Recommendations for a gaming laptop

[bob3160]

If you order directly from Dell, you can insist that it be shipped with just the OS and nothing else.
They may balk at first but persistence pays off. My Dell Vostro came to me with just the OS.

[Misuzu]

I see. I thought "bloatware" was something else.
Thank you everyone! You've helped a lot. 

Best regards,
-Misuzu

[Misuzu]

Oh sorry! One last question, I promise! 

Is it safe to buy a "Manufacturer refurbished" computer? I know it's when a computer is defective and sent back and fixed. But is there any "dangers" to buying a "Manufacturer refurbished" computer? Is it possible for it to have malware (viruses, keyloggers, trojans etc...) from previous owners or do they contain easily breakable parts due to originally being defective?

"Manufacturer refurbished" computers seem to be cheaper (for obvious reasons), and we are considering buying one, but we wanted to know if they were safe to buy.

Thanks!
-Misuzu

[CraigB]

There should be no problems with a refurbished system, whatever problem it may of had should have been fixed and the unit is restored to factory state.

It would also come with at least 6 to 12 months warranty, this is how I purchased my older Acer 8920G with a $700 discount

[Misuzu]

There should be no problems with a refurbished system, whatever problem it may of had should have been fixed and the unit is restored to factory state.

It would also come with at least 6 to 12 months warranty, this is how I purchased my older Acer 8920G with a $700 discount

Wow thanks for such a quick reply!
I was pretty sure buying a refurbished computer would be safe, the main thing bugging me is the possibilities of malicious/malware on the system. But it sounds like it's safe too.
Though, isn't it possible for malware and such to "live through" a factory restore? Then again, the restoration the manufacturers do on the computer should be more foolproof.

Sorry for all the questions. 
-Misuzu

[Asyn]

Though, isn't it possible for malware and such to "live through" a factory restore?

No. (If it's done right.)

[Misuzu]

Though, isn't it possible for malware and such to "live through" a factory restore?

No. (If it's done right.)

Then we must not have been doing it right in the past.  Then again, I think what we couldn't get rid of was roguewear. (Though all the malicious things, like viruses, keyloggers, roguewear etc... Are categorized as malware, yes?)

Well, it sounds like refurbished is the way to go. I'm sure the manufacturers would restore a computer "correctly", right? I guess I'm just malware-paranoid haha.   

[Asyn]

1. Then we must not have been doing it right in the past.  Then again, I think what we couldn't get rid of was roguewear. (Though all the malicious things, like viruses, keyloggers, roguewear etc... Are categorized as malware, yes?)

2.I'm sure the manufacturers would do restore a computer "correctly", right?

1. We've guys here, who can help you to get it clean.
2. Yes.

[CraigB]

You would more than likely find that the computer was returned for a hardware issue and refurbished, you can always ask them what the reason for it's return was but it really wouldn't matter anyway as it should be all in good working order.

You can also google the model and see if there were any known problems that they were returned for, my old Acer was returned for bad screen flickering but was perfect once I got it and it still runs great now 5/6 years later.

[Misuzu]

Thank you guys for the fast replies! 

@Asyn:
I was referring to an old desktop that we don't have anymore. Sorry if I was misleading.

@craigb & Asyn:
Thanks for the answers, I'm so paranoid sometimes. 

Thanks everyone! As stated, you've been a great help! That should be it, for real this time. 
Best regards,
-Misuzu

[Asyn]

1. @Asyn:
I was referring to an old desktop that we don't have anymore. Sorry if I was misleading.

2. @craigb & Asyn:
Thanks for the answers, I'm so paranoid sometimes. 

1. NP Misuzu.
2. You're welcome.

[CraigB]

@craigb & Asyn:
Thanks for the answers, I'm so paranoid sometimes. 

Your welcome

[DavidR]

Though, isn't it possible for malware and such to "live through" a factory restore?

No. (If it's done right.)

As has been said it shouldn't be an issue, but in life there are no guarantees. Some years ago some new hard disks were coming out of the factories already infected.

So whatever you get ensure you do install avast and run a scan.

[Asyn]

1. As has been said it shouldn't be an issue, but in life there are no guarantees. Some years ago some new hard disks were coming out of the factories already infected.

2. So whatever you get ensure you do install avast and run a scan.

1. Don't scare her Dave, she's already paranoid.
2. +1

[Dch48]

That's the problem with wiping the disc and doing a fresh windows install on a laptop. Most laptops have special keyboard functions and other things that require the drivers from the manufacturer. Even things like networking drivers may be manufacturer specific. HP offers all the drivers for their machines as downloads though so it can be done. What I do is just remove the bundled software that I don't want and keep the few that I like. I have kept the Cyberlink PowerDVD program on my Win 7 machine for instance because it has BluRay playback. I was even able to upgrade it for free to the full version. If you are going to wipe an HP clean, you should backup the folder called SWSETUP as that contains all the driver and software installation files that come with the machine. Then you can easily install your drivers and whatever else you might want without having to download anything.