I'm getting a refurbuished computer for my birthday and I want it to last 4-5 years. My question is do refurbuished computers last
They can last for a few years depending on the components, and what you use your computer for. It's harder to say without knowing exactly what's the specification for the computer you are getting, but at least if it's for light usage (viewing videos, reading articles and whatnot), you should haven't any trouble. Just make sure to dust your computer every 6 months or so, else it might overheat if there's too much stuff clogging the air flow and fans.
Well, as a general rule laptops have a higher failure rate than desktops. You could get lucky, or you could just get a bad one. There's really no way of telling. Just be careful with it. Try not to drop it or use it in a way where it can overheat.
Here is the info I found one the one I'm getting BrightView LED-backlit display (1366x768) / Thin and light (5.39 lb) Award-winning HP Imprint finish in winter blue color. / HP TrueVision HD Webcam with integrated digital microphone / 6-cell lithium-ion battery, up to 4 hours battery life (6-cell 47WHr 2.2 Ah lithium-ion battery, 65W AC adapter) SuperMulti DVD burner: Watch movies, record music and video, read and write CDs and DVDs in multiple formats, plus load apps with the SuperMulti DVD burner. / Multi-format digital media card reader for Secure Digital cards and Multimedia cards / Altec Lansing dual speakers / 10/100Base-T Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN. Connect to a broadband modem with wired Ethernet or wirelessly connect to a WiFi signal or hotspot with the 802.11b/g/n connection built into your PC 1-year HP warranty / Full-size keyboard / Touchpad supporting multi-touch gestures with on/off button / Ports: 3 USB 2.0, 1 HDMI, 1 VGA (15-pin), 1 RJ-45 (LAN), 1 Headphone-out, 1 Microphone-in /DIMENSIONS: 1.20 in (min H)/ 1.41 in (max H) x 14.80 in (W) x 9.72 in (D) / ENERGY STAR qualified & EPEAT Silver registered Power efficent AMD E-300 Accelerated Dual Core Processor (1MB L2 Cache): Experience ultra-smooth video playback in brilliant HD with VISION Technology from AMD powered by the AMD E-300 dual core processor and AMD Radeon HD 6310 Discrete-Class Graphics (948MB total graphics memory). / 2GB DDR3 SDRAM (1 DIMM) (expandable to 8GB) / 320GB hard drive: Enough capacity to store up to 66,000 photos, 60,000 tracks or 120 movies in HD WHAT IS NEW IN WINDOWS 8: Personalized: Make your Start screen your personalized home for the things you care about. Organize and customize it the way you want. Connected: Now everything is in one place and easier to share. Integrate your online
So it's a little E series AMD book, just an FYI modle number + CPU/ram/gfx equip info is just about all you need now a days since the rest of the stuff is easy to find or unimportant. It's probably going to be fine for light usage; a bit underpowered though and you might feel that in a few years; course I still have an AM64 build running now, and a celeron lappy too (Although it's pretty slow and useless) and both are about 5-6 yr's old. I wouldn't worry about the refurbished aspect, but I am slightly concerned about HP's track record; keep an eye out for overheating and ram failures. Hope you aren't paying too much for it (under $400 for sure) since it is somewhat underpowered by modern standards (not important for general usage).
Should be sufficient for the average usage (browsing internet, watching movies, etc). Didn't know it was a laptop though, depending on how long it's been used it's highly likely that you won't be getting the full length of your battery so you'll likely need to keep it plugged in for any extended usage (Battery life of only 4 hours is a little on the low side too).
They should last awhile. You might have to update somethings if you want to play newer games but for the most part they are very good machines. My first computer was a refurbished Windows 98SE machine that lasted 7 years before I had to make the switch to XP. If you are like me and just use the computer for the internet,music,watching videos,and social networking then you are good to go.
Refurbs are the way to go, IMO - if you can find one that you like (which it seems you have) I like buying from the Dell outlet - they carry the same warranty and come with everything as though you'd bought them new. Other than a "refurbished" sticker on it, I can't tell the difference with the two Precision 390's that I've got. One of them is pretty much a paperweight now though - it used to be my primary workstation, but it's old (I replaced it with a new Sandy Bridge machine, and will probably replace that with a Haswell when available....)
