Computer Parts, Used and Refurbished - A Smart Buyer's Guide

Microsoft, Intel, Sun, HP and all those businesses devoted to selling you new hardware depend for their livelihood on convincing you that you simply have to have the latest and greatest version of their wares. But truth be told for many of us, our trusty old equipment will do just fine, thank you.

This is even more the case with regard to enterprise level components: servers, routers, storage devices etc. Many companies have invested tens of thousands -- even millions -- of dollars in proprietary software which is critical to their businesses and which will not function on newer model hardware. Moving to a new generation of equipment for these companies often means undertaking a complete revision of software and processes -- an expensive and perilous undertaking. Maintaining perfectly good equipment with a small investment in parts often presents the best value, so it's not surprising therefore that many companies choose instead to keep their legacy equipment chugging along as long as possible.

As a result, a whole industry has developed catering to the used, refurbished and unused parts and components markets for equipment originally manufactured by companies such as Digital Equipment (later to become Compaq and later still to be absorbed by Hewlett Packard), Sun Microsystems, Cisco and Enterasys (formerly Cabletron) and many others. Buying used and refurbished parts can result in significant savings.

Thanks to the internet it is now easier than ever to find suppliers for old and even obsolete computer parts. And it should also surprise no one that the temptation to fob off counterfeit parts as genuine is too great for some to resist.

So, how do you know when you are getting genuine parts for your legacy machine? Here are a few pointers provided by Pyramid Technology Services, a well known and highly reputable used and refurbished computer parts dealer with many years of experience and a large inventory of refurbished parts, on how to identify counterfeit Cisco parts:

• Look at the color of the serial number. Cisco's own color is a yellow-orange; counterfeits are darker. The numbers may appear crowded and even rub off on the phony items
• LEDs on blades. They should all be the same size.
• Watch the color on loop-back buttons on WAN interface cards: it should be dull, not bright red.
• Real Cisco boards usually have solder points covered with nickel-zinc, not copper, as seen on counterfeits.
• Inside the RJ-45 connector, Cisco parts will have the word "Steward," not "GLG."
• Always deal with a well-established value added reseller. Look for a dealer who rigorously tests everything and who backs up sales with a warranty.
• Stick with sellers who belong to the ASCDI (the Association of Service and Computer Dealers International). They have an established code of ethics and an arbitration procedure in place for any problems that might arise.

Fred Levinson pioneered online travel as the founder and CEO of Interactive Office Services, which operated ATbM - A Trip by Modem and many other online properties. He currently works as a private consultant to companies developing websites worldwide.

If you're in the market for new, used and refurbished parts -- from Cisco, DEC, Sun, Compaq, HP, Enterasys and others -- try this page

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