An older laptop may be past what we buy. Here is the honest line.
Everyday Windows laptops older than Intel 10th gen are a no. A few older machines are still a yes, and we will tell you which.
- Everyday laptops
- Intel 10th gen or newer only
- ThinkPad and EliteBook
- 8th gen still bought
- Dell Latitude
- 10th gen or newer
- MacBook
- Any Apple silicon model
- Core i3
- The calculator will tell you
The straight answer is below.
We buy everyday consumer laptops from Intel 10th gen or Core Ultra upwards, and we decline anything older. If your IdeaPad, Pavilion, Inspiron or Vivobook has an Intel processor from 9th gen or earlier, we cannot buy it, and we would rather say so here than after it has been collected.
There are honest exceptions. Lenovo ThinkPads and HP EliteBooks are still bought from 8th gen, because business laptops are built to last and there is still demand for them. Dell Latitudes we buy from 10th gen. And every Apple silicon MacBook is bought, even the first M1 Air from 2020, in any state.
It is also worth knowing that Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 in October 2025, and Windows 11 officially needs an Intel 8th gen processor or newer. A laptop older than that cannot run a supported version of Windows at all. If yours is past what we buy, the kindest thing is to wipe it and recycle it responsibly, or give it to somebody who needs a basic machine.
What counts as too old.
These are the machines we decline. Check your processor before deciding, because laptops are often newer than their owners remember.
- Everyday laptop, Intel Core i5 or i7, 9th gen or olderIdeaPad, Pavilion, Inspiron, Vivobook and the like
- ThinkPad or EliteBook, 7th gen or older8th gen and newer are still bought
- Dell Latitude, 8th or 9th gen or olderLatitudes are bought from 10th gen
- Intel MacBook Air or MacBook ProOnly Apple silicon MacBooks are priced
- Intel Core i3 laptopsThe calculator will tell you
What to do with it instead.
Check the generation first
Settings, System, About shows the processor. In i5-10210U, the 10 after the dash means 10th gen, which we buy. In i5-8250U, the 8 means 8th gen, which on an everyday laptop we do not.
If it is a ThinkPad or EliteBook
An 8th gen ThinkPad or EliteBook is still on our list, working and in Excellent or Good condition. Plenty of people assume theirs is too old when it is not.
Wipe it before it goes anywhere
Whatever you do next, back up what you need, sign out of your accounts and reset Windows with the option to remove everything. If it will not start, take the drive out.
Recycle it, or pass it on
An e-waste recycler will deal with the battery and the board properly. If it still works, a school, a charity or a family member might get years more out of it for browsing and homework.
What we decline because of age.
This is the line, plainly stated. If yours falls on the wrong side of it, we cannot make an offer, and the steps above are the better route.
- Everyday Intel laptops older than 10th gen
- ThinkPads and EliteBooks older than 8th gen
- Dell Latitudes older than 10th gen
- Intel MacBooks of any year
- Core i3 laptops older than 10th gen
- Gaming laptops with a GTX card or an RTX 20 series, which the calculator does not price
- Any Windows laptop that no longer works, whatever its age
Old laptop questions.
Also selling one of these?
Selling something we can buy?
MacBooks in any condition, business laptops from 8th gen, gaming laptops and everyday Windows laptops from 10th gen. One collection covers the lot.