OK. Dumb Question time. Second Hand or Brand New?

[PoolePaul]

Title explains all. I am soon to be in the market for a laptop for my son. I want something decent, so as well as doing schoolwork he can also game on it. (He's 11yo and plays all the crap that 11yos play, Fortnite, PVZ 2 or whatever its called??) I'm also doing a sneaky on my wife, as I obviously want to use it for gaming as my current desktop rig is a bit old in the tooth (I7 4770k, and GTX770. Yes I know, ancient as I am not currently working!)

My question is, my budget is going to be roughly £6/700, and I have seen some what I think are good spec laptops in the second hand market, but there are also some decent spec brand new models. Is it worth taking a punt on getting some 2nd stuff randomly that will break within minutes, or do I go brand new where at least I will have a warranty. I'm totally in the dark about laptops and could use some solid advice.

Cheers

 

[USAFRet]

Reliability of second hand is only as reliable as who you buy it from.
Might be great, might suck.

And of course, for ANY used system, you personally need to do a full wipe and reinstall as your first action.

 

[PoolePaul]

Reliability of second hand is only as reliable as who you buy it from.
Might be great, might suck.

And of course, for ANY used system, you personally need to do a full wipe and reinstall as your first action.

This is true. I was looking to buy off of Scumtree, so the thoughts of reputable sellers is straight in the bin. I'm currently leaning towards brand new, but I must admit that buying a refurb model from a reputable source is kind of tempting. Thanks for your opinion. Saying that though, my current ancient rig was bought off of parts bought on Scumtree so it's a bit of a dilemma.

 

[USAFRet]

but I must admit that buying a refurb model from a reputable source is kind of tempting.

Even that is not a sure thing.

Couple years ago, I bought a little refurb laptop like that...travel device.
Works perfectly, still does 3 years later. Scam OS license.

 

[JWNoctis]

I can't seem to find any new laptop at £600-£700 that is going to be a significant improvement over your current desktop, in terms of graphics performance.

For anything pre-loved, @USAFRet 's precautions would apply. I would advise buying it off someone you knew, but such opportunities are rare.

 

[USAFRet]

I would advise buying it off someone you knew, but such opportunities are rare.

Even then....
Some things cannot be unseen.

Unless you break the seal on a new device from the manufacturer...full wipe and reinstall.