Gadgets, especially computers are expensive and are usually big purchases. As such, people try to save as much money as they can when buying a new computer. To do this, some people turn to refurbished computers which have been bought, used, and then returned to the original vendor. The original vendor cleans the returned or resold computer, replaces worn out parts, and then re-sells it at a lower price.

That’s the main attraction of refurbs, but is it really smart to buy a refurb? Well, at the moment, the answer seems to be no. With the release of cheaper budget PCs, and with the advent of netbooks (which are even cheaper), the main “advantage” of refurbished PCs is basically gone.

Add to that the fact that you can’t change the configuration of a refurb, and the fact that savings aren’t really all that much now, and the case for refurbs goes down the drain.

For a refurb to be considered a bargain, its price should be about 25% less than the cost of a brand new computer. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case most of the time, so instead of going the refurbished route, it would be wiser to go brand new.