secondhand laptop test

[ejdj1994]

hi
i want to buy a secondhand laptop from a shop . but my friend's say never buy a secondhand laptop .it's so risky because there is no guarantee(only 3 day for test ) and if laptop repaired (changed ram or fans or etc ) or have a problem in heavy works you can't do anything and you waste your money .
now i want to know is there any way(like a command in DOS ) to show all laptop hardware detail (like fan or ram or motherboard and etc model and code and how much time this laptop work or how many time turned on and off ) and According to this details making decision about laptop ?
the laptop is a thinkpad w530 .

 

[robert600]

I think your friend is being overly cautious. There are some good deals to be had with used laptops. I would think 3 days would be plenty of time to test a laptop out. What you want to avoid is shipping costs so .... is the shop local to you or does it have to be delivered?

I would want the laptop to come with a fresh install of whatever operating system it comes with and I wouldn't want any of the bloatware certain manufactures bundle in. That way, you will know about any software that is in it because you will have put it in. Note that if it comes with win7 or win8 - the upgrade to win10 can still be done for free. Personally, I would upgrade to 10 right away. If it can't handle Win10 .... what good is it?... I'd return the laptop!

If you want hardware details galore - install SiSoftware Sandra - the lite (free) version is fine. Speccy is ok too but not quite as much detail.

I would also install Core Temp and then any program that really works the cpu (encode a video to HEVC or something like that) and ensure that it runs at an acceptable temperature. If it doesn't, return it. Make sure all your ports work - particularly hdmi out (if it has it). If they don't work ... return the laptop. Also ... check to see how long the battery can run the laptop - play a movie or something without the charger plugged in. Batteries aren't a huge expense however so needing a new one wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.

I don't know of any software that would tell you how many times a laptop has been turned on and off and to be honest .... it's something I would worry about.

 

[robert600]

sorry ... last line should be .... it's NOT something I would worry about

 

[ejdj1994]

thank you for answer .
it's a local shop and the most important thing that concern me is repaired laptop .
I want to buy a thinkpad because it's a solid and tough notebook but if it was repaired and some parts like ram or optical drive or fan or other parts changed with cheap hardwares it's not that laptop (here in my country i know a lot of people and computer sellers do some thing like this ). because of this problem i want to check hardwares so detailed .
is this overly cautious ? if you want to buy a laptop do you pay for something like this ?

 

[robert600]

No - definitely not overly cautious to check it over - i just meant "never buy a secondhand laptop" is overly cautious ... imho. I'm assuming that you're getting this for a good price and you can return it for a full refund within the 3 days as you mentioned?

As I mentioned .... either SiSoftware Sandra or Speccy will tell you everything you want to know about the exact hardware that is in it. There are programs that will rigourlessly test the hard drive and CPU if you're worried about that. My biggest concern assuming all ports etc are working would be - does it run too hot when it is working hard (particularly if you are in a hot climate)? I told you how to check this.

Yes, I buy 2nd hand laptops all the time ... for myself and friends ... to be honest, I've never owned a new one.

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

I bought a 3-year old used Toshiba laptop from Cash Converters four years ago for half of it's new price. I'm using it now. it's never been any trouble whatsoever except the battery needs replacing - - no big deal, it's seven years old after all. Oh, and 3-month warranty when I bought it too, not 3 days.

Nothing wrong with buying used, you just need to know your products, what to look out for, read tests for weak points on certain models, etc. It can pay dividends buying used, I've proved it, you just need to know what you're dealing with.