I am blind and depend on my computer every day. My old machine is dying. I found a seller on eBay who is offering used computers. The total price is $225. Is this a good buy?

The company you directed me to is selling Dell Optiplex GX270 computers. This seller's $225 price includes shipping.

At first glance, the computers seem to be well-equipped. They include Pentium 4 microprocessors, 512 megabytes of random access memory, and Windows XP Professional. The description lists a DVD drive, not a burner.

The price sounds low, but it really isn't. The Optiplex GX270 dates from 2003. So, these computers probably are about five years old. That is pushing the envelope for a desktop. The seller is offering a 30-day warranty. That's not much, given the age of these machines.

The Optiplex was sold to businesses, primarily. I doubt that these were abused, but they probably had heavy use.

Old computers such as the Optiplex can be problematic. A hard drive could die at any time. The same goes for a power supply. Everything in the box is probably tired.

Most likely, this company got these computers for next to nothing. I think that is what they are worth.

I checked prices on Dell for new computers. Dell has a basic, $349 machine-the Inspiron 530s. Shipping is $30. It has an Intel Celeron, which is a budget microprocessor. However, it is probably better than the chip in the Optiplex. And it is new, so you're less likely to have a problem.

The new computer

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also has 1 gigabyte of RAM, a 250GB hard drive and Windows Vista Home Basic. That operating system is missing the eye-candy of more expensive Vista versions. But as a blind person, that may not matter to you.

Neither the used computer nor the new one includes a monitor. You can probably continue to use the one you have. The new computer does include a DVD/CD burner. So, you can make your own discs if you want. Also, neither machine has speakers. You can continue using any you have.

And the new machine comes with a one-year warranty. That includes parts and labor, and is in-home.

I'm sure that a used computer looks attractive, given the apparent low price. But that price is likely to be only the beginning. Geriatric computers can develop expensive problems. I just can't recommend the Optiplex.

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