[GTALUG] Used computers

[Giles Orr]

On 31 May 2016 at 08:36, Tim Tisdall <tisdall at gmail.com> wrote:
> Where's a good place to get a used computer for relatively cheap?  I have a
> uncle who's struggling with a fairly old machine (I'm not sure what it is,
> but it has a CRT monitor) and I was hoping to replace it with something
> slightly newer.  Maybe someone knows a good spot to get off-lease computers?
> What does UofT do with their hand-me-downs?

You didn't specify if you wanted a desktop or laptop, although I don't
suppose it matters in the context of my answer (it might matter to
others).  The best places I know of to find off-lease computers is
College and Spadina: just drop into the various computer stores in the
area.  These will usually come with a fresh Windows 7, or more likely
Windows 8.1 install.

But there's some question as to whether that's the best use of your
money: for the same price or $50 more, you can often walk into Best
Buy and buy a mid-line or low-end computer that may well have the same
computing power and comes with a warranty.

If you're looking for a system with Linux pre-installed, Russell's
suggestion of FreeGeek is probably a good one - although the last time
I was in there their prices didn't go as low as he suggested, and
seemed higher than equivalent off-lease machines on College.  (This
may well be wrong: I wasn't in the market at the time and wasn't
making any kind of record of either sets of prices.)

-- 
Giles
http://www.gilesorr.com/
gilesorr at gmail.com