Refurbished computers are becoming more popular each day. To clear some misunderstandings and misconceptions we are going to explain what a refurbished computer really means. When you hear the word refurbished the first thing that comes to mind is repaired, used, second hand, no warranty included etc.
In fact, refurbished computers are actually the ones that have been returned, inspected, wiped clean, fixed, restored to factory settings and resold at the end.
For someone who likes technology and likes to keep up with the latest trends but still doesn’t want to fork over a lot of money, a refurbished computer might be an excellent solution.
The most popular refurbished computers are: workstations, laptops and other types of computer that are listed below.
Workstations
A workstation is a high performance computer designed for technical and scientific applications. Workstations are basically designed for a single user and have advanced graphics capability, allowing a common connection via local area network to run a multi-user operating system.
The difference between workstations and ordinary PC’s, other than the price, is that workstations have more power and are more durable. While PCs can manage everyday use like browsing the Internet, emails and general other work, workstations can handle CAD, animations, data analysis and video/audio making and editing.
Workstations are used mostly to perform intensive scientific and engineering tasks.
Regarding the durability, every part for workstations like motherboards, RAM, internal drives, CPU and video cards was built keeping in mind that they will be pushed for a long time. Workstations are also called dumb terminals because they are connected to the main frame. That’s why most workstations continue working on projects long after people have gone home for the day. Working in this way, they are used to crunch large databases or even create animations overnight.
Microprocessors present in most workstations use reduced instruction set computing, otherwise known as RISC. PC’s on the other hand use CISC or complex instruction set computing. RISC makes sure that the number of instructions permanently stored on the microprocessor is reduced and in that way streamlines and accelerates data processing.
This means that the application software run by workstations must include more instructions and complexity than applications run by CISC.
Workstation microprocessors typically offer 32-bit systems. You can also find more advanced ones with 64-bit systems included and those workstations possess four billion times the data addressing capacity of 32-bit machines.
The raw processing power high powered workstations have, allows them to deal with high-resolution graphic interfaces, sophisticated multitask software and communication with other computers.
Laptops
Laptops or laptop computers are small portable personal computers. They are made with clamshells typically having usually LED or LCD computer screens arranged inside of the upper lid and a keyboard on the inside of the bottom lid.
Laptops can be folded shut when transported, making it available for mobile use. Their name came from the word lap, because laptops were envisioned as something a person would use placed on their lap.
Laptops have all the components imaginable as the desktop computer, including a screen, data storage, keyboard, built in camera, integrated speakers. Some modern laptops have touchscreens even. Operating systems, together with microprocessors and memory are integrated in the same single unit as the other components.
The difference between laptops and desktop computers, other than the obvious mobility is in their size and power. Laptops have smaller components that need less power to make them work. They also come with a battery so power loss shouldn’t be a problem with an unsaved work being done on your laptop. Memory and hard drive are the only upgradeable components in laptops, so if you need an upgrade with other components it usually means you need a new laptop.
Computers
Computers are electrical devices used to manipulate large amounts of information and data, usually in a binary form.
Every computer in the world has hardware and software. Hardware is every component with physical structure, like keyboard or a mouse and even all the internal parts.
Software, on the other hand, is every set of instructions that tells hardware what to do and how to do it, like word processors, games or web browsers.
The word computer makes everyone think of a desktop computer or a laptop, but in fact computers are present in everyday life, more than you can imagine. Whenever you withdraw cash from an ATM, use a calculator or even press the buttons in an elevator, you are in fact using computers.
There are different types of computers and they are usually categorised as desktop computers, laptops and tablet computers.
- Desktop computers are designed to be placed on a desk and usually include a few additional parts like a computer case, the monitor, keyboard and a mouse. They are massively used at home, workplaces and schools.
- Laptop Computers are designed to be placed on the lap of the user and are famous for their portability and the ease of use. They are foldable and come with built in cameras, speaker phones, a screen on the inside of the top lid, built in keyboard placed on the inside of the bottom lid and some even come with the touchscreen.
- Tablet computers, or simply tablets, are handheld computers that come with even more portability than laptops. Instead of a keyboard and a mouse, they have a touch sensitive screen which allows navigations and browsing using just a finger.
Another type of computer, which is not mentioned on a daily basis is a server which serves up information to other computers on a network. Whenever we use the Internet for browsing we’re looking up the information stored on a server. Many companies use a local file server to store and share information internally.
There are many other electronic devices that are basically specialised computers.
- Smartphones – many modern mobile phones come with a built in computer and are widely used to browse the Internet and communicate.
- Wearable technology – this includes fitness trackers, ipads, smart watches and other types of tech used in this way.
- Game consoles are specialized computers that allow you play video games
- TV’s – most modern televisions come with a built in computer that allows applications to be installed. Smart TV’s can also be used to access various types of online content.
PC’s and MAC’s
Personal computers are divided into two groups, PC’s and MAC’s. Both are used on a daily basis but they look and feel different. People usually prefer one or the other.
PC, originally known as IBM PC originated in 1981. and is still the most common type of computer to use. It is run by Microsoft Windows operating system.
The Macintosh or MAC was introduced in 1984. and was the first widely sold personal computer with a graphical user interface.
