mini 5102 confusion

So I've been eying the hp mini 510x series for quite some time as a replacement for my Acer Aspire One ZG5 and recently snagged one off Craigslist for a pretty sweet price and got a few questions about it. The label on the bottom states the following specs:
5102 N470 10.1 1GB 160G PC

However, the systems actual specs have different ram and CPU. The previous owner upgraded the ram to 2 gb so that's understandable. The part that puzzles me is under Windows Properties (and cpuinfo in linux), it states the CPU as a Atom N450. Furthermore, the battery latch was broken so I decided to check the warranty status on hp's site only to find out it doesn't come up. After emailing them about the issue, I got a reply saying its still under warranty and I can ship it out for repairs. I followed the link in the email for warranty status check and I find out its actually a refurb.

HP 5102 N470 10.1 Rfrbd PC
Wty: HP HW Maintenance Offsite Support Jan 21, 2011 Feb 24, 2012 Active

Is it possible the motherboard got replaced when it was refurbished to one with a N450? Will this impact the status of my warranty?

Thanks
-Jason

 

The only ones able to clarify any warranty information for your situation, will HP Customer Service themselves. I have purchased a refurbished PC from a company stating to be an authorized re-seller before. Unless you made your purchase from HP directly, then my guess, logically is "no", as it was in my case. I made the purchase for a refurbished HP Elite Pavilion m9000t under the same premise from this company and told that there was a limited HP warranty. Upon checking the status and calling customer service, I discovered the truth to be another matter entirely. I can only tell you that HP re-sells refurb/returned units by the buttload as bulk sales to resellers for pennies on the dollar. And for the most part, these units are in great shape with almost, if any, cosmetic defects at all and function like new. But that is all that you get - a great PC for a good price. And none of the HP after sales support that you would think should go with it.

I would also check the bottom product tag with what is actually reported (serial and model numbers) by the MB in BIOS. If the numbers are different then, your theory is likely to be the case.

 

Hmm... surely enough, the motherboard has a different serial number than the sticker on the bottom.

Just did a warranty check on it and it shows:
Wty: HP HW Maintenance Offsite Support Dec 14, 2010 Dec 13, 2011 Active

Looks like there was a catch to getting a Mini 5102 for $200 (I figured a new netbook is still more than $200, I may as well get a very good used one for a little less).