A refurbished or recertified laptop is one that has been previously used for a short period of time and after being returned to the manufacturer is refurbished and is available in the market for sale. The reason for return can be as small as ‘the user is not comfortable with the size of the screen.' Such computers are generally returned after 3 to 90 days of usage, as per the company policy. The manufacturer works upon the problems and re-sell the system with better features, at off course the lesser price of the original laptop.

The option of buying a refurbished model can definitely be a good choice if you want to get more features for your money and are particularly not looking for a faster performance. But, as the prices of the brand new models are continuing to plunge, people are also becoming apprehensive about investing in a refurbished model.

In the recent years there has been leveling of the playing field between a refurbished and a brand new laptop.

A refurbished laptop may have been used only for a few days. For instance, Dell offers money back within 30 days of purchase of its models, wherein the returned laptops are refurbished and then resold. The refurbished laptop offerings from the laptop majors like Dell, Gateway and IBM can save you money but their warranties and return policies are definitely not comparable with those offered by the new ones.

One thing that you can do if you are looking at some particular recertified or refurbished laptop is to survey the companies who are selling it, how reputed are they in the market, how long they have they been in the business and what is the process they undertake to refurbish their laptops.

Refurbished laptops are being touted everywhere online these days. Each company has a different process of restoring a laptop and it can never be the same. This is what a good restoration process should look like:

examination of all the hardware components

performance of various diagnostic and performance tests

incurring basic cleanups

ensuring all cut and scratch repairs

The basic aim of this process is that the machine should run just as good as when it was a brand new.

A refurbished laptop, depending from where you buy it and what your requirements are can be even better equipped than a brand new one, priced similarly.

One of the most appealing advantages is that you can save a lot of money on this mobile PC. The warranties offered on the refurbished laptops can be as good as its new counterparts. Companies like IBM and HP have in offer a standard three month warranty on their refurbished laptops, whereas the recertified Dell Inspiron comes only with a one-year warranty. However, the above three also come with warranty upgrades that come extra on your pocket.

The biggest drawback with refurbished laptops is they cannot be customized. With them you have to compromise with the only available processes configured in the machine. Apart from this, there always remains a risk while investing in these refurbished models, but a little research helps you to minimize the risk magnitude.

Another deal killer is that you often have less time to return a refurbished laptop than you do for a new model. For instance, Dell has a 14 days return policy for refurbished model though it is 30 days for the new ones.

So, the decision to buy a refurbished laptop highly places on the individual choice, preference and budget.