Dell Latitude E6430 Laptop

[Friends just call me Ross]

I just bought this 2012 used computer on Craigslist for 85 bucks.

 

I know it's a little late to ask, but, is this a good buy?

I figured it may be, because, just purchasing Windows 10

would cost me over 100 bucks.

 

I will be going from using Windows XP to Windows 10.  

 

Lots to learn, including the touchpad (which I love way more than a mouse)

 

I know it only has an i5 Processor.  But i7 is priced out of my budget. (Over a thousand bucks)

 

I just fired it up and it seems to be chugging away on all cylinders.  

 

All I need now is a usb camera to plug in and I'll be all set to "Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!"  

[Tortuga]

Very nice!

Did you quarantine it for 24 hours?

[Friends just call me Ross]

 

32 minutes ago, Bro Richard said:

Very nice!

Did you quarantine it for 24 hours?

No.  As per agreement two days prior, via text and phone, the man selling it had placed it outside,

in the back of his Bronco.

 

I put the money envelope under his front door mat and returned to my car.

He heard his dogs barking and came out and counted the money.

 

We nodded to one another from across his yard to seal the deal.

Then I took the laptop and drove home.  

[Myew]

It's nice that he listed proper specs. It's a 3rd gen i5 (late 2013) with 4GB of RAM, so it should be able to run most Windows apps and browsers fine. It's not for power users, it's low on RAM and will probably need some performance tuning to disable background processes. It has a poor hard drive so I'd recommend replacing the hard disk drive with a solid state drive if possible. I'd say you got a pretty good deal considering it's 5 years old. I wouldn't go any further back than that. The cost of computer hardware is usually much more important than the cost of Windows, so I would avoid buying based on that. Most people do and end up with a horrible experience due to junk hardware. A modern 10th generation i7 at over $1000 is almost incomparable in performance to a 3rd gen i5, they have very different use cases. I typically recommend ordering a new or high end used laptop online at around $300, or even an iPad for some who only need a tablet, but local used craigslist / facebook / liquidation / surplus will have the lowest prices. I feel that most older folks will do better with the newer laptops because they're so much lighter and better battery life, far more comfortable to use. I used to have a previously used 17" laptop with a 3rd gen i7, 12GB of RAM and an SSD, it could run anything but games very well, I appreciated the large screen, but it was 8lb... not fun to lug around for letter writing every week.

Edited April 8, 2020 by Myew

[Tortuga]

11 minutes ago, Myew said:

I typically recommend ordering a new or high end used laptop online at around $300,

I'd love to replace my old Yoga 211, where is a good place to get high end used laptop?

[Myew]

It depends somewhat on what you're wanting / needing. I can give better recommendations if I know what you're looking for.

Sometimes you can find good Surface Pro / Surface Books in the $300 range on Swappa. Nothing much at the moment, and cost of electronics will be going up with the pandemic. https://swappa.com/laptops You can still find ones cheaper but potentially more damaged on eBay. 

There are also some good used computer non-profits like Free Geek. Looks like they're closed to the public atm, but they've still got some selling on eBay? https://www.freegeek.org/shop https://www.ebay.com/usr/freegeekbasics Note that they won't always come with Windows, they might be Linux Mint (which is the flavor I would usually install on others hardware). At least they always properly label specs, operating system and wear.

As much as I hate it, since the majority of people use Facebook, their Marketplace tends to have the most supply. There is also letgo and offerup apps for local stuff. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/ https://www.letgo.com/en-us https://offerup.com/

Some of the new budget Ryzen CPU laptops are more powerful than used Intel laptops at comparable prices. Even the new Windows Motile laptops are decent. Only single channel memory, but they have had Ryzen 3/4GB laptops as low as $200 and Ryzen 5/8GB laptops as low as ~$300 during major sales.  https://slickdeals.net/newsearch.php?q=ryzen+laptop&pp=20&sort=lowest_price&rating=5&forumid[]=30&forumid[]=9&forumid[]=71&forumid[]=25&forumid[]=4&forumid[]=8&forumid[]=10&forumid[]=13&forumid[]=38&forumid[]=39&forumid[]=53&forumid[]=54&src=SearchBarV2&r=1

Edited April 8, 2020 by Myew

[Old]

1 hour ago, Bro Richard said:

I'd love to replace my old Yoga 211, where is a good place to get high end used laptop?

I have bought a number of refurbished, warranted laptops on ebay. I decide how much I am willing to pay then get the best one for that dollar or less.

I had one replaced on warranty no questions asked. One was accidently mis-represented, they sent me the proper one with a return postage paid shipping label. I paid less than $300 for the one I am typing on. I put windows 10 on it and have had it for close to 4 years. Battery still lasts 2 hours. I do 2D CAD work, not  a problem. It can't spell worth a hoot though.