Replacement Laptop

[dishalish]

I had a Dell Inspiron E1505 and it made it through the first two years of college with no problems. Going into my Junior year, I replaced the harddrive due to a failure. Now, it has just crapped out on me again losing all my data...which is besides the point. ARGH.

Anyways, I need to find a replacement because I move in in a little over a week. Any screaming deals? I just need realistically a computer that I can use MS Office, maybe run an engineering program on like LabVIEW, and to watch some movies on once in a while. I would usually say I want something to game on, but I don't do much PC gaming anymore. If I could find a screaming deal on a BlueRay Player that would be awesome, but realistically I want a Dual Layer DVD Burner Included. And preferably a 320 GB HD. Other than that, I'm open.

Wouldn't mind avoiding Dell either. If I can get any assistance I would greatly appreciate it. I'll try and keep an eye on the thread to answer any questions, I just have limited access to the internet b/c my comp is dead...haha.

Found this...but it's a Dell...http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=266576&t=1502919 A VOstro 13.3" which serves the whole portability issue, but I'm not up on Dell's Small Business Laptop reliability.

Oh...I forgot, I'm hoping to keep the price at a strict $800 max.

[dishalish]

Also found this...I could snag the macbook and sell the ipod touch because I already have one...would give me about $825 for the macbook...any thoughts? Never had a mac, but everyone swears by them...

[mbrulla]

Macs are a strange elitist thing...

Unless you're doing video/audio editing and don't have the programs to do so already, you can get a pc much cheaper with the same/similar specs.

I know it was a desktop, but the i7 deal that was posted yesterday...$847 ($47 higher than your limit...) That blows any Mac away.

All depends on what you're going to use it for. If you're not gaming you shouldn't be spending over $500 on ANY laptop...no need for it. And most now come with 500gb or higher. OR you could jump on one of the many deals on laptop hard drives (I think there was a 1.5TB for $80 a day or so ago)...these pop up constantly.

[dishalish]

I've really been checking out the new line that Acer came out with the Timeline...I want to be able to watch DVD's/HD content vids on the PC, but I'm concerned that it won't perform because of the Core Solo with 1.4Ghz. Any thoughts on this guys?

[BobbyBoucher]

You can sell your old laptop on laptopsintocash.com. Add a deal alert for laptop if you don't have one already.

[dishalish]

You can sell your old laptop on laptopsintocash.com. Add a deal alert for laptop if you don't have one already.

Awesome thanks for the heads up!

[fllniks]

Here is one which I am planning to buy myself.
It will be for $599 from 08/17. (You might need coupon from their coupon book)

HP dv4t Laptop & All-In-One Printer - link (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11479312&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|84&N=4033669&Mo=5&No=1&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=78103&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=)

Also available on officemax without printer.


------------
What's Included:

* HP dv4t Notebook Computer
* HP c4480 All-In-One Printer, Scanner, Copier (Note: computer and printer ship separately and will arrive on different days)

Processor & Memory:

* Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T6500 (2.1GHz)
* 2MB L2 cache
* 800MHz front side bus
* 4GB DDR2 SDRAM

Drives:

* 320GB (5,400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
* Lightscribe SuperMulti 8x DVD±RW drive with Double Layer Support

Graphics & Video:

* 14.1" WXGA BrightView widescreen display; 1280 x 800 native resolution
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD graphics (shared)

Communications:

*
802.11b/g Wireless LAN
*
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet LAN

Audio:

* Built-in Altec Lansing speakers

Keyboard:

* HP color matching keyboard
* Touch Pad with on/off and dedicated vertical scroll up/down pad

Personalization:

* Color: Espresso Black
* Integrated webcam

Expandability:

* ExpressCard/54 Slot

Ports:

* 3x USB 2.0 ports (one shared with eSATA port)
* 1x HDMI
* 1x RJ-45 (LAN)
* 1x Notebook Expansion Port 3
* 1x VGA

Operating System:

* Microsoft® Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1 (64-bit)

Additional Software:

* Microsoft® Works 9.0
* Norton Internet Security™ (60 days complimentary live updates)

Power Supply:

* 6-cell Lithium Ion Battery
* 65W AC Adapter

Additional Information:

* Approximate Weight: 5.08 lbs.
* Dimensions: 13.15” W x 9.45" D x 1.34"~1.57" H
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[dishalish]

Funny you post that, I just looked at their site today and noticed that one for $749 and thought about snagging it. Maybe I'll just wait it out...for an extra 150 off. Thanks!

Any other thoughts are always appreciated!

[jays92]

Funny you post that, I just looked at their site today and noticed that one for $749 and thought about snagging it. Maybe I'll just wait it out...for an extra 150 off. Thanks!

Any other thoughts are always appreciated!


Try the Lenovo outlet for cheap versions of their main web site. Generally the Lenovos will come with less bells and whistles for entertainment than even budget "consumer" laptops -- like the kind you buy in BestBuy -- but they are solid. That is, they often lack (or you need to pay more for) HDMI, high res screens, movie software, etc.

Dell latitude outlet prices (dell outlet business) are also good, but that is more Dell, and the same thing applies to the Lenovo outlet -- you get less goodies, but rather a more workman-like computer.

Always try newegg and tigerdirect, they sometimes have low prices and you can use Bing cashback. Make sure you know if you are getting Windows 7. I highly recommend getting Vista Home Premium or better so that you can get Windows 7 upgrade for free.

I have some basic Acer extensas, which have lasted over a year with no trouble.

It depends on your needs. You should look in the $500 to $700 price range especially, as that actually buys you a lot of computer today.

You should check whether your engineering software is available for mac. Otherwise, you'll need a PC or a mac dual-booting Windows.

[eddiehaskell]

Funny you post that, I just looked at their site today and noticed that one for $749 and thought about snagging it. Maybe I'll just wait it out...for an extra 150 off. Thanks!

Any other thoughts are always appreciated!Get a $30 off coupon from ebay to make it $570.