Quality Control Method
All our laptops go through an intensive and strict Quality Control Method during the refurbishment process, to eliminate any chance of possible errors/faults, and to ensure maximum peak performance. On this page we outline what those Quality Control Methods points are.
Cooling Fan Testing
Before we carry out any tests on the cooling fan, we firstly give it a deep clean. We disassemble the fan and remove any thick dirt using compressed air. We then take the cleaning to a finer level and clean the blades using 99.9% isopropyl alcohol. This insures the fan is fully clean. We then test the fan by running what is know as a ‘stress test’. This test puts the laptop under a heavy load, causing the fan to spin hard in order to cool the laptop. While the test is on-going we keep a close eye on the temperature. A properly functioning fan will be able to carry out this task without any issues and disperse the temperature correctly. A faulty fan will fail this test and cause overheating.
Hinges
The hinges connecting the screen to the main laptop body are extremely important, and normally the most vulnerable to damage. Thus, we test them to insure they are fully intact and working as they should. Some tell-tell signs of damaged hinges include : cracking/clicking sound when opening and closing the laptop lid, plastic lifting around the screen or main body, lid not being able to hold it’s own weight, and a general loose feeling when opening and closing the laptop.
CPU Testing
CPU (processor) testing is another key part of our Quality Control Method. It is crucial that the CPU is functioning at 100% of it’s ability, or else it’ll have a knock-on effect on overall performance/speed. The way we test the CPU is by carrying out a stress test, which will put the CPU under a heavy load. We then closely monitor it’s GHz(gigahertz) performance to see if it matches with it’s marked advertised value. For example, if we stress test a CPU and see that it’s maxing out at 3.40GHz, when in fact it’s advertised at 3.90GHz, then we can assume that the CPU has deteriorated. If both values match, then the CPU is performing at optimal condition and passes the test.
WiFi/Internet Testing
Probably one of the most straight forward tests in our Quality Control Method, is the Wifi/internet test. This is when we check both the speed and stability of the laptop’s WiFi. We check the speed by running download & upload speed tests, then analyse the results. We check the stability and consistency of the WiFi by running what is known as a long-term “drop test”. This is where the laptop will be connected to a target for a long period of time, to check if there are any drops in the connection.
Drive (HDD/SDD) Testing
All the drives that we prep our laptops with go through strict testing to insure top performance. With drive testing, specialised software is used in testing. The software checks the overall health of the drive, as well as carrying out some read/write speed tests.
RAM Testing
Similar to drive testing, RAM testing is also carried out using specialised industry software. The software will test and benchmark the performance of the RAM, as well as it’s overall health.
Boot Speed Testing
Once the laptop has gone through our whole Quality Control tests, it then moves onto the final test before it’s on it’s way to the customer. Boot speed testing. Here is where we’ll do a hard shutdown of the laptop (not Sleep or Hibernate), then boot it back up and time it’s boot speed. We then analyse the results to determine if it’s in-line with optimal performance exceptions.
