How to identify a refurbished HP?

Guys, here's the deal:

I'm considering to buy a factory refurbished HP DV7-2177, as I saw many people saying that factory refurbished ones are as good as a new one.

But what if it has no seal indicating that it is refurbished, that the vendor just took it off? Can I still recognize by using any program?

Thanks!

 

If your seller isn't giving you a factory sealed box, don't trust them.

Factory refurbs are packaged up and sealed just like 'new' machines.

 

All refurbished HP consumer notebooks will end with UAR instead of UA. These should be visible on the side of the box, if not its not been refurbed by HP and may as well be considered a used PC.

 

Okay, thanks by the way, I thought there was gonna be a code inside the system or something like that, I'll just trust him.

Thanks!

EDIT: also, what does "CL" mean in the notebook name? The one I'm looking for is a DV7-2177CL.

 

Well I have a DV6 that is almost identical, dv6-1253cl (p7550/ATI 4650) and I find it fairly cool running. If I really push mine, as in hours of sustained gaming. I can get the CPU to push around 79-80*C. I find that the GPU runs VERY VERY cool, cooler than the CPU. The hottest I have ever seen mine go was around 74, typical idle is in the mid 40s, and hits about 65 after sustained usage. From what I have seen, the DV6 and new model, dv7-2000 series run a bit cooler than the DV7-1000 series, the older ones you are talking about, I have heard about them getting quite hot.

 

Wow, it seems that finally I'm getting lucky in terms of notebook. I'll definitely give it a try, it seems a nice system. Too bad it's 17" and it's resolution only 1680x900.

EDIT: just another question. I loved the design, but the keyboard just seems too strange for me. In the screens it seems like it is glossy, or something that does not keep your fingers really tight... just an impression? Also, the keyboard is really firm?

 

The CL means that it is a costco model. I had an older dv5237 cl and wondered the same thing. Pre built models have different letters on the end from different vendors.

 

How do they "refurbish" them exactly?

 

It doesn't have to be UA. It can also be PAR, AGR, etc. Basically, any refurbished model will have an R appended to the product code.

 

Thats right. UA is on all consumer notebooks sold in north america. PA ect are for different regions, and the commercial/business class can have all sorts of suffixes. Refurbishing also changes the serial # to a different scheme usually starting with 3. As far as how they refurbish them, or who actually does the job (like everything else everyone does these days its outsourced to somebody) its hard to say. For starters they need to fix whatever was wrong with it (the problem that caused it to be returned) if there is a problem at all. Sometimes refurbs are just old stock that didn't sell or stuff that was returned because the original buyer changed his mind and since it was opened it could not be sold as new. There is some kind of function test that they would have to run the system through, to make sure everything works and so on, and they do re-serialize it as well.