published: 17.02.26
most recent update: 22.03.26

 

Hardware prices have gone through the roof in the last 12 months: buying a refurbished PC or Mac is now more sensible than ever

 

Summary:

Because of the huge push towards generative AI, large companies have been heavily investing in new datacentres and the computer hardware to fill them. So much so that the cost of those components has risen dramatically: prices for CPUs / GPUs, RAM (400% or more since July 2025) and SSDs (and now HDDS) have all increased, in some cases by 100-200%. No only that, but it seems there are significant long-term shortages of these components ahead. So prices are unlikely to stabilise or go down any time soon (unless the AI bubble bursts, which is a possibility).

All of which means that buying a reasonably-priced refurbished or second-hand Mac or PC has become advantageous: it does need some extra thought and care though, and there are definitely some caveats.

 

Recommended Suppliers of refurbished / second-hand computers:

I've no connection to any of these, but I've personally used them for years and found them to be good value, and generally very helpful and professional. However, you need to understand what you're getting, and you need to just double-check whatever you buy carefully to ensure it's working properly: the vendors can sometimes unwittingly miss issues, and they are generally very helpful if you explain what the problem is.

Computer Exchange (CEX): https://uk.webuy.com/

Tier1: https://tier1online.com/

 

Decide on exactly what you need and why

Make sure you know exactly what computer you want and why: there is not much point buying an AMD 486DX4 PC if you need to run Windows 11.... However, if you want to run vintage DOS games, then a 486 might just be the right thing.

 

Understand what you're buying: specification and grading

Make sure you fully understand the specification of the hardware you're getting, and read up about the grading system that's offered by the supplier: typically there are 3 grades or more, from mint / like new condition, all the way down to damaged but working. The supplier may or may not include packaging / boxes (if that's important to you). Check the grades of things like displays: you may end up with a scratched display, which some people are fine with, and some are not. Always ask suppliers to confirm if you're not sure.