A used computer can be a great deal or somebody else’s problem with a price on it. Most of the difference shows up in a few minutes of checking before any money changes hands.
Topics in this note
- Does it power on and boot without errors?
- Storage health and how much life the drive has left
- Battery condition on laptops
- Screen, keyboard, ports, hinges, and fans
- Signs of liquid damage or opened cases
- Whether it’s locked to a previous owner’s account
- If it can run the operating system you actually want
None of this guarantees a good machine, but it catches most of the expensive surprises.