Acer Aspire V3-571G-6407 Notebook/Laptop Intel Core i5 3210M(2.50GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory 500GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M - $555 w/s - Newegg

I like this laptop. I know folks don't like Acer much but I've never had a problem with their laptops but really likes the aspect of the dedicated card on this one.

same price at amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire...B009JXK1WQ

yeah i was just looking at amazon too but thank you as it's about $50 less on newegg due to tax.

As for Acer as a brand, just hope that you don't have to call them and talk to their support. not helpful.
I ordered a 7750G-6645 a few months ago from tigerdirect and have mixed feelings. Very cheap for what you get (2nd gen i5, Radeon 7670M for $500-525), but their design is very cheap. I feel that build quality/construction is pretty decent but my keyboard had a broken key out of the box (no other broken keys since), and the 2nd HD bay is unusable unless you buy a 3rd party cover that you can't even find on ebay anymore. Also the radeon dynamics switching is terrible w/ frequent blue screens, but I blame that on AMD as it's a problem on lenovos, hp's, dells, etc.

I was also looking at the i5 w/ 635M lenovo for $574.99 but with tax that would be about $75 or so more. I might bite on this... i'd also be interested in similar deals to this or the lenovo one. thanks!

Quote from sumo28 : yeah i was just looking at amazon too but thank you as it's about $50 less on newegg due to tax. As for Acer as a brand, just hope that you don't have to call them and talk to their support. not helpful. I ordered a 7750G-6645 a few months ago from tigerdirect and have mixed feelings. Very cheap for what you get (2nd gen i5, Radeon 7670M for $500-525), but their design is very cheap. I feel that build quality/construction is pretty decent but my keyboard had a broken key out of the box (no other broken keys since), and the 2nd HD bay is unusable unless you buy a 3rd party cover that you can't even find on ebay anymore. Also the radeon dynamics switching is terrible w/ frequent blue screens, but I blame that on AMD as it's a problem on lenovos, hp's, dells, etc. I was also looking at the i5 w/ 635M lenovo for $574.99 but with tax that would be about $75 or so more. I might bite on this... i'd also be interested in similar deals to this or the lenovo one. thanks!

The one I have at the bottom of the link should be back in stock soon and it was $547 no tax from Newegg. I think it was a 630M though, not much difference.

This is pretty close to what i've been looking for. Im waiting untill I see something like this sub $500. 15.6" 3rd gen 2.5ghz+ i5 or i7 with dedicated graphics. Windows 7. I dont care about HDD or Ram count. Nor resolution. Touch pad has to have actual mouse buttons. Prefer Lenovo. I know, wish me luck.

Quote from blackflag486 : The one I have at the bottom of the link should be back in stock soon and it was $547 no tax from Newegg. I think it was a 630M though, not much difference.

LENOVO Z580 w/ 635M? oh if that comes back on sale on newegg for $547 i would definitely buy that! I'd like to try lenovo and the 635M is an upgrade. i'd rep again if i could. thanks.

Quote from Slobadon : This is pretty close to what i've been looking for. Im waiting untill I see something like this sub $500. 15.6" 3rd gen 2.5ghz+ i5 or i7 with dedicated graphics. Windows 7. I dont care about HDD or Ram count. Nor resolution. Touch pad has to have actual mouse buttons. Prefer Lenovo. I know, wish me luck.

You will not find a dedicated graphics card on a laptop for under $500 unless it's a refurb.. At least not for a year or more.

Quote from Slobadon : This is pretty close to what i've been looking for. Im waiting untill I see something like this sub $500. 15.6" 3rd gen 2.5ghz+ i5 or i7 with dedicated graphics. Windows 7. I dont care about HDD or Ram count. Nor resolution. Touch pad has to have actual mouse buttons. Prefer Lenovo. I know, wish me luck.

I have a Lenovo and the worst thing about it is the touchpad...no buttons, hence awful

Quote from gtd2000 : I have a Lenovo and the worst thing about it is the touchpad...no buttons, hence awful

I've never really had issues with our Lenovo, because I don't generally use the trackpad.. I always have an external mouse hooked up.. The track pads always suck.

Quote from sumo28 : LENOVO Z580 w/ 635M? oh if that comes back on sale on newegg for $547 i would definitely buy that! I'd like to try lenovo and the 635M is an upgrade. i'd rep again if i could. thanks.

Sorry, $574. It went down to $549 on blackfriay weekend.

Quote from blackflag486 : You will not find a dedicated graphics card on a laptop for under $500 unless it's a refurb.. At least not for a year or more.

Oh, yes I am AOK with factory refurbs and realize that's the only way to go to get what I want.

just curious - how easy would it be to throw an extra 4gb of ram and an SSD in this thing?

I'm pretty proficient in building desktops, but laptops are a different beast i know nothing about... thanks in advance.

Just wish the screen resolution is 1080p! Amazon would be cheaper if you don't have to pay taxes since there is a shipping charge from newegg.

Quote from Zipz : just curious - how easy would it be to throw an extra 4gb of ram and an SSD in this thing? I'm pretty proficient in building desktops, but laptops are a different beast i know nothing about... thanks in advance.

I don't know about this particular model but it was easy on the Acer I bought for my wife. There's a few screws to remove for access to the ram and hdd compartments. The hard drive is super easy to swap out, the memory is a bit trickier only because I have fat fingers and there's not much room to operate.