Computer Aid International Shipment Specifications

May 2009

Technical Information about our Professionally Refurbished PCs:

Computer Aid International is a registered UK charity (1069256) and not-for-profit NGO. We charge a handling fee of £42 plus shipping per computer to recover our costs.

Computer Aid International is unique in its commitment to providing the highest quality professionally refurbished PCs available at the lowest possible cost. Computer Aid International has the world’s largest not-for-profit refurbishing centre in London, dedicated entirely to providing the highest possible specification PCs to developing countries. 100% of the working P4 computers donated to Computer Aid International are passed on to beneficiary organisations at the lowest possible cost.

We currently guarantee that you will receive 100% Pentium 4 (or equivalent) computers in every order.

This means that in your order of computers you will receive at least the specifications listed below and whenever possible higher specifications of machines. We also add free extra machines to each order of twenty machines or more to pre-compensate in the event of any machine being damaged in transit. Please see the section below for a list of your free equipment.

Our mission is to maximise the volume of high quality PCs reaching educational and not-for-profit organisations at the lowest costs possible. We can provide your organisation with any number of PCs from 1 to over 10,000. If you require a large volume of computers or have a specific request then please discuss your particular needs with us.

Computer Aid International is fortunate that since our donations come directly from UK donor companies our technical specifications improve constantly over time. Our beneficiaries directly benefit from this improvement in specifications as soon as it happens.

Currently the minimum specifications that we provide in every order is:

100% Pentium 4 or equivalent PCs with:

a minimum of 256 Mb RAM
between 1.4Ghz – 3.0Ghz+ processors (AMD – XP+ processor, Celeron – 1.5Ghz+ processor)
between 20Gb and 100Gb+ hard disks
100% of P4s have CD-ROM or DVD Drives
100% of machines will have either a USB port or floppy disk drive

Each machine is a full system, complete with its own colour monitor, keyboard, mouse and cables. Power plugs are UK standard (three square pins) and so in many countries you will need to replace them with standard local plugs.

More Detailed Specifications:

Our monitors are approximately 10% 15 inch and 90% 17 inch. Once again we do not distinguish between 15 inch and 17 inch monitors when costing. If you have a preference for 17” only then please let us know on your application form and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

CD-ROM or DVD drives are supplied as standard in 100% of our machines. Network cards are supplied as standard in 100% of our machines. Most of our machines will have a USB port either at the back or front of the computer. We will ensure that your computer has either a USB port or floppy disk drive.

Our machines are supplied without Computer Aid International adding new sound cards although most PCs do now have their own internal devices.

All machines are 220/240 volts as standard. If you require machines switched to 110/120 volts we are happy to provide this service however it is essential that you indicate this need in your application.

Software:

As standard our machines do not come with operating systems or with any applications software. You may wish to obtain and install this yourself locally because it may be cheaper for you to obtain it than for us to buy it here. If you require assistance sourcing Microsoft products in your own country then we may be able to help.

Computer Aid International is, however, a Microsoft Authorised Refurbisher, which allows us to install a Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP licensed operating system only at a cost of £10.00 per machine.

We can also provide Ubuntu Linux and Open Office open source software (operating system and applications). If supplied on CD-ROM this is free. To pre-install on hard drives we charge £10.00 per PC. Please ask if you require this service.

Other Information:

All our computers are donated in the UK from many sources and so we cannot guarantee any brand or particular type of computer. Wherever possible we keep machines of a particular brand and model together and ship them together but we can never tell you what specific makes, models or brands will be in a particular consignment. To ensure fairness of distribution no one is allowed to reserve “only Dell” or “only major global brands” etc. We do not provide unbranded clones. You will receive a mixture of the most popular brands used by UK companies.

We datawipe, test and clean each machine and label it with its technical specifications on the base unit and on a label on the outside of each box for your convenience.

Once the container has been loaded we will have the information necessary to make up the Bill of Lading, Shipping Invoice and Gift Certificate. The shipping line provides us with the Bill of Lading only once your consignment is at sea. Once we receive these documents we will send them to you, via DHL, at the earliest opportunity in order to assist you in negotiating the smooth passage of your equipment through customs.

Prior to shipment we can also provide some example shipping documents and sample details of equipment to illustrate your discussions with customs officials. Please ask for these if they would be helpful.

We have a lot of experience of dealing with pre-shipment inspections if this is necessary in your country.

You will need to be proactive in liaison with customs at your end to effect clearance efficiently and to avoid unnecessary charges. It is your responsibility to make sure that you provide customs and (where necessary) the pre-shipment inspection agency with all relevant documentation in good time. 

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Bespoke “Special Orders”

The above-specified equipment is what we can offer from our donated stock at £42 per PC plus shipping.

Upgrade to refurbished TFT monitors:     + £60 per PC

If you wish us to upgrade your consignment to 100% refurbished flat screen TFT monitors we will have to buy these in and pass on the cost to you: + £60 per PC

If you have other specific needs we can almost certainly meet them. However we will need to buy in what you require from other organisations and it will be more expensive.

We can add new CD/DVD-writers, internal modems, wireless network cards etc. to our computers. We have to buy these in from commercial providers. We are happy to tailor specific orders to meet your particular needs but must pass on all purchase costs to you. Please detail your needs on the application form and we will provide a quote to you.

Higher Specification Computers - Example Prices at May 2009 (subject to availability):

100% P4 PCs
minimum 512 Mb RAM
minimum 2.4 GHz processor
40-200Gb hard disk
usb, CD-ROM
soundcard
NIC
100% TFT monitors
at £119 pounds sterling plus shipping per PC.

Upgrades: we can also buy and install the following new components for you:

	Internal Wireless cards	+ £ 20 per PC
	Laptop Wireless PCMCIA cards	+ £ 15 each
	CD / DVD writer	+ £ 25 per PC
	Soundcard and speakers	+ £ 15 per PC
	Internal 56k modem	+ £ 15 per PC
	Upgrade to 512mb RAM	+ £ 15 per PC
	Upgrade to 1Gb RAM	+ £ 45 per PC
	New Equipment: We can buy this equipment to include in your shipment:
	Inkjet Printer (HP)	+ £ 30 per printer
	Laserjet Printer (HP)	+ £ 70 per printer
	2Gb USB flash memory stick	+ £ 10 each
	Webcam	+ £ 10 each
	Digital Camera	+ £ 50 each
	Surge Protector 4 UK plug sockets (230V)	+ £ 10 each
	Uninterruptible Power Supply (230V):	+ £ 45 each (can support two computers)

Please note when ordering UPSs that the weight and therefore shipping cost of your order will increase. This does not apply to container orders.

The above costs include installation by Computer Aid technicians in London . In many cases you may be able to buy these new items and install them more cheaply in your country so please check whether this is the case before ordering from Computer Aid.

Laptops:

Please note that battery life on refurbished laptops is often very poor. The laptops have been professionally refurbished and fully tested using mains electrical supply. We do not guarantee the functionality of the batteries on laptop PCs.

We do not currently have laptops available from our own stock.

We can buy a refurbished Pentium 4 laptop for you for £199