Need a new laptop within next few weeks/months

Hi. My personal/work-at-home laptop (this laptop is the only computer I have and it's for both personal and work) has been starting to go for nearly a year and it's time for a new one.

Am looking for:

• A price around $1k ($800ish would be better)
• Preferably an Asus or Toshiba as I've heard good things about them (currently have an HP which I hate, have had Dell in past which was even worse)
• Any size screen is fine as I use a separate monitor & keyboard.
• At least 500GB hard drive (preferably 7,200 but 5,400 is ok as well)
• 8GB RAM as I generally have Thunderbird, Chrome, IE, Excel (multiple large files), Quickbooks, Adobe Acrobat and more open at same time (many seem to come with 6GB, is that ok since I'm not gaming, etc.?)
• i7 or i5
• Dedicated graphics is preferable but not required
• No preference as to type of DVD drive
• Laptop sits on my desk 99% of time so weight/battery life doesn't matter

I do not do any gaming/video-editing, etc... but still want a well-powered laptop as I always have many programs open at once (as noted above), need to switch quickly between programs, create/edit .pdfs, jump into a large Excel file, copy/paste large amounts of data, etc...

I assume given what I use the laptop for that I'm better off paying for 8GB vs. 6GB, and perhaps only getting an i5 vs. an i7? Although if the difference between a $700 and $1,000 laptop (and 6GB vs. 8GB and i5 vs. i7 and 7,200 vs 5,400...) will provide noticeable improvement in these regards I'm ok spending the $1k.

Some that I have been looking at are:

http://www.buy.com/prod/toshiba-s...74256.html (seems to fit all my criteria)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6834214492 (looks awesome but a bit more than I want to spend)

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+...8492325284 (seems to fit my criteria but I'd prefer not to buy from BestBuy. Why can't I find this or a similar laptop for $800ish anywhere else?)

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshi...8509073324 (seems to fit my criteria but I'd prefer not to buy from BestBuy. Why can't I find this or a similar laptop for $800ish anywhere else?)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/...PDKIKX0DER (only 6GB)

http://www.amazon.com/N53SM-ES72-...ef=lh_ni_t (only 6GB)

http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Sat...FSWPURNTFY (seems to fit my criteria, but is sold by a no-name seller)

Essentially, I'm assuming the ones at BestBuy are cheaper because they are a bit older? I don't mind getting slightly older technology as long as it's still good. If spending another $200 or so to get the latest and greatest will provide that much better performance, I'm ok with that as well.

Thanks for any thoughts!

Quote from josh1rjosh1r : Hi. My personal/work-at-home laptop (this laptop is the only computer I have and it's for both personal and work) has been starting to go for nearly a year and it's time for a new one. Am looking for: A price around $1k ($800ish would be better) Preferably an Asus or Toshiba as I've heard good things about them (currently have an HP which I hate, have had Dell in past which was even worse) Any size screen is fine as I use a separate monitor & keyboard. At least 500GB hard drive (preferably 7,200 but 5,400 is ok as well) 8GB RAM as I generally have Thunderbird, Chrome, IE, Excel (multiple large files), Quickbooks, Adobe Acrobat and more open at same time (many seem to come with 6GB, is that ok since I'm not gaming, etc.?) i7 or i5 Dedicated graphics is preferable but not required No preference as to type of DVD drive Laptop sits on my desk 99% of time so weight/battery life doesn't matter I do not do any gaming/video-editing, etc... but still want a well-powered laptop as I always have many programs open at once (as noted above), need to switch quickly between programs, create/edit .pdfs, jump into a large Excel file, copy/paste large amounts of data, etc... I assume given what I use the laptop for that I'm better off paying for 8GB vs. 6GB, and perhaps only getting an i5 vs. an i7? Although if the difference between a $700 and $1,000 laptop (and 6GB vs. 8GB and i5 vs. i7 and 7,200 vs 5,400...) will provide noticeable improvement in these regards I'm ok spending the $1k.

Newegg.com has the Sony VAIO Intel Core i7 2.2GHz 16.4" laptop Matte Black [VPCF232FX/B] for $869.99 shipped after applying code 24HRSALE523C at checkout. Deal is good today only.

Features:

Intel Core i7-2670QM 2.2GHz Sandy Bridge quad-core processor
16.4" 1920x1080 LED-backlit LCD
4GB RAM (expandable to 8GB)
500GB 7200 rpm HDD
Blu-ray player
DVD burner/combo drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M 512MB video card
802.11n
Webcam
Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR
2 USB 3.0 ports
0.3MP Webcam
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6834127571

If you want the Asus, here is another option:

BJ's Wholesale Club has an ASUS Intel Ivy Bridge Core i7 2.3GHz 15.6" laptop [R500VD-BS71] for $679.99 plus $9.22 for shipping. This pricing is for members. Non-members will need to pay an additional $34.

Features:

Intel Core i7-3610QM 2.3GHz Ivy Bridge quad-core processor
15.6" 1366x768 LED-backlit LCD
8GB RAM
500GB HDD (@ 5400)
DVD burner
NVIDIA GT 610M 2GB video card
802.11n
Gigabit Ethernet
2 USB 3.0 ports
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

http://www.bjs.com/asus-r500vd-bs...uct.219653

Quote from GiveMeDeals : If you want the Asus, here is another option: BJ's Wholesale Club has an ASUS Intel Ivy Bridge Core i7 2.3GHz 15.6" laptop [R500VD-BS71] for $679.99 plus $9.22 for shipping. This pricing is for members. Non-members will need to pay an additional $34. Features: Intel Core i7-3610QM 2.3GHz Ivy Bridge quad-core processor 15.6" 1366x768 LED-backlit LCD 8GB RAM 500GB HDD (@ 5400) DVD burner NVIDIA GT 610M 2GB video card 802.11n Gigabit Ethernet 2 USB 3.0 ports Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit http://www.bjs.com/asus-r500vd-bs...uct.219653

Thanks! That seems like it has everything I'm looking for. Googling the model # however doesn't turn up many results, and certainly no reviews. Is that just because it's a specific model for BJs? Does anyone know if this is a good model spec-wise?

Quote from josh1rjosh1r : Thanks! That seems like it has everything I'm looking for. Googling the model # however doesn't turn up many results, and certainly no reviews. Is that just because it's a specific model for BJs? Does anyone know if this is a good model spec-wise?

Likely specific to BJ's.

Here is one review but not too much info:

http://www.netbooklaptopreviews.b...specs.html

Quote from josh1rjosh1r : I do not do any gaming/video-editing, etc... but still want a well-powered laptop as I always have many programs open at once (as noted above), need to switch quickly between programs, create/edit .pdfs, jump into a large Excel file, copy/paste large amounts of data, etc...

These laptops will fit your needs.

New 814.99 Lenovo T520 (15 left) [lenovo.com]
799.99 Refurb. Lenovo T520 160GB SSD (1 left)[lenovo.com] (Note: You can install an extra 500GB HDD in the DVD drive and extra RAM)
More choices at the Lenovo Outlet (US) [lenovo.com]

x2 for the Lenovo listed above (or a T420). It'll be MUCH more reliable than any of the other machines you're looking at. You can get a T-series with integrated OR discrete graphics, so choice is up to how much you want to spend.

Don't worry too much about the amount of RAM - anything with 4+GB will be fine for what you're describing. Also, on a laptop the difference between i5 and i7 is pretty small. Save your money & go with an i5. The usage you're describing is actually rather light.

Also, there's a new generation of Intel chips coming out soon (Lenovo announces their new models in 2 weeks). So if you give it a month or so, you'll see prices on current models begin to drop as new models roll out.