Thoughts on buying a manufacturer refurbished M17x R4

I was looking on ebay at refurbished laptops and I came across a m17x R4 that has a warranty (slightly less than 1 yr left). It comes with everything I want, but I am a little uneasy about getting a refurbed laptop. The biggest thing is that it is significantly cheaper and it is now only slightly out of my budget, but I believe it would be worth it depending on user experiences buying refurbished Alienware from either ebay or dell outlet.

Please include past experiences if you have made a similar purchase.

Thanks

 

I've had an outstanding experience with the Dell Outlet and I've read positive stories of those who dealt with them as well on these boards. You get the same warranty coverage as you would having a brand new system. If there's any issues with a refurbished laptop, you can either exchange it or get a tech to come out the following business day. I have nothing but good things to say about it myself.

As for ebay, a great deal of those refurbs are sellers who buy from the Dell Outlet and resell them to foreigners for higher cost since AW is much more expensive outside US/CAN, so they pocket a profit. You're better off 'stalking' the outlet until you find the R4 with specs you desire. Coupons tend to get posted on the Dell Twitter once a month (from what I've seen) and can range from 10-25% or a discounted lump sum such as 100-200$ for example - it's always random.

 

DELL Alienware M17X R4 i7-3720QM 12GB 500GB AMD 7970M 2GB 1080P Bluetooth 884116047070 | eBay

That is the one I am looking at, when customized at dell its roughly $1950 (with bonus 2% student and automatic 5% and tax) vs the $1650 for the ebay one (no tax).

Also, what are your thoughts on the alienware screens, as that is one of the most important factors (to me) when looking at a laptop. I ask because I am having an extremely hard time deciding between this refurbed m17x R4 and the NP9150 w/ 95% glossy screen and 7970m (hoping the issues get worked out).

 

I have purchased Dell Refurbs before with great success.

Personally I'd be much more at ease with a refurb having the fn+f7 to switch to discrete, and 17" screen than a new 15" without switching capabilities.

 

Although both systems are good, you have to examine the after-market support.

AW = Next-business day support, 0$ cost, parts shipped overnight, 1-2min hold times

Sager = Mail-in-depot, you pay out of your own pocket to ship it to them in California and wait several weeks+ to get it back. If there's a problem once it returns, you have to re-mail it again. Sager/MSI/Asus have lousy after-market support.

The screen on the 9150 will be better, but is it really worth giving up premium after-market support for it? Only you can decide.

 

Is alienware warranty global or local?

 

Global. Just make sure you update your address if you move.

 

Cool, sounds good. I think I'll go with the Alienware.

 

Dell Outlet got some categories, Outlet New, Cert. Refurbished, and Scratch and Dent. I bought mine as Cert. Refurbished but when it arrived, it is so new I can't believe its called refurbished.

Then I need to have some parts replaced due to wrong specs then found out that my laptop is supposed to be Outlet New based on the service tag record. They gave me a different laptop from outlet new instead of the refurbished that I ordered so I got the wrong specs on GPU and CPU. Instead of replacing my laptop, they just replaced the GPU and CPU to match my ordered specs Then aside from that, they gave me a better CPU and the laptop comes with Ultimate instead of my order that was Premium. So my experience from Outlet is really great!

I would suggest looking at Outlet and calling them to negotiate the price lower than what is posted. Goodluck!

 

i was just in a similar situation,my laptop was delayed,and i debated ordering refurbished. I wound up ordering refurbished,it had better specs,and was cheaper,i got it day after i ordered,and i love it,even got the 3 year warranty and spent less then i would have on the new unit

 

I have had great success with the Dell Outlet

XPS 730X (certitfied refurbished) looked new out of the box
mini 1012 (certified refurbished) a few mild scuffs but otherwais perfect