To refurb, or not to refurb, that is the question

Some things look better on paper than in person. Property pics, travel brochures, or a deep-dish pepperoni pizza to name but a few. Before you know it, your hard-earned cash has been squandered on the substandard. The same can be said when shopping for refurbished computers. Although it may tick all the boxes at first glance, there a few things to consider before committing to a purchase.

“There goes my diet. Where’s best for pizza, Capt?”

I can’t help you with pizza, but I can help you with processors. Or more specifically, what to check before purchasing a refurbished computer.

If you don’t know, a Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the brain of your computer. It interprets, processes and executes instructions from various apps to run your operating system.

That all makes sense so far. But the confusion comes when considering the right generation of processor for the task. As with all technology, things develop quicker than a tribble’s reproductive system. So how do you know where to start?

Well, if you’re looking at a refurbished computer and want to know how old the processor might be, follow these steps:

1.?? Press the Windows key

2.?? Type ‘system’

3.?? Select system information

You’ll be presented with a processor number. The first part of the number (e.g. i5) will tell you the generation. The second number which follows the hyphen (e.g. -9400F) tells you the processor year by generation.

What you need to decide is whether the processor is fast enough to deal with modern-day business demands. And if you need a second opinion, you know where to find us.

“My pizza’s here in five. Anything else to add, Capt?”

If you’re shopping for a new computer or want to chat about upgrades to your existing hardware, give our crew a call on 01903 25 99 23. We’ll run you through your options.

Until the next time. ??