Buying a refurbished laptop for local AI: what to check

Short answer: Check memory first, then the chip, the battery, the software support and the warranty. A refurbished laptop can be a good way to get a stronger machine for less money. It is only a good buy if it has enough memory and a healthy battery, and if the seller backs it with a written warranty. Our scorecards show price per point, so you can compare value.

1. Memory#

Memory sets what the laptop can run. Read how much memory you need and pick a tier first.

Ask for the exact amount of memory in the unit you will receive, not in the model range.
Mac with an Apple chip: Apple describes its memory as one pool that the whole chip shares. See Apple's note on the M5 chip. Check the "Upgradeable Memory" line in System Information to see whether you can add more. Apple explains where to find it in its Activity Monitor guide. If you cannot, buy the amount you need now.
Windows laptop: Ask whether the memory can be upgraded, and what the laptop's maximum is.

2. The chip and graphics#

Mac: LM Studio needs a Mac with Apple Silicon. Ollama runs on Intel Macs too, but only on the main processor, and Apple-chip Macs get processor and graphics support. See Ollama's macOS page and LM Studio's requirements. For local AI, an Apple Silicon Mac is the better choice.
Windows laptop: Check that the graphics card is on Ollama's hardware list. LM Studio needs a processor with AVX2 support on x64 Windows.
"AI PC" labels: They do not tell you how well a laptop does your jobs. See Is your AI PC actually good at AI?

3. The battery#

Batteries wear out. Ask the seller for the battery's condition, in writing.

On a Mac, open System Settings, then Battery, and look at Battery Health. Apple says "Normal" means the battery is working normally. "Service Recommended" means its ability to hold a charge is less than when it was new, or it is not working normally. See Apple's explanation.
Cycle count: Hold the Option key, click the Apple menu and choose System Information. Under Hardware, click Power. The cycle count is in the Battery Information section. Apple says a battery is designed to keep up to 80% of its original capacity at its maximum cycle count, and that most recent MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models have a maximum of 1000 cycles. See Apple's cycle count page.
On a Windows laptop, ask the seller for a battery health report.

Our scorecards report the battery cost of two jobs when the laptop is unplugged. See how we test.

4. Heat and fans#

A laptop that gets hot can slow itself down. We run every job three times in a row and report how much slower the third run is. Scorecards call this heat slowdown. Look for it on the laptop list before you buy.

5. Software support#

An old laptop that cannot run a current operating system cannot run current AI apps.

Ollama needs macOS Sonoma (version 14) or newer on a Mac, and Windows 10 version 22H2 or newer. See macOS and Windows.
LM Studio needs macOS 14.0 or newer. See its requirements.

Ask the seller which operating system version the laptop can run.

6. Storage#

Models are large files. Ollama's Windows page says models can take tens to hundreds of GB of space, on top of the install. Check that the laptop has plenty of free storage, or room to use an external drive. See Ollama on Windows.

7. Warranty and returns#

The word "certified" has no single meaning. Apple uses "Certified Refurbished" as the name of its own programme. Apple says every product in it comes with a one-year limited warranty. See Apple's refurbished page. That page says the new battery and outer shell apply to iOS devices. It does not say they apply to Macs, so check the battery on any Mac.

Whoever you buy from, ask in writing:

Who tested the laptop, and what did they test?
What was replaced, and was it a new part?
How long is the warranty, and what does it cover?
Can I return it, and who pays for the return?

Who we are, and a note on fairness#

Findra is run by Braynex Services Ltd, which also sells refurbished laptops and a setup service. Our scores come from the same test for every laptop, whether we sell it or not. See how we test and about us. Braynex stock is listed in our shop, and each item links to its scorecard when it has one.

What this means for your laptop#

Pick the tier you need: A, B, C or D.
Look at the jobs you care about, such as contract summaries or customer replies.
Open the laptop list and compare verdicts and price per point.
Ask the seller the questions above before you pay.
If you want it set up for you, see our setup service.