A laptop is an expensive thing, and therefore the first reason to buy a used laptop is to save money, because the price of such a device is usually 30-50% lower than that of a new one. However, a fly in the ointment can spoil a barrel of honey, and the saved money will have to be spent on repairing the device. How to check a used laptop when buying to minimize the risk will be described in this article.
Warranty
Before meeting with the seller, check with him if the warranty has expired. Having the opportunity to repair for free and having overlooked several critical flaws, you don’t have to worry, because the repair in this case is not your concern, the manufacturer or seller will take care of it.
There is another option that a company selling used laptops is ready to provide a guarantee itself, but in this case its period will be short - 2-3 months. This time is enough to identify the main flaws if you are not well versed in technology and cannot check it in a short time.
Cracks and chips
First of all, checking the laptop control unit should begin with its visual inspection. Chips and cracks indicate that the device has been dropped or beaten, and this is fraught with damage to internal components. A microcrack on the motherboard does not manifest itself instantly, but if it is present, after a couple of months of use, the laptop may fail.
If there is no serious damage, but the appearance of the case is spoiled by scratches, we can say that the seller handled his laptop carefully. It is impossible to protect any laptop from scratches, even if you always carry it in your bag.
How to check a used laptop when buying: the second step
Turn on your laptop and wait for Windows to load. Apply gentle pressure to the main body of the laptop, or try bending it slightly. Similar actions should be performed in relation to the screen cover. If the laptop was used inaccurately, the contacts from the boards may move away. In this case, the device will freeze or several dead pixels will appear on the screen.
A dead pixel is a black dot on the monitor. It looks like this because it does not display one or more colors of the gamut. If such a point is located on the edge of the screen, it is unlikely to interfere with comfortable work. Even new cheap laptops can have a few dead pixels, and manufacturers don't hide it. On the contrary - they say that 3-5 black dots on the matrix are the norm, more - marriage.
If a crystal has lost its properties due to inaccurate operation, it is likely that there will benew blackheads appear regularly.
Since you can check a used laptop when buying for broken pixels using special programs, you should download one of them to a USB flash drive, at the same time you will be able to find out if the USB ports are damaged. The application will fill the screen with different colors, and the user only needs to look at the screen to notice the flaw.
Battery
Connect the charger to the laptop. Look at the tray icons. The operating system must notify the user that the computer is connected to the network. If an informational message pops up in the lower right corner of the screen about the need to replace the battery, it means that it has served its time, and you should not wait for a long battery life.
Now unplug your laptop and work on your laptop. It is desirable to find out the real operating time of the device when powered by a battery. If the computer shuts down when the OS says it has 20 percent or more charge, the battery will need to be replaced soon.
Pay attention to the indicator in the tray, if after disconnecting the memory from the machine, its indication does not change, the socket is probably faulty in the laptop. If, after connecting the device to the network, the charge does not start immediately or stops after some time until the connector is moved, then the computer needs repair.
Keyboard and touchpad
Giving advice when buying a laptop, you can not ignore such important things as the keyboard and touchpad. And if the latter is possibleeasy to replace the mouse, then replacing the keyboard will require special skills.
Open a text editor. Your best bet is not to use hotkeys, but to launch it from the start menu. Thus, it will just turn out to check how well the touchpad works. In a notepad, you should first type each letter, and then try to type the text. Don't forget to check the numbers and the TAB, ENTER, SPACE, DEL, HOME, END, PG_DOWN, PG_UP buttons.
To test other buttons, use the standard set of Windows hotkeys.
Laptop for games
Gaming laptop BU, among other things, needs to check the cooling system. This operation can be performed using special software, but it is much easier to install and run some "heavy" game.
If after 10-20 minutes of work in this mode the computer starts to fail or turns off, then the cooling system can not cope with its work. Too hot air blown out of the laptop by the cooler also indicates a malfunction. Be careful, cheap gaming laptops are often sold due to overheating.
Listen to the noise of the fan. During its operation, no rattling or rattle should be heard. Just a strong hum suggests that the radiators will have to be cleaned after purchase. This is a rather complicated operation that requires special skills and knowledge; to perform it, the computer will have to be sent to a service center for several days, which will lead to additional spending of money.funds.
Sound
One of the simplest tests is a sound test. Take a USB stick with several music tracks with you and try playing them in the player. If there is no sound, there are two options - missing drivers or an "iron" malfunction. In the first case, exclamation marks will be displayed in the Device Manager in front of one or more items.
Conclusion
This article described how to check a used laptop when buying. I must say that the above is general and incomplete information. There are many more little things that may require close attention. If you do not have the knowledge and skills at least at the level of an advanced user, the risk of buying a device with a flaw is very high. In this case, you are playing the lottery.
