Allow us to start with a staple of modern entertainment: a flashback. The scene wobbles, a sepia tint falls over everything, and you are back to your childhood days. You can have either the chocolate or the vanilla cookie. At the time, picking one over the other felt like the most crucial choice in your life. Two paths were diverging in front of you, both equally important.
Today, you realize that choices like this are easy, unlike prioritizing how you should allocate your resources to maximize results. Should you upgrade the networking module or add more RAM? What would be the better choice, quicker networking, or more resources for your services? Chocolate or vanilla? Why not both?
Instead of blowing all your budget on a single, brand-new, and costly upgrade, why not look into refurbished equivalents? Going refurbished is the smart way to stay within budget while maximizing your options. You can extend your current hardware to cover your needs without compromising on reliability, quality, and support.
Refurbished VS Used
Buying refurbished is not the same as buying used hardware. The differentiating factors between the two options can be summed with two words: quality and trustworthiness.
Refurbished / Re-Certified / Reconditioned
Those three terms refer to the same thing: items that have left their manufacturer, but instead of being actively used, they are available once more for purchase.
All such equipment is tried, tested, and in some cases updated, to ensure it performs on precisely the same level as new alternatives. Refurbished practically translates to "good as new."
Used
Unlike refurbished / re-certified / reconditioned parts, "used" means precisely what the word brings to mind: untested equipment that was until recently used by somebody else, that is now sold as-is. Although those parts can be just as good as refurbished options, they come with no guarantees or support. They are not checked for quality, performance, and we believe their somewhat lower cost does not justify the increased risks.
Lower Costs
When buying new hardware, you are not only paying for its actual cost, but also a premium for the fact that it is the latest and greatest available. Still, if you do not require the features that come with the newest hardware offerings, refurbished options make more sense. Why pay top-dollar for a current-generation but mid-level model, when you can get the last generation's top-of-the-line option at a lower price? For example, you can buy a Dell PowerEdge R730 for approximately $650, almost one-third of a current-generation R640's price at $1500. So, which sounds like a smarter choice? Wasting most of your budget on the newest model, or getting last generation's best option, with the same storage space, similar performance, more RAM, and an extended support plan as the cherry on top?
As Performant As New
Based on past experiences with used hardware, many people believe that refurbished options are the same, and translate to "formerly damaged (and still somewhat problematic)." This is a massive misconception since, in many cases, refurbished hardware is virtually identical to brand new offerings.
One possible source for such options could be a company that upgraded their whole infrastructure but shortly after went out of business. This practically new hardware would reach the market in mint condition, but it would carry the "refurbished" label since it was pre-owned. Other parts might have been bought but returned mere days - if not hours - later because the buyer decided to switch to something else. Some could have found their way in a storage room for half a month, never put to actual use. And there is also the case of overstock, excess hardware in brand new condition that was never sold and is now replaced by newer parts. Still, it might be precisely what you need.
In rare cases, there might be an actual "problem." However, we use quotation marks because we are not talking about real problems that affect the hardware's quality, reliability, or performance. For example, a minor scratch, dent, or discoloration on a storage rack is a purely aesthetic "defect." It does not mean the part will not work as it should, or that half the available storage will be somehow lost.
Better Options
When on a budget, buying refurbished opens the door to more choices. Instead of spending your budget on a single brand-new part, you can get more refurbished ones - that could, for example, help increase redundancy or better spread your workload. Alternatively, you could get older parts with higher specs than what you could afford new, for a nice boost in performance.
With refurbished, you also have a more comprehensive selection of parts to choose from and aren't locked in predefined configurations.
Time-Sensitive
In some cases, brand-new hardware also comes with waiting lists. An order might even take weeks until it reaches you. In contrast, refurbished servers and parts are (usually) available immediately, and you can have them operational in mere days.
Lower Maintenance Costs and a Human Experience
Refurbished hardware from trustworthy sellers also comes with extensive support and, although that might initially seem strange, a more human relationship with your hardware. With OEMs, you have to deal with the faceless sites of giant corporations. You have to locate the options that are right for you by comparing them yourself. Comparatively, refurbishers usually offer more personal and, in many cases, superior services. They can be a phone call away and help you choose the hardware that is best for your needs while staying within your budget. They can offer you options tailor-made for your particular needs and provide longer-lasting support than you would ever get from an OEM - even on officially discontinued parts.
Eco-Friendly
The old hardware does not magically disappear. Every single upgrade has an impact on our planet, and every old part rendered redundant joins the already significant pile of e-waste taking a toll on the environment. In that regard, buying refurbished is like giving a second chance to perfectly fine hardware. And everybody deserves a second chance.
Better and Cheaper
As we saw, buying refurbished hardware can help you in more than one way. It can keep the costs within your budget and allow upgrading to better - and more - options than if buying new. Still, there's a catch we left for last: you should only purchase reconditioned parts from trustworthy sellers.
Properly refurbished parts can be "as good as new," but they can also be… "used." A trusted refurbisher will guarantee you are getting what you need, in the best possible condition, and be there for you when you need support for your hardware. This way, everybody wins, and as a bonus, you can get both your chocolate and vanilla cookies.
Note: The prices are indicative of Configure To Order models, meaning CPU, memory, storage, accessories, licenses, and other extras are not included. Also, note that prices in the refurbished & used market fluctuate depending on availability.
