    There was a big performance jump between 7th & 8th gen intel, keep that in mind if you get refurbished.

    • virhlpool on 01/07/2023 - 23:49

      Thanks for the recommendation. Their website is quite good too: https://www.australiancomputertraders.com.au/

      • bargaino on 02/07/2023 - 00:17
        +2

        From a quick look, a lot of their prices now are very high compared to deals posted here from them in the past. I guess they jack the price up when only a small number remain.
        Supply is volatile, and you may need to wait for a big batch to come in the get a good price. Or choose wisely.

        • mitt on 02/07/2023 - 00:59

          Most of the deals posted here from them are via eBay 20/22% off codes. waiting for one of those promos then buying through their eBay store usually gives the best result, especially if you have eBay plus & you wait for some discounted eBay gift cards to stack up.

    • Sinnerator on 02/07/2023 - 08:53

      Why are they underpowered what level of folding, home lab, seti are you expecting from them ???
      My 4 core pentium n5030with 4gb is adequate for home use.
      Any i5 or ryzen in the last 5 years will be OVERKILL for home use.

      • mitt on 02/07/2023 - 12:25

        Underpowered for running a browser with multiple tabs/extensions. They are fine for super light browsing but they bog down the moment you have multiple tabs open/install a bunch of extensions/try to run word/excel/browser at the same time. With how garbage memory management is in most software now 4gb isn't enough imo, especially if you want a few years use out of it.

        But its mostly down to value:

        As a comparison two similarly priced laptops: one of the refurb deals posted here

        https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/774816

        $279 refurb
        Model: EliteBook 830 G5
        Form Factor: Notebook
        Processor: Intel Core i5 8350U 1.70GHz
        Storage: 128GB
        Storage Type: SSD
        Display: 13.3" diagonal FHD IPS anti-glare LED-backlit
        Memory: 8GB

        Upgradeable ram & SSD

        vs new, prob could get it aprox 20% cheaper if you waited for a good sale/stacked gift cards

        https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/lenovo-14-…
        $ 315 lenovo
        14" LED display with a 1366 x 768 resolution.
        Intel Celeron N4020 processor.
        4 GB RAM.
        64 GB eMMc storage capacity.

        refurbs are just a better deal.

        • furyou on 14/07/2023 - 22:56

          but refurbs have no guarantee on the screen right?
          I tried a refurb once i'm not sure from which shop and it said it should be in good condition
          however there were very significant bruises on the screen that are so apparent immediately.

          • mitt on 17/07/2023 - 00:05

            @furyou: I have purchased multiple refurb monitors without ever having a screen fault. Any laptop/screen with bruising should be listed as C grade.

  • Guerilla89 on 02/07/2023 - 03:53
    +1

    I like using Reboot IT: https://www.reboot-it.com.au/used-laptops/?rf=&sortby=lowest…

    I'd get this one for a student: https://www.reboot-it.com.au/p/Used-Laptops/Acer-Laptops/Ace…

    ~13" is a good size, the smaller the less chance of a broken screen. USB-C charging is good as well when using 2nd hand laptops as it allows using a USB-C battery bank but I'm not sure if this laptop supports it. 8th gen i3 or better should be upgradable to Windows 11 as well.

  • PR0r on 02/07/2023 - 07:40
    +1

    It's stretching the definition of cheap but $587 ain't bad

    https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-15-lap…

  • solidussnake on 02/07/2023 - 09:04
    +1

    Get an ex Gov laptop with 8th gen Intel

    • virhlpool on 02/07/2023 - 12:34

      Where to buy one from?

      • captain womble on 02/07/2023 - 21:26
        +3

        I second 8th gen intel or higher. Why? Because windows 11 only officially supports 8th gen plus. (or 2nd gen ryzen)
        You can fiddle around and install on less than, but it's trouble and only worth it if you're already savvy really.
        as to where:
        renewd,com.au can be ok. They do jack their prices so their specials look better though. Their prices aren't worth it without a 40-50-60 percent off deal. I've gotten great deals from there though (the pc I am on now was from there 2.5 years ago)
        reboot it (above) is good
        Fusetech computers can be really good (when they are open - they are currently "closed for holidays" and have their site passworded - with no end date https://fusetechau.com.au/ )
        computer alliance can do ok sometimes https://www.computeralliance.com.au/
        megabuy can have decent refurb stuff https://www.megabuy.com.au/refurbished-c25.html

        Otherwise keep an eye on this search result: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/search/node/laptop%20sort%3Acre…
        (just the word "laptop" and sorted by creation date, most recent at top) and you can find excellent deals.
        A few weeks ago I got a $784 brand new 12th gen gaming laptop with gtx 3050 (only 8gig ram, needed update) and had afterpay been willing to lend me more than the starting $600 (aka: I was already using it) it would have been $809. For that saving I would have gotten afterpay! Disclaimer: it's a lightweight MSI that people whinge about the hinges on. I don't plan to move it much so that's low worry for me

        • captain womble on 02/07/2023 - 21:29
          +1

          incidentally: why do I say win 11 is important? Because windows 10's service lifespan ends in (october) 2025.
          But they never turned off the "free upgrade" for windows 10 to 11 (or previous windows versions: even windows 7 keys still register and install windows 11, so you're good with whatever providing the hardware supports the upgrade :)

          • virhlpool on 02/07/2023 - 23:30

            @captain womble: Thanks for sharing. Super useful.

            • captain womble on 02/07/2023 - 23:52

              @virhlpool: How to compare cpu speeds? It's an imperfect solution as cpu makers make their cpus to be really good at benchmarks, but it's the best we really have. Google the cpu chip (eg: i5 1135g7, ryzen 3 7320u) with the word "benchmark" after it and compare the figures on resulting benchmark pages. Just make sure whichever site you use is always the same one - I use cpubenchmark.net which is the Passmark one - so the numbers mean something in relation to each other. Anything about 6,000 benchmarks is good enough in my mind for at least a while longer (10k if gaming), which is roughly a "middle of the range" 8th gen i5 or higher's capability.

              8gb RAM will do you (unless you game or need it for something else), for now.. but make sure the system can handle more ram if needed/wanted in a year or two (ideally an empty slot, but definitely not no slots a all/soldered ram (=no upgrade option).

              Can do the same thing with video cards (google with benchmark on the end), bjt make sure you add the word "laptop" and that the result is the laptop version of the video card, as they are slower than the desktop version (power limitations and cooling issues I think) Again I use passmark's results (videocardbenchmark.net)
              note that if the videocard is not specified or says something like "radeon" or "vega" or "intel HD 620" then it's an onboard rather than dedicated video card. This is linked to the CPU type, so google the cpu number and "type of graphics" and then google the benchmark for the result (eg: vega 6, iris xe)

              (can also use this to get a general idea re specs needs for games etc: google what they give as minimum or recommended with benchmark on the end and see how much "speed" they expect. Also note that each passmark page lists when "first appeared in charts" so you can get an idea of age of the tech - or the oldest a refurbed product might be)

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