Do students on a tight budget want to buy a second-hand computer? The ultimate guide to avoiding pitfalls across the entire internet is out: Remember the three "don't buys".
Recently, Lei Technology has produced a lot of content related to the high school graduation season after the college entrance examination. It covers everything from product recommendations to offline visits, and has received a lot of attention and likes from readers. However, during the visits, Xiaolei found that the budgets of many prospective college students are actually quite limited. Take laptops for example. It's already good if someone has a budget of six or seven thousand yuan. Many people only have a budget of three or four thousand yuan. If they want more budget, they have to "fend for themselves" - by taking summer jobs.
Although taking a summer job can be a good way to exercise oneself in advance, based on Xiaolei's personal experience, the summer vacation after senior year of high school might be better spent on other things, such as going out with friends to "see the world" or finding some new hobbies.
So, how can we buy a suitable laptop when the budget is limited? The answer is simple: buy a second - hand one. However, the second - hand laptop market has always been a "deep water area" for digital products, and there are all kinds of deceptive tricks. Therefore, Lei Technology has decided to write a simple guide to avoid pitfalls in the second - hand market, so that friends in need can buy a satisfactory computer.
Which second - hand laptops are worth buying?
When it comes to second - hand products, the main purchasing channels currently are second - hand trading platforms such as Xianyu, Paipai, and Zhuanzhuan. Among them, Xianyu mainly focuses on individual transactions, but it also has an official carefully - selected channel. Simply put, the seller sends the product to Xianyu's testing center, and then a specific test report is issued. The seller can set the price based on the report, and then the product will be stored in Xianyu's warehouse, waiting for the buyer to place an order and then be shipped.
Paipai and Zhuanzhuan mainly deal with products officially recycled. These are the mobile phones and laptops that we usually sell through trade - in programs on platforms like JD.com. After testing and refurbishment, they will be listed for sale on these platforms. In terms of product quality and guarantee, choosing the official channels is obviously the best option. However, the prices of second - hand products on these channels may not be very attractive.
Take the Paipai second - hand self - operated zone on JD.com as an example. A Shadow Elf 9 gaming laptop with a 13th - generation i9 and an RTX 4060, in 90% new condition, is priced at 5,919 yuan. Friends who have some knowledge of the gaming laptop market might start complaining: How dare they price it so high?
Image source: JD.com
Let's make a direct comparison. The following is a screenshot of the official JD.com self - operated page of the Shadow Elf 11. The official price is 7,899 yuan (Plus members can get a discount of dozens of yuan), and the price after the national subsidy is 6,319 yuan. The price difference between the new Shadow Elf 11 and the second - hand Shadow Elf 9 is only 400 yuan. You should know that the Shadow Elf 9 was first launched in April 2023, which is more than two years ago. Even though the performance of the 13th - generation i9 is slightly better than that of the 14th - generation i7, the difference in gaming performance is quite small.
However, the graphics card has been upgraded from the RTX 4060 to the RTX 5060, which supports the latest DLSS technology, and the improvement in core performance is actually quite significant. According to Lei Technology's previous actual test results, the RTX 5060 can basically meet the requirements of playing 3A games at 2K high - quality graphics, while the RTX 4060 struggles a bit.
Image source: JD.com
So, although official second - hand platforms offer guarantees, they often lack cost - effectiveness. Sometimes, like in the case of the Shadow Elf, it's even better to buy a brand - new one. Of course, the reasons for this situation are quite complex. For example, in 2023, the prices of gaming laptops generally increased due to the impact of semiconductor supply, and new products have national subsidy discounts. However, no matter what the reasons are, if it's expensive, it's expensive, and there's no excuse for it.
Lei Technology searched the official channels of several mainstream second - hand platforms and found that the situation is generally similar. The price increases for gaming laptops are generally quite high. When new products are eligible for national subsidies, the cost - effectiveness of second - hand gaming laptops on these channels is really disappointing.
The situation for ultra - thin laptops is a bit better. For products like the MacBook, those in 95% new condition or better can generally be several hundred to a thousand yuan cheaper than brand - new ones after the national subsidy (depending on the original price). If you have no demand for gaming, you can directly consider buying a satisfactory ultra - thin laptop from an official second - hand platform.
Here are also some suggestions for you. If your needs are mainly for audio - visual entertainment and document editing, you can directly consider the MacBook with the M2 chip, which is the 2022 model. Spending more money on the M3 or M4 models won't bring you a much better experience. It's better to spend the budget on larger storage.
Image source: JD.com
The situation for Windows laptops is a bit different. Since there are too many brands and countless product models, it's difficult to give specific model recommendations. We can only give you some suggestions and points to note:
There isn't much difference in daily use experience between the Ryzen 8000 series and the 7000 series;
Screen brightness is very important. 400 nits is the minimum;
In terms of battery life, the Ryzen 8000 series performs better than the Intel Core numbered series but worse than the Ultra series;
Give priority to models with expandable memory and storage (to check if a specific model supports this, you can note down the model number and consult the brand's customer service on JD.com's self - operated platform).
As for gaming laptops, according to the tests, if the price difference is within 500 yuan, the RTX 5060 is more cost - effective. Otherwise, it's recommended to choose the RTX 4060. Additionally, the CPU has a relatively low impact on game frame rates. If you have extra budget, give priority to upgrading the graphics card. A processor like the i7 or Ryzen 7 can meet the gaming requirements.
Currently, in the price range of three or four thousand yuan, the main second - hand graphics cards you can buy are the RTX 3060 and 3070. Paired with AMD's 7000 - series processors, it's a very cost - effective combination that can basically meet the needs of most 3A games.
How to avoid pitfalls when buying a second - hand PC?
After roughly determining the configuration, you can go to Xianyu to see if there are any second - hand products at a suitable price. Generally, I recommend that you only choose to trade with individual sellers. If necessary, you can ask the seller to use the Inspection Service provided by Xianyu. The product will be tested by an inspection agency commissioned by Xianyu before being shipped. However, once the product is sent to the Inspection Service, returns and other operations are basically not supported.
So, how can you distinguish between individual sellers and professional Xianyu sellers? A simple way is to click on the user's name to enter their homepage and check the number of their current listings and past sales. Generally, individual sellers have less than a hundred listings. Some digital enthusiasts may have more than a hundred, but digital enthusiasts don't frequently sell similar products. For example, if someone sells four or five laptops with the RTX 4060 in a row, it can basically be determined that they are a merchant rather than an individual seller.
Image source: Xianyu
Based on past Xianyu shopping experiences, some Xianyu merchants are quite reliable and can even solve the trouble of individual machine inspections to some extent. However, all of this is based on the premise that the merchants are "honest". If a merchant intentionally falsifies data or refurbishes a machine, and the buyer doesn't have the ability to detect it, the probability of buying a defective product is quite high.
Moreover, even if the computer is still under warranty, the warranty may be voided if the seller has privately repaired the machine. This is the biggest hidden danger of refurbished machines. Individual sellers generally don't have the ability to refurbish machines. Even if they conceal the actual condition of the computer, you can further confirm it through testing and other methods.
It should be noted that Apple products are a major problem area for counterfeit and refurbished machines. There is even a specialized industrial chain for manufacturing highly realistic counterfeit MacBooks and selling them on platforms like Xianyu. If you see a listing with the combination of "used by a girl + low price", you can simply skip it. It's most likely a scam. You should also avoid some very obvious "marketing slogans".
Image source: Xianyu
Apple and Lenovo are major problem areas for counterfeit and refurbished machines. Since these two brands have the highest popularity and are most attractive to beginners, you need to be especially vigilant. Lei Technology has summarized three "don't buys":
Don't buy if the price is 20% lower than the average price;
Don't buy if the specific model isn't specified;
Don't buy if the Inspection Service isn't supported;
Okay, next, sort the listings by distance and see if there's someone near you who wants to sell a laptop. If the model or performance meets your requirements, you can conduct a face - to - face transaction. Inspect the machine on - site and then pay and take the goods. This is the simplest way to avoid disputes.
If there are no suitable products nearby and you have to choose shipping, remember to record the entire unpacking process after receiving the goods. Also, take a photo of the serial number on the back and other information. While ensuring that the machine doesn't leave the camera frame, record the entire startup process in one continuous shot to serve as evidence for subsequent testing. In case you're deceived, it will be easier to safeguard your rights.
As for the specific testing process, you can search for "Second - hand laptop inspection" on Bilibili. There will be detailed process tutorials. As long as all the test items pass, the usage experience is generally guaranteed. Next, you only need to check if there are any abnormal noises from the cooling fan and other issues. You can also check if the bottom screws show signs of being disassembled, if there are color inconsistencies around the body (indicating repairs after a collision), or obvious defects.
The process of buying a second - hand computer seems and actually is quite troublesome. It can be said that this is the price of "saving money". In fact, the prices of brand - new laptops are currently at one of the lowest levels in recent years. You can buy a good ultra - thin laptop for just over 3,000 yuan, and the price of gaming laptops has dropped to around 5,000 yuan. So, personally, I still recommend that you give priority to brand - new laptops. Only consider second - hand ones if there are no suitable brand - new options.
This article is from the WeChat official account "Lei Technology", author: Lei Technology AI Hardware Team. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.