Refurb Computers

[Mike A.]

Nothing great that I see right now but DellRefurbished.com is reliable and has some pretty good deals a times. All off-lease business machines. They've had 48% off anything going for a few days so kind of cleaned out of the better stuff now. Can do a little better on price elsewhere if you hunt but that's easy, they always have some kind of sale going, you get a 90-day warranty, and usually free shipping. Once in a while they'll drop the prices on some at the same time that they have the 45%-50% off coupons and you can get a great deal. I've bought quite a few from there and all have been like new and no issues.

 

[IAmATeaf]

I personally wouldn’t want kids using/playing on/around my BI PC?

 

[dryfly]

Nothing great that I see right now but DellRefurbished.com is reliable and has some pretty good deals a times. All off-lease business machines. They've had 48% off anything going for a few days so kind of cleaned out of the better stuff now. Can do a little better on price elsewhere if you hunt but that's easy, they always have some kind of sale going, you get a 90-day warranty, and usually free shipping. Once in a while they'll drop the prices on some at the same time that they have the 45%-50% off coupons and you can get a great deal. I've bought quite a few from there and all have been like new and no issues.

Yes, I've looked on there and with the discount the prices are OK. Seems like with Amazon you get a little more bang for the buck but I'm not sure the cosmetics of the cases are as good. Not a big deal unless they have been ran in dirty environment. Another benefit is many have free returns, so if they look too rough no problem returning.

 

[mat200]

Yes, I've looked on there and with the discount the prices are OK. Seems like with Amazon you get a little more bang for the buck but I'm not sure the cosmetics of the cases are as good. Not a big deal unless they have been ran in dirty environment. Another benefit is many have free returns, so if they look too rough no problem returning.

fwiw - I've had good luck with Craigslist

 

[concord]

Any old computer will do for Linux, unless you plan to do video editing, CAD/CAM, etc. I run most computers on Linux (scratch build Plex server,X200, X220, X240 thinkpads, etc) other than my BI and office computer for doing taxes, etc.

For those looking for Blue Iris computer, be aware that End Of Life (EOL) for Windows 10 is Oct. 2025. Windows 11 may run on older gen CPUs, but MS will not support them with updates, at least that's what the are saying the last time I looked.

 

[mat200]

Any old computer will do for Linux, unless you plan to do video editing, CAD/CAM, etc. I run most computers on Linux (scratch build Plex server,X200, X220, X240 thinkpads, etc) other than my BI and office computer for doing taxes, etc.

For those looking for Blue Iris computer, be aware that End Of Life (EOL) for Windows 10 is Oct. 2025. Windows 11 may run on older gen CPUs, but MS will not support them with updates, at least that's what the are saying the last time I looked.

Windows 11 .. not supported on my Dell i7-6th gen .. according to ms

 

[sebastiantombs]

No a very "green" decision on the part of Microsoft.

 

[The Automation Guy]

The comments on a "reliable seller" makes me wonder who they are. There are lots of sellers on Ebay and Amazon, and as I mentioned above, not much of a way to tell who the reliable ones are. At least some of the ones on Amazon offer free returns.

I think any high-volume seller with a good transaction history/rating is going to be fine. There are also lots of non-profit groups that collect and then resell computers on EBay etc to fund their primary function. Although they fall into the "high volume seller with good ratings" category, you could also limit yourself to those type of sellers and probably have a great transaction.

 

[IAmATeaf]

Windows 11 .. not supported on my Dell i7-6th gen .. according to ms

My HP i5 6500 is also not supported, for mine it has TPM 2 but just the CPU is not supported.

MS have now officially announced a way to bypass the CPU and TPM checks but in the same page they do warn that if you install using this method they may not provide future updates to W11?

Ways to install Windows 11 - Microsoft Support

Learn how to install Windows 11, including the recommended option of visiting the Windows Update page in Settings.

support.microsoft.com

 

[Flintstone61]

I have bought about 10 Dell Optiplex over the years from what appear to be Corporate lease returns, from bulk resellers like " Nevada Center for the Blind" or other non profits on Ebay. Not that I'm recommending a particular seller.
But you've got to do your Homework on seller research. If they have huge transaction numbers, and lower %age of satisfied buyers, and 1 photo saying that "all units will have some wear and are grade B blah blah blah...I keep looking.
Sometimes the smaller sellers are more responsive and have better photos and details on the listing.
My main use was to replace 3 Windows XP era POS terminals at a restaurant. 24/7 operation. I put some optiplex 980's and 790's with windows 7 on them in service in 2015. The only thing that fails on them has been the power supplies, and they lasted until 2020, i just replaced the last power supply on a 980, and they are humming along just fine. Optiplex parts are easy to identify and readily available on Ebay and some other sites. I have purchased used both new and used Power supplies, and replaced noisy CPU cooler fans on this XP era machines, before they became obsolete.
I have a 9020 Optiplex Tower that has been my main machine for 4-5 years. I've bought 3 more Optiplex over the years for other folks, and have had 0 service calls on component failures. I'm running BI on 3 computers, all from Ebay. It's just parts, Parts in parts out.