If buying a laptop or desktop PC is out of your budget, consider buying a refurbished computer. Refurbished computers generally cost about 30 to 50 percent less than the retail price of a new computer. This article covers everything you need to look for in refurbished electronics and the best places to buy refurbished computers.

If you see a computer marked as refurbished, it generally means:

Many refurbished PCs don’t come with a monitor, an operating system (software like Windows 10), a DVD or Blu-ray player, a wireless network card, or a power cord. Get the details on what you’re buying, and calculate how much it will cost to add the necessary peripherals, hardware, and software to make your new PC run the way you want.

Refurbished units typically lack the latest features available in new computers. If you primarily use your computer to surf the web, check email, and process text, you can probably get by with an older PC. However, playing online games requires a lot of memory (RAM) and processing power (CPU), so a refurbished computer may not be suitable for gamers.