On 31 May 2016 at 08:36, Tim Tisdall <tisdall@gmail.com> wrote:
Where's a good place to get a used computer for relatively cheap? I have a uncle who's struggling with a fairly old machine (I'm not sure what it is, but it has a CRT monitor) and I was hoping to replace it with something slightly newer. Maybe someone knows a good spot to get off-lease computers? What does UofT do with their hand-me-downs?
You didn't specify if you wanted a desktop or laptop, although I don't suppose it matters in the context of my answer (it might matter to others). The best places I know of to find off-lease computers is College and Spadina: just drop into the various computer stores in the area. These will usually come with a fresh Windows 7, or more likely Windows 8.1 install. But there's some question as to whether that's the best use of your money: for the same price or $50 more, you can often walk into Best Buy and buy a mid-line or low-end computer that may well have the same computing power and comes with a warranty. If you're looking for a system with Linux pre-installed, Russell's suggestion of FreeGeek is probably a good one - although the last time I was in there their prices didn't go as low as he suggested, and seemed higher than equivalent off-lease machines on College. (This may well be wrong: I wasn't in the market at the time and wasn't making any kind of record of either sets of prices.) -- Giles http://www.gilesorr.com/ gilesorr@gmail.com