On the face of things, buying a new PC is a pretty simple task. After all, newspapers and magazines are full of adverts shouting about high specs and low prices, while a quick look around your local computer superstore will provide any number of computers, ranging in price from a few hundred to a couple of thousand pounds.

But if you are budget-conscious, you can avoid parting with more money than you have to by scouting around the refurbished computer market.

If a refurbished computer sounds like a recipe for problems, think again. In some cases, the computers being offered can be just a couple of months old and come supplied direct from the original manufacturer, with a full warranty and technical support package. The only difference between the refurbished PC and a new one is the price, which can be as much as 50 per cent, depending on the model and the supplier.

At the other end of the scale, a refurbished computer can be several years old and have been recently liberated from an office in order to make way for a newer PC. It won't be the latest model, but if you are confident about installing operating systems it could be an ideal second PC, or the basis of a budget system. It will come with a warranty so there is little risk, but there is the potential for saving hundreds of pounds over the cost of a new computer.

What is a refurbished computer?
Before explaining why your next computer purchase should be a refurbished model, we need to understand what the term means. And that's not as easy as you might think.

Although a company may advertise a computer as refurbished stock there is a chance the computer is completely new, or previously owned, but has never been out of the box. Usually this is because an order has been cancelled after the computer has been built or a new model is due, so surplus old stock needs to be moved on quickly.

Gavin Nicholson helps run Second Chance PC, a Cambridge-based company which sells refurbished computer stock. He says that even though a computer may be technically new and may never have left the box, it cannot be sold as new.

As a result, while Second Chance PC brands such computers as refurbished they often come with a full manufacturer's warranty. Buying one is no more risky than taking a new model from a shop shelf. Morgan Computers and EuroPC both sell lots of this equipment and refer to such stock as surplus rather than refurbished.

Not all refurbished computers have enjoyed such a sheltered life, and are closer to what many generally think of when the term is used. Manufacturers sometimes send out computers to customers who then return them because the specification is wrong, something doesn't work or because they've changed their mind.

Large companies also send computers to magazines to be reviewed and to computer shows and showrooms for demonstrations. These can't be sold as new, so the manufacturers sell them as refurbished stock with a healthy discount on the regular cost. Again, these often come with a manufacturer's warranty.

The final category fits squarely into the term refurbished. Typically, it consists of computers that have been used in offices for a couple of years before being replaced by newer models. The outgoing models are purchased in bulk by a refurbishing company, which then gets them ready to sell on.

Depending on what you're buying and from where, these computers can be supplied with or without operating systems and peripherals, but they are always offered at very keen prices.

What constitutes refurbishment varies, but all the companies we spoke to said that each computer was checked to ensure the specification was correct and that everything worked as it should. Any problems are sorted out, parts replaced where needed and the computer is ready to be repackaged and put on sale. Ex-lease equipment also gets a clean and undergoes a longer soak-style test to ensure it runs reliably for a long while.

Where to buy?
There are plenty of places to find out about refurbished computers. Type 'Refurb computers uk' into Google and you'll get dozens of potential places to investigate. One of the most fundamental decisions to make is whether you buy a refurbished computer direct from a manufacturer or from a reseller.

The best-known manufacturer to sell direct is Dell. For many people, there is a certain amount of security from buying a computer from the company that put it together in the first place and there is a wide variety of kit available on the site.

Apple also sells refurbished stock direct, but in typical Apple fashion, the method of selling is a bit quirky. The online store is only open one day a week. For a wider choice of makes, models and specifications, however, a refurbishment specialist is a good bet. We've listed a few of the well-known sources of refurbished kit below.

Apple Refurbished Store
If your computing palette is tickled by having one mouse button, the Apple Refurbished Store really is worth a look. It is only open at 10am on Wednesdays in the UK and claims to offer visitors the chance to pick up refurbished Apple products for prices as much as 45 per cent lower than the ticket price.

When we looked on the site, there was only a selection of refurbished iPods available. They all had 15 per cent off the list price so represented a saving and were sold as new products. It is made clear on the site that refurbished units may have minor cosmetic damage - particularly likely if the item made its debut as an in-store demonstrator.

Other than that though, the item is promised to be in good order. If you're still not happy when you get your Mac, refunds are offered.

Dell Outlet
Dell builds, sells and delivers a great many computers and every so often something goes wrong. Broken computers, incorrectly delivered and wrongly specified computers all get sent back. Dell says on the outlet website that all the computers which are being sold are checked, fully functional, supplied with the original operating systems (unless you are in the market for a budget-priced server) and come with full Dell warranty and technical support.

EuroPC
EuroPC is one of the country's largest suppliers of refurbished computer equipment. Based in Scotland, the company does most of its business online or on the phone and has a huge range of computers and peripherals on the site at any given time.

It doesn't stock much very low-end, ex-lease kit, sticking instead to the factory refurbished equipment from companies such as Dell, HP and IBM. It also stocks a limited amount of EuroPC-branded new equipment and some home entertainment kit.

Morgan Computers
One of most well-known suppliers of refurbished computer stock is Morgan Computers. It began life as a supplier of second-hand camera equipment in London's Tottenham Court Road in the late 1970s, but expanded its market to include computers and related IT equipment.

Today, the company is one of the leading lights in the supply of refurbished and surplus computer stock. It has a strong mail order department and website, but if you want a hands-on buying experience, you can visit one of its three superstores in Manchester, Birmingham or London and take a computer home the same day. Most of the surplus stock tends to be from HP Compaq, while the selection of Nikon and Fuji camera equipment represents great value.

Second Chance PC
Second Chance PC is based in Cambridge and offers a range of refurbished computer systems, starting at around £120. Our research indicated that Second Chance PC's cheaper PC systems are good value, although it tends to lose its edge a little as prices and specifications creep up, because it doesn't have the buying power of the bigger companies.

Where it does have a very strong line-up is on Apple computers. Whether you need £15-worth of Powermac 6100, or £2,000 of G5, it seems to touch all the bases. Second Chance PC is also happy to fine tune the specifications of the computers it sells to suit the buyer.

SterlingXS
Although the website looks a bit home made, there are some really good buys on the SterlingXS site. The company concentrates a lot of its effort on portable computers, but there are some good deals on Compaq desktop PCs too. For some really sharp pricing, check out the one-off deals, where you may be able to get yourself a project PC at a knock-down price.

The Clearance Store
The Clearance Store is effectively Apple only. As well as the refurbished computers, the company also stocks some iPods and a huge amount of software and spares. If you are trading up, it will also quote on part-exchanging your old equipment. It carries plenty of stock and the company is also geared up for fixing and servicing any ailing Apples you may be hiding away.

Refurbishment companies:
Apple Refurbishment Store
http://promo.euro.apple.com/promo/refurb/uk

Dell Outlet - 0870 907 5219
www.euro.dell.com/countries/uk/enu/dfo/default.htm

Euro PC - 0870 987 0800
www.europc.co.uk

Getmeapc.co.uk - 0800 026 5888
www.getmeapc.co.uk

Morgan Computers - 0121 454 8200
www.morgancomputers.co.uk

PC Disposals - 01923 233923
www.pcdisposals.com

SDEurope - 0151 348 6212
www.sdeurope.com

Second Chance PC - 01223 833 412
www.2ndchancePC.co.uk

Sterling XS - 01483 301331
www.sterlingxs.co.uk

The Clearance Store - 020 8503 3131
www.tcsmacs.com