Cheapskate's Guide
This is Probably Your Last Chance to Buy a New Computer in the US at Pre-Tariff Prices
Unless you have been hiding under a rock lately, you are aware that President Trump has decided to ignore US trade policies that have been in place since the end of World War 2 and levy major tariffs on most imported products. According to CNN Business, the new tariffs have not yet filtered down to consumers in the form of price increases, but that is very unlikely to remain true for long. Although the official word on the tariffs seems to change almost daily, the latest I could find last week as I was writing this was that tariffs on electronics imported from Taiwan and China were 10% and 35% respectively. Since Taiwan, China, and South Korea manufacture 87% of the world's semiconductors, if the tariffs hold, computer prices should rise significantly.
If you have been a reader of the Cheapskate's Guide for long, as well as being blessed indeed and deserving a hug, you are also very aware that I advise nearly everyone to buy used rather than new computers. Used computers are simply a much better purchase. But, just as used car prices rose substantially along with new car prices during the Covid-19 chip shortage, the same is extremely likely to be true for computers. I am not an economist, but my guess is that used computer prices will probably follow the rise of new computer prices somewhere in the neighborhood of six months later. So, you may have a bit more time if you are looking to buy a used computer.
The computer market has changed little since I began writing this blog in late 2018. The best long-term used computer buys are still found by focusing on the computers made by the top manufacturers and by looking for the models that are the most durable, repairable, and upgradeable. Business laptops are still far higher in quality than consumer-grade laptops. Manufacturers are still trying to cut corners to increase profits wherever they can, so the burden still falls on the buyer to recognize a quality computer and avoid buying the junk that is being sold and will very likely continue being sold until consumers begin refusing to buy it.
According to SlashGear, HP is now the top manufacturer of PC's in terms of reliability. SlashGear says, "While knowing what the most popular laptop brands are can help you narrow down your shopping list, high sales figures don't mean the best-selling laptops are the most reliable. The best-selling laptop could be the most affordable option, and sales figures don't indicate anything about long-term quality or reliability." I could not agree more. Dell and Lenovo are number two and three on SlashGear's list. Samsung and Toshiba are at the bottom in eleventh and twelfth places.
I agree with SlashGear's rankings of Dell and Lenovo, but many people still dislike HP laptops because they were so prone to overheating for so many years (and shortened lives as a result). As far as I can tell, HP has remedied their overheating problems, and their laptops are now as reliable as their first-place ranking would imply.
I would avoid like the plague any laptop made by a manufacturer other than the top three, and I would absolutely refuse to buy any consumer-grade laptop regardless of the manufacturer. Since most consumers are incapable of recognizing a quality computer when they see it, consumer laptops are designed with one thing in mind, the highest possible profit for computer manufacturers. This means consumer-grade laptops are shoddy regardless of which company makes them. Used business laptops and used consumer grade laptops sell for virtually identical prices, so you have no cost incentive to buy a used consumer-grade laptop.
For those who are budget conscious, desktop PC's are still better than laptops for a number of reasons. First, the quality of all laptops has been declining for years. This is a shame, but one must accept the reality of the situation and either expect to replace his laptops more frequently or migrate back to desktops. I have begun buying desktop computers again for the first time since the early 2000's. Full-sized desktop computers also have the important advantage of being much, much more repairable and upgradeable than laptops. However, you must do your homework to ensure that you do not purchase a desktop computer with proprietary parts, which are largely non-upgradeable, more difficult to find, and expensive to replace. One dead giveaway that the motherboard in a desktop PC cannot be upgraded is the absence of a removable face plate over the ports on the back of the case. If you do not see a removable face plate, I strongly suggest that you look elsewhere for your next desktop computer. This means passing up many otherwise acceptable used Dell, HP, and Lenovo business desktop computers. The upgradeability of mini PC's is hardly better than that of laptops.
Two more ways in which desktop computers are better than laptops is that they are much more durable, and they are not thermally throttled under normal circumstances. Buying a computer that is thermally throttled means not receiving the full benefit of any expensive higher-end CPU that you might consider spending more on. Buying a newer laptop with a core i7 or core i9 (or the equivalent new ultra cores, etc.), means wasting your money, because your CPU will be thermally throttled.
The quality disparity between consumer-grade and business desktops is less than for laptops, but business grade desktops still have significant advantages. Power supplies last longer because they are higher quality, and they are also more power efficient. Cases are higher quality and often don't require tools for parts replacement. Also, full-sized business desktops often have more PCIe slots on their motherboards for better upgradeability. Given the tiny or even non-existent price premium of business desktops over consumer-grade desktops, you should buy business desktops if possible.
The two best places to buy used computers in the US of which I am aware are still Amazon and eBay. Cheapskate's Guide readers have mentioned others in the comments of various articles on this website, but I have seen little reason to move away from those two. eBay has the lower prices of the two, but Amazon has better return policies if you run into trouble.
If you are considering buying a new or used computer some time in the next year, my advice is to consider quickly. But, don't use this as an excuse for not doing your homework. No matter how much pressure you feel to buy a computer quickly, you still need to know exactly what you are buying. You will thank yourself later.
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Know a Quality Computer when You see It
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Know What You're Buying Before You Buy a Computer