Buying a refurbished server: what to check before you order.

1. Which generation, exactly

Start here, because it decides the rest. A refurbished server is always some number of platform generations behind the current one, and the generation sets the processor family, the memory type and speed, and whether there are NVMe bays at all. A listing that gives a model without a generation, or a generation without a processor, is leaving out the thing you are paying for.

If the listing does not say, the generations guide shows how to date a machine from its processor, memory and management controller, and lines the five main vendors up against each other.

2. The exact configuration, line by line

A model number names a chassis, not a machine. Ask for the configuration as a list, and compare quotes on the list rather than on the title:

• Processors: the exact model and how many. A two-socket server with one socket populated is a cheaper listing that does not always say so.
• Memory: total size, the number of DIMMs and their speed. The same total in fewer, larger DIMMs leaves room to grow; in many small ones it does not.
• Drives: how many, what size, what interface, and whether they are new or pulled from another machine.
• The RAID controller and the network cards, by model.
• Power supplies: how many and what rating. A single supply in a server that takes two is a missing redundancy, not a detail.
• Rails, bezel and cables. A rack server without rails is a rack server that sits on a shelf.
• The remote management licence for Dell iDRAC, HPE iLO or Lenovo XClarity: ask which licence is installed and whether it includes the features you rely on, such as the remote console. What happens to that licence on a used server covers each vendor's rules.

3. What the condition grade means, in writing

Grade A, Grade B and "excellent condition" mean whatever the seller decides they mean. A grade is only useful when the seller has written down what it covers — the cosmetic state, whether the unit is complete, whether labels and serials are original — and will be held to it.

Ours is written down in one place: what Grade A means. If a seller cannot point to the equivalent, the grade is a description, not a standard.

4. What was tested, and what was not

Ask what happened to the machine between the previous owner and you, and ask for the record of it. A useful answer is specific and modest; a vague answer that promises everything is the one to be careful with.

Every machine we ship is powered on and booted on our bench, configuration checked against the spec, completeness and visual inspection, photos, logs and serials recorded. Anything beyond that — burn-in, deeper engineering checks — is scoped and quoted per project, and the quality control page is where it is described. We do not claim more than that, and it is reasonable to ask any seller to say as precisely what they do.

5. The drives, separately

Drives wear and processors do not, so treat the drives as their own purchase. Ask whether they are new or used, whether the previous owner's data was wiped and how, and whether their health data was read and can be sent. A server with used drives and no health data is a server whose most fragile part you know nothing about.

If the workload is write-heavy, consider buying the chassis refurbished and the drives new. It is a common split and a sensible one.

6. The warranty, and who honours it

A refurbished machine is normally out of its original vendor warranty, so the warranty that matters is the seller's. Ask how long it is, what it covers — the whole machine or parts only — how a failure is handled, and who ships what to whom.

Ours is twelve months on refurbished and new alike, and the terms are on the warranty page. On refurbished, cover is extendable up to 3 years on request in your quote. If you need the vendor's own support on a refurbished machine, ask the vendor before you buy whether that serial can be put under a contract.

7. Whether refurbished is the right answer at all

Refurbished is the right answer when the workload sits comfortably inside an older platform's ceilings, when you are matching machines already in the rack, or when the saving is better spent on memory and drives. It is the wrong answer when the machine has to stay in heavy service for most of a decade, for GPU and high-speed networking work that needs the newest PCIe, and for anything where the vendor's own support contract is a requirement.

Every line page compares its generations and says which job each one suits: Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant, Lenovo ThinkSystem, Cisco UCS, Supermicro and, for storage, PowerVault and PowerStore. The refurbished catalogue lists the models we source and quote.