Refurbished Lenovo T420 vs Toshiba Satellite if I need Linux but don't need to play games?

[mke48]

I'm considering buying a new laptop. If I buy one, I would prefer one that has some version of Linux, such as Ubuntu. Or if it Windows, it should at least have good support for Linux if I need to install it.

I won't use the laptop for gaming or even watching movies that much. I will mostly use it for web browsing and emails, but also sometimes for programming and data analysis of large data sets. I'm looking for laptops that are light and easy to carry around. And I prefer laptops that are as cheap as possible. That is, no more than $600. And I don't need anything more than 256GB of memory

It would also be nice if it came with more than 4GB of RAM. And I highly prefer a laptop about 14in, since 15.6 is too large and 13in is too small

I visited BestBuy and Fry's recently. The best laptop I saw at Best Buy was this Toshiba: http/www.bestbuy.com/site/toshiba-satellite-radius-14-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i3-6gb-memory-500gb-hard-drive-brushed-black-brushed-metal/4203501.p?id=1219706549718&skuId=4203501

And the best laptop I saw at Fry's was this refurbished Lenovo Thinkpad: http/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Thinkpad-T420-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B00W4AMWCI

But I'm not sure which to buy because I'm not sure an Intel i5 processor is necessary if I don't intend to play computer games and I can just insert an SSD into the laptop. I've also heard some people have had problems with refurbished laptops. However, in this case, the refurbished Lenovo is $150 cheaper, is an i5 vs the i3 for the Toshiba, and comes with 2GB more RAM

What do you guys think?

Any other suggestions for a new laptop that comes with Linux or at least allows Linux to easily be installed on it?

 

[06yfz450ridr]

I personally like the lenovos they are tough machines , do you know exactly what i5 is in that? i think it is a 2500 so it still a good processor.

I would save your money and grab that as well as a decent 240 Gb ssd which will make that much faster than the newer pc.

My work laptop is a 1st gen i5 t510 15.1" have the same one at home with an ssd and it flys

 

[mke48]

I personally like the lenovos they are tough machines , do you know exactly what i5 is in that? i think it is a 2500 so it still a good processor.

I would save your money and grab that as well as a decent 240 Gb ssd which will make that much faster than the newer pc.

My work laptop is a 1st gen i5 t510 15.1" have the same one at home with an ssd and it flys

I also just checked on ebay for some used Lenovo T430/4gb going for about $250, including a damaged one with 8GB RAM and SSD for about $280. Are these better deals than the refurbished ones offered by amazon or Frys?

 

[mke48]

I usually buy refurbished only when i meet the seller in person and examine the product myself. buying used/refurbished on ebay or any other sites is a gambled. you can save great money or you can be ripped off. Its up to you.

The ones I saw on ebay were listed by sellers with 99 or 100% rating

As for seeing it in person, like I can for the one at Frys, what should I examine to make sure I won't be ripped off?

 

[06yfz450ridr]

I usually buy refurbished only when i meet the seller in person and examine the product myself. buying used/refurbished on ebay or any other sites is a gambled. you can save great money or you can be ripped off. Its up to you.

The ones I saw on ebay were listed by sellers with 99 or 100% rating

As for seeing it in person, like I can for the one at Frys, what should I examine to make sure I won't be ripped off?

I would just check to make sure the heatsink isn't clogged, if it is it could have damaged the cpu already, I have seen many laptop cpus that have died with huge heat marks on them and ones near the end of their life.


besides that as long as the keyboard isn't sticky, and the touchpad and screen work you are good to go really.