Logos Desktop on Refurbished Thinkpads vs New Laptops

Can anyone give some tips or warnings about purchasing a refurbished Thinkpad to run Logos Desktop? Pros and Cons of refurbished over new for people on a budget?

I would think there are others beside myself that would benefit from this discussion.

But to narrow things a little, I need to run the desktop version of Logos for the extra features that are helpful in writing student academic papers. I also want to run Mendeley, MS Office 2019, OpenNote, and Anki.

The refurbishing company that I am hoping to use only upgrades RAM to 8GB and the SSD to about 250, even on newer models that can handle more. The company is a non-profit that does not offer expensive models or maximum upgrades. They offer Student/Home MS Office 2019 for an extra $20.00. It costs a bit more than $100 extra to max out all their options, which I plan to do.

Please, anyone else feel free to hijack this thread to discuss their own situation and needs. I started this thread to discuss more than my own situation.

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Comments

Mark Smith

Kathleen, I'm guessing that the lack of response so far may be due to lack of experience with refurbished laptops among our Forum users. I am in that no experience group.

That said, there are a couple of specs you haven't shared. One is the processor you'd be receiving. A second is whether a discrete graphics card is included, and if so, what its specs are.

The 250 GB SSD would be a concern to me. It would depend on how much you plan to put on the computer. You really wouldn't want to use more that 200-225 GB or so for good performance.

8GB of RAM is sufficient for Logos. If I were buying a new computer I would opt for 16GB.

I would want a 512 GB SSD minimum, a fairly recent i7 processor (an i5 will work), and a discrete graphics card with 4GB of memory.

I have a 4-1/2 year old ThinkPad and it runs Logos (and my other apps) just fine. I started with a 512BG SSD then upgraded to 1TB after about 2-1/2 years. I have a Zeon processor which was the best option at the time, but a good i7 processor would be all I'd need today. I have a discrete graphics card and 16 GB of RAM. Obviously those would be my starting specs if I were looking for a new machine.

I really like Lenovo, especially the keyboard. It's been a trouble free machine for me.

One other wild card is the release of Windows 11. You would not have to upgrade as MS will support Windows 10 for a few more years, but if you did need to upgrade your computer would need to be compatible with WIN 11. It seems MS has stated that one will need a fairly recent computer to run Win 11. There's other discussion about that on the forum and the web.

Floyd Johnson

I have refurbished Dell Laptop. I was happy with it for the first two years I owned it, so rather than buying a new or another refurbished unit, I upgraded my original refurbished unit. I did three things to the Dell:

I upgraded the battery - allowing it to be used for a longer period w/o access to power.
I upgraded the original 8 GB memory to 16 GB
I replaced my original HDD to a similarly sized SSD

I cannot comment on the ThinkPad, but I know I made right choice with my Windows Pro machine. Next time I will need to purchase a new machine, my Dell is now maxed out and it will not run Windows 11. But the refurbished machine has given me 5 to 6 years of satisfactory experience without the cost of two new (one with the original purchase and again when I upgraded) machines.

Kathleen Marie

Kathleen, I'm guessing that the lack of response so far may be due to lack of experience with refurbished laptops among our Forum users. I am in that no experience group.

That said, there are a couple of specs you haven't shared. One is the processor you'd be receiving. A second is whether a discrete graphics card is included, and if so, what its specs are.

The 250 GB SSD would be a concern to me. It would depend on how much you plan to put on the computer. You really wouldn't want to use more that 200-225 GB or so for good performance.

8GB of RAM is sufficient for Logos. If I were buying a new computer I would opt for 16GB.

I would want a 512 GB SSD minimum, a fairly recent i7 processor (an i5 will work), and a discrete graphics card with 4GB of memory.

I have a 4-1/2 year old ThinkPad and it runs Logos (and my other apps) just fine. I started with a 512BG SSD then upgraded to 1TB after about 2-1/2 years. I have a Zeon processor which was the best option at the time, but a good i7 processor would be all I'd need today. I have a discrete graphics card and 16 GB of RAM. Obviously those would be my starting specs if I were looking for a new machine.

I really like Lenovo, especially the keyboard. It's been a trouble free machine for me.

One other wild card is the release of Windows 11. You would not have to upgrade as MS will support Windows 10 for a few more years, but if you did need to upgrade your computer would need to be compatible with WIN 11. It seems MS has stated that one will need a fairly recent computer to run Win 11. There's other discussion about that on the forum and the web.

Thank you! This is very helpful!

Some of us on a low income are suddenly eligible to purchase used business and school devices, but we have to make choices fast before the devices are unavailable. A few similar machines pop up and then disappear in just a few hours. i7 thinkpads do pop up. The only way I can have over 8GB of RAM and 250 GB is if I install them myself, though.

I have disassembled an older Thinkpad in the past, but never did swap any of the parts. It just installed Zorin Light Linux on it and stuck with the 32-bit. I forget the model, but it was one of the last models that had IBM written on it, even though it was made by Lenovo. I left it behind with a friend when I moved. I am afraid to mess with this one (if I purchase one) because I don't want to to lose the MS Office license that will work long-term without a subscription. I am more confident about messing with the RAM than the drive that the software is installed on.

It would be fine with me to only put Logos and Mendeley and MS Office on it. I would prefer to add Anki and OneNote, but that is secondary. This is an opportunity to have Office without the need for a subscription and for only $20.00.

When I moved, I brought my laptop tools and a couple single use syringes of thermal paste, that I had purchased but didn't use for the other Thinkpad. I am scared, but with prayer, I might take the chance to try and upgrade a laptop in ways that don't risk losing the MS licenses.

Kathleen Marie

I have refurbished Dell Laptop.

I replaced my original HDD to a similarly sized SSD

Did you successfully transfer all your Microsoft licenses when you upgraded the the HDD to a SSD?

Kathleen Marie

I signed up at the Thinkpad forum, but I did not dare post without knowing more about what Logos required.

Floyd Johnson

Did you successfully transfer all your Microsoft licenses when you upgraded the the HDD to a SSD?

I did - but I have an Office 365 subscription for my wife and I to share; MS tracks my five installations. My Windows Pro licence came over seamlessly. That's better than the repair experience I had earlier. I sent it in with Win Pro and it came back with Win Home. It was a warranty repair and was taken care of with another stay in the shop 😫.

Kathleen Marie

Did you successfully transfer all your Microsoft licenses when you upgraded the the HDD to a SSD?

I did - but I have an Office 365 subscription for my wife and I to share; MS tracks my five installations. My Windows Pro licence came over seamlessly. That's better than the repair experience I had earlier. I sent it in with Win Pro and it came back with Win Home. It was a warranty repair and was taken care of with another stay in the shop 😫.

I will need to study more about transferring the licenses after swapping the main drive.

I need to do some research on external storage for apps of secondary importance that don't have the same requirements as Logos.

Floyd Johnson

I would also consider getting an extended warranty with a refurbished machine. You have no way knowing how much abuse the refurbished machine had from previous owner/s. Having said that, I would buy refurbished again.

I also know Wal-Mart does a good job on exchanges if the machine does not meet your specs. I originally got an i3 that I took back for an i5. But my machines were both sold and shipped by Wal-Mart. I don't know about other vendors. As Mark said above, the i3 was too slow.

Kathleen Marie

Thank you both so much! You have been most helpful!

I think I will purchase a laptop from this non-profit and stick in the fastest mini thumbdrive I can find for everything that is not the basic operating system and my 3 main paper writing apps.

I am just going to trust God to send me the right machine, and I am going to trust that if it breaks outside the warranty, that he planned exactly that. When things break, I have nothing to lose and I attempt risky things that I otherwise would not attempt.

Things have not been comfortable for me, but I see God's hand in it all, especially the trials and surprises. In the end, it will all work for good.

Thank you both so much. I hope this information is helpful to others, too.

David Thomas

are suddenly eligible to purchase used business and school devices

I may be wrong in my assumptions but "refurbished" and "used" are two separate categories in my mind. I have purchased factory-refurbished machines from both Dell and Apple with no problems. Our church purchased a used PC from a re-seller who got it from a State University. This has been a nightmare with transferring Operating System licenses--we cloned an old drive onto the used/newer machine. The new machine has a different serial number so the Operating system keeps asking to activate windows.

Mark Smith

It would be fine with me to only put Logos and Mendeley and MS Office on it. I would prefer to add Anki and OneNote, but that is secondary.

If MS Office, Logos, and these are all you'll be using, the 250 GB should be fine. Photos, videos, and music are GB eaters. If you don't load those (or keep it under control) you should be OK.

While is seems intimidating to update a HD, it isn't too bad. You'll need a drive enclosure for the new SSD but most SSD suppliers provide software to make cloning your existing drive easy. Once cloned your new drive has everything your old drive had including programs, data, and licensing. Then its just a matter of swapping the drives.

Kathleen Marie

Did you say how much warranty is left on these devices?

are suddenly eligible to purchase used business and school devices

I may be wrong in my assumptions but "refurbished" and "used" are two separate categories in my mind. I have purchased factory-refurbished machines from both Dell and Apple with no problems. Our church purchased a used PC from a re-seller who got it from a State University. This has been a nightmare with transferring Operating System licenses--we cloned an old drive onto the used/newer machine. The new machine has a different serial number so the Operating system keeps asking to activate windows.

Sometimes I have access to purchase machines through non-profits that exist entirely to refurbish desktops and laptops for low-income people. Usually the warranty is only 30 days. That is why they do not sell machines with expensive upgraded parts. Before I moved, I bought a desktop from a similar non-profit and it was an excellent machine for the price. I left it behind with the old Thinkpad that I had purchased off Amazon and had nothing to do with one of these non-profits.

The main benefits of these older refurbished machines is that they come with Windows and MS Office for about the same price and specs of a new Chromebook. Microsoft gives the non-profits a set number of licenses that can only be given away to people that meet the criteria. Microsoft allows these non-profits some permissions to tweak the OS in ways that make it run better on the old machines. I do not fully understand all of what was done to my desktop, but I noticed how well it ran compared to the newer HP Streams that so many students had at school.

If this machine comes tweaked like that desktop, I need to worry about losing that as much as losing the license. I think I only want to add to the machine, not swap anything.

Do some Thinkpads come with room for two internal drives?

Kathleen Marie

It would be fine with me to only put Logos and Mendeley and MS Office on it. I would prefer to add Anki and OneNote, but that is secondary.

If MS Office, Logos, and these are all you'll be using, the 250 GB should be fine. Photos, videos, and music are GB eaters. If you don't load those (or keep it under control) you should be OK.

While is seems intimidating to update a HD, it isn't too bad. You'll need a drive enclosure for the new SSD but most SSD suppliers provide software to make cloning your existing drive easy. Once cloned your new drive has everything your old drive had including programs, data, and licensing. Then its just a matter of swapping the drives.

I am going to study more about this. Cloning sounds like it might be an option.

In the meantime, I want to keep all media files off the main drive, unless they are part of Logos and MS Office and Mendeley. Should even Mendeley be on another drive? Is another citation manager a better option for someone running Logos on a refurbished machine of these specs.

I have Olive Tree and Tecarta on android. I have delayed fully committing to Logos because I struggle to afford machines that can run the full desktop experience. On Android and offline, I prefer Olive Tree.

I am at the point with my academic writing that I am planning to commit to Logos and MS Office. If that is possible on my budget.

I cannot imagine that I am the only low-income student with these issues. Searching the forum didn't bring me directly to any threads on tweaking refurbished machines or avoiding them. I thought it might be a good topic of conversation in general.