IT Buyer’s Guide to Buying Recertified Computers

In an effort to constantly give employees the “latest and greatest” hardware, IT buyers risk blowing through their budgets without stepping back to put some thought into the types of computers the organization actually needs. In reality, you’ll find that making wise decisions for your business might mean choosing computers that will get the job done and save you money instead of opting for top of the line machines. This process can be taken a step further when you buy recertified technology for business that are in like-new condition for a fraction of the price.

Factors that quickly drive up computer prices include the type of processor, the CPU clock rate, the amount of RAM, the type of hard drive, and the graphics capabilities. Intel processors essentially rule the market, and you’ll be able to choose between dual-core, i3, i5, and i7 varieties. While i5 and i7 processors are nice for their added speed, they are rarely necessary for typical business users.

Clock rate is the speed at which the CPU processes. It’s usually measured in GHz and might range from 1.0 GHz to 5.0 GHz (or even higher). Again, unless your employees need to perform very data-intensive tasks, lower rates are usually just fine.

More RAM allows users to keep more applications running at a time, while the type of hard drive dictates how much storage is on a computer as well as how quickly files can be accessed. For typical tasks, less RAM and smaller hard drives are certainly acceptable. Finally, the graphics card determines how well a computer can display applications with complex visuals, so high-end graphics capabilities are only necessary for very technical users.

In general, you should divide your employees into categories based on their duties and then determine what types of business technology each member of your organization really needs. Technical users – those who do heavy programming, design, or IT-related tasks – need faster and more powerful computers to do their jobs. More casual business users, however, will be able to run standard software like Microsoft Office, web browsers, and email clients without needing all the bells and whistles. In most businesses, the casual users far outnumber the technical users.

Reducing costs with recertified computers

Regardless of the types of computers you decide to buy, you can always get the most for your money when you buy refurbished computers and parts from IT Xchange. Our products have been rigorously recertified to function like new, but they are available at much lower costs.