Buying second-hand computers
Buying anything mechanical or electrical which is secondhand is always difficult, and it’s no different with computers. If you’re after a secondhand computer, there’s a good chance you’ll get what you want at a reasonable price.

If you’re going to auctions, there is a greater risk, but you may get more for your money. Following is a list of items that you should check when buying secondhand computer equipment. I’ve broken the components down to make it easier for you to know what to look for.

Monitors
Monitors come in different shapes and sizes. They could be digital or analogue (analogues usually have knobs to change screen settings while digitals have buttons). When testing a monitor you should really have the computer with something moving around on-screen or a sharp-contrast picture. Where possible, ask to see the screen reaction at a resolution of more than 800x600 – preferably 1024x768.

Now that phosphorous-type monitors are a thing of the past, screen savers and burns shouldn’t be an issue, but check anyway. Make sure the colour is 16-bit or higher (this will also test the graphics card’s capability).

Most of problems start on the edges. Adjust the settings to check the picture sizing for fading and fuzziness on the corners, or any permanent burns. Check the manual. If there isn’t one, the back of the monitor should show the number of Hz (Hertz) the monitor operates at – the higher the better. More than 70 Hz is preferable – 80Hz-plus is great.

Laptop screens are either active or passive matrix. Active matrix is higher quality and you can see it more clearly from the sides, while passive screens require you to sit right in front of it.

Because each dot on the screen is created by a transistor, the chances of white dots from burns or shorts is higher. For LCD screens you should aim to see the consistency of colour.

Back to normal monitors – digital screens usually have a self test you can run. And if you’re keen to reduce eye-strain, the Swiss have created a radiation emittance standard called MPR2. Look for it on the monitor or in the manual.

Printer
There are three types of secondhand printers – dot matrix, ink jet and laser jet.

Ink jet is probably the most sturdy because it usually has the least number of moving parts.

If you’re after dot matrix, it’s probably because you’re printing out journals by the bundle. Make sure that your local supplier still supports the ribbon. Check the heads by doing test prints with a new ribbon, looking for any drop in characters or fades. And be aware that the tractor feeder loses traction after a while and jamming can occur.

With ink jets, the main thing to check for is clogs in the ink drips. This can occur when the owner uses cheap ink that hasn’t been prepared well – a photo print will expose the fault. And earlier Canon models used a worm drive, so check for any clunky noises as the nozzle zips up and down.

Laser printers are a tough call since there are so many moving parts. Running self tests and some deep prints to see how it handles is probably the best bet. Also check the amount of memory it has. Those good old HPs can still do the hard yards, but as the say, they don’t make them like they used to – all plastic now, like cars really.

Keyboard
Like checking the bathroom in a house, the cleanliness of the keyboard is a good measure of how well a computer is looked after. Check especially for stuck keys, which is particularly important for notebook users who will have great difficulty replacing them if the model is old (the alternative is an external keyboard).

The box
There are two things important to me – the upgradability; and that all the moving parts are working fine.

The moving parts are the hard drive, CD-ROM, floppy drive and power supply fan. The hard drive stores all your data, so it’s crucial that it works 100 per cent.

Run Scandisk (on Windows) with ‘surface scan’ selected in the options, to check for bad sectors. Also check for unusually loud clunking noises when the drive is accessing information.

CD-ROMs have a varying shelf life – new ones spin very fast and sound like jet engines when starting up. The main thing to check for is that it can access and transfer information well and also check when you open up the drive that the CD is motionless and there is no clunking when it’s being accessed (some older models have the CD on bearings).

If you’re buying a secondhand PC, the acceleration in chip technology in the last 18 months means you’ll be hard-pressed to keep up with a good processor upgrade path. Cheap and good buys are usually the Celeron box or AMD K6.

Memory
There are different types of memory modules. Old motherboards took 72- and 30-pin SIMMS. Avoid them. Look for computers with at least 128-pin DRAM so you can upgrade easily.

You should have at least 64MB of RAM for a slower processor, and check the motherboard to ensure that all the memory slots haven’t been used (you want at least 2 slots free), so you can add more memory later.

Modem
This is a complex decision – since the industry never really developed a modem standard, and like wines, different vintages of various companies have good and bad years.

I can’t really recommend a brand of modem with a flawless delivery record. US Robotics was as close as they came till they were over taken by 3 COM. Talk to your ISP to see what they have and try matching the brand and model. That way they can’t blame the modem for drop outs.

Sound card
This is a no brainer, unless you’re very particular about sound and possible upgrades. Sound Blaster set the early standard. But the big trick here is that if the sound card is on the motherboard, go for something else with a card, so you can expand it. Be aware that brand names are notorious for trying to cut costs by integrating components into the motherboard, but still charging you a premium price.

Video card
The age of the computer will determine what generation of video card you will have access to. In the early post-Pentium years, S3 and Diamond were great brands for the benchmark, but sadly the tables have turned for these two companies. ATA, Hercules, Voodoo and Nvidia presently make the better video cards.

Secondhand prices
Printers: Dot matrix, 24-pin, 132-column, less than two years old – about $50-$250 depending on model, accessories and quality.

Bubble Jet printer: Colour, 300dpi – $100-$350, depending on accessories/features. Obviously, wider columns and higher quality bring a higher price. Lexmark makes brand new ones with good quality around the $100 mark so it’s worth considering something new.

Laser printers: Could be anywhere from $200 to $4,000 depending on all sorts of things.

Base Pentium computer: 15-inch screen, keyboard, 32MB RAM, 2GB hard drive with CD-ROM and soundcard are around $450 to $1,100, depending on software, accessories, etc. This can be a Pentium 133 to Pentium 200 MMX.

Overall, the secondhand computer market is slowly contracting for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the cost of a new PC and what you get back for the old system is almost minimal. For an extra $400 to $600 you can get a brand new machine over a secondhand one.

The other reason is that more people with old Pentiums are giving them to their kids or parents because they’re more than adequate for simple word processing and Internet access.

Back to news and hotsites next week.