Checking and diagnosing a laptop when buying?

Question

Iron

Hello.
Dear, this is my next question on the eve of buying a laptop.
I wonder (I think not to me alone) what do you use to check the laptop?
This applies not only to software / hardware, but also to its “visual” diagnostics.
Actually, the question is: what and how are you checking?
- in general, the compliance of the characteristics of a particular model with those indicated on the price tag (or on the check, if, for example, there has already been an advance payment);
- matrix for the presence of broken pixels;
- RAM;
- processor;
— HDD;
- keyboard;
— creaks does not creak when opening / closing;
Are all ports working?
- your own version (what else would you like to check?).
Have you met with a negative reaction from sellers to your desire to diagnose equipment?
Is their anger justified?
What you did not check when buying, which you later regretted (as an option (:).
Thank you

Answer 1

I just look externally for obvious defects, in normal stores they will turn on the test for monitors (multi-colored screen fills in turn).
For everything else, you legally have 14 days. There have never been any particular problems with the return, in which case, again, we are talking about stores with a human approach to customers.

Answer 2

Only serial with box/warranty and nothing else.
This method has the advantage that you don’t sign with it that “the laptop is checked and everything suits” as a result, it’s an order of magnitude easier to hand over if anything, because. all claims past the checkout up to “there is nothing at all in the laptop case” :) Just checking in the store normally and fully is still unrealistic.
A negative reaction from sellers happens if a laptop is sold with non-activated Windows, they do not like to let it be activated, it seems that there are objective reasons for this.

Answer 3

Regarding the choice of a laptop, in my opinion, checking it for compliance with the declared characteristics is of course important - but not so much. If you buy in a normal store, then the probability of such a deception tends to zero. Well, you can climb into the device manager to see what is there - they will hardly let you install some kind of specialized program.
But there are malfunctions with which the laptop is then problematic to return to the service center.
Check the laptop screen as monitors are checked: for broken pixels, glare, glare, etc.
Check the laptop speakers - sometimes they wheeze or make noise - you won't be able to use them.
Check the operation of the cooling system by running something resource-intensive to make the laptop make fan noise.
Check the operation of all keyboard buttons.
Be sure to check for scratches or external defects. This will most likely result in a denial of service.
Remember that returning to a service center can also be a dubious pleasure. As you know, our legislation regarding service centers is quite crude - everything is mainly based on the authority of stores. In any case, they will take it away from you for several weeks for checks and for this time you will be left without a laptop - because they will not provide a similar product for this time. And it is far from certain that the decision will be positive.

Answer 4

When checking, I try to use the “built-in OS” tools, since far from everywhere they will be allowed to put something of my own.
In this regard, I met with a negative reaction, such as: “There is nothing to bring viruses!” And agree - there is something in this. Oh, and acceptance. agreements - also does not contribute ...
In terms of RAM - there are special programs. I don’t remember the name anymore - it’s on a CD - it doesn’t ask to eat (it seems to be Gold MeM, but I have an old one). Similar programs are available on most (to me known) Linux distributions.
Claudia - just press all the keys several times with the included notepad + some of the most common combinations.
Characteristics: in BIOS + cpux + gpuz (there are more programs)
Ports: connect and try. USB - stupidly poke a flash drive and see what would be displayed correctly.
Matrix (per pixels) - stupidly launch the graph editor (paint), stretch it to a size larger than the screen, fill it with one color and expand it to full screen. (In WinXp: View => see picture Ctrl+F)
HDD - a utility from the manufacturer + see smart. But I'm sure there are better ways.
I also recommend checking for load and overheating: count parrots + load something, some prefer heavy games :-) (And the CPU is checked and the GPU) Others, say, video conversion (separately using the CPU and GPU)
Be sure to monitor the temperature.
I also recommend checking the monitor for glare (shine something on the monitor and try to read what is written there.)
See how the monitor behaves at maximum brightness and contrast and at minimum. (Are there any spots, is everything visible.)
Also, I always checked the rendering speed of the monitor on WinXP. I ran dxdiag => Display, and there: Checking DirectDraw and Checking Direct3D
Comparing, visually, rendering (not speed, but residual glow, when moving), you can gradually learn to distinguish how the monitor will behave with a dynamic picture. It was necessary to pay attention to the corners and edges of the white square and cube.
Unfortunately, in WinVista (well, in Win7) remove such a useful functionality in dxdiag. And I don't know how to replace it with regular means. As well as I do not know about other OS.
The only "found" option is to abruptly move the windows and the mouse, as well as the mouse with the mode to display the trace of the pointer. But this, to put it mildly, does not help much.

Answer 5

As far as I understand, there are two types of sales: regular and remote .
According to the first one, you cannot return this product, because it is a complex technical device and the store usually provides conditions for checking it on the spot and the possibility of returning it if you don’t like it or it doesn’t work.
According to the second, which was invented for online stores, you can return any product within, if I'm not mistaken, one week, indicating the formal reason (didn't like the color). In this case, checking the goods on the spot may not be organized, for that they are remote sales.
The problem is that most online stores do not support this law and are designed as if they were ordinary stores where the buyer can see and touch the goods. In theory, at pick-up points, for example, it can, but in fact this is just a common deception of the buyer.
There are serious online stores (even with developed pickup points) that support this law. Different small riffraff usually does not support. I know one store that, as an alternative, offers its own service for the exchange of goods that have not been liked for several days. The point is that no one can sell the returned goods as new, even if the presentation is preserved (although I’m not at all sure that this is the case).
If necessary, I can PM you the name of a very large online store that supports remote sales.
You can return the product through the service center if it is defective only. And then it may not be a return, but an exchange for the same.

Answer 6

Has anyone managed to return a laptop for the reason that they “didn’t like it” or “inconvenient”, etc.?
Or due to the fact that the laptop is a “technically complex device”, it can be exchanged / returned only after the SC has concluded a marriage, right?

Answer 7

And who uses what programs? Something like CPU-Z, any benchmarks?

Answer 8

Thanks for the replies :)