Help selecting a laptop

I'm a bit confused, in this thread you were asking about 2 slightly different models and had already purchased one: https://slickdeals.net/f/15003880-which-laptop-deal-should-i-go-with?v=1&src=SiteSearch

So, did you return that one and pay the restocking fee or are you in need of another laptop?

These models do have upgradable ram, so you can swap out the DIMMs yourself.

HI All

Im looking for a laptop for around 550 dollars. If you guys had to pick between these two which one do you think is the best deal? If you know of any better deals expecially if they have 16gb of ram for around 550 let me know.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/member...n5515esies

https://www.dell.com/en-us/member...rP0Y3w_wcB

Between those two, I'd probably go with the first one (Newer Ryzen model). But you'd probably be happy with either of them.

Screen and build quality are some of the things that improve as you get into more expensive models ($800+). Weight also drops in many higher end models but with it you often loose upgradable ram. I'd expect these two to have similar screens to one another, the "New" ryzen model has a touch screen which you probably don't need. Keyboards are probably similar, passable but not as nice as the XPS.

There are some other laptops in this price range that have screens that are supposed to be a bit nicer. Unfortunately, you're in a period where last year's model could be getting hard to find and the new model isn't available yet. Two of last year's models in this category are the Acer Swift 3 and Lenovo Ideapad 5 15" AMD. They're reasonably good cheaper laptops but have some flaws.

Dell Outlet also can be a good option, but prices / coupons fluctuate quite a bit.

Out of curiosity, why is it that laptop prices for what I would consider a decent, non-gaming build seem to have shot up quite a bit in recent months? Trying to get a decent, non-gaming laptop for my niece (i7 recent gen or better, win 10, SSD, 1080P\FHD\14+" or better and outside of Lenovo Chinese crap, I can't seem to find anything of a decent build quality for under 850-900 dollars. Unfortunately, they have a thing about only buying new\not buying refurbs so I can't go the Dell Outlet route (though there does not seem to be any great bargains there currently anyway).

I don't really have a good explanation for that, but have noticed that historically "college laptop purchasing season" from may through august often has fewer good deals and the ones that do pop up are fleeting. Sometimes they save the new models and processors until just after the season. Often new processors announced in the spring start making it to laptops this time of year. There's also that cyclical mark up the price before a sale cycle in play. The 7/4 and prime day are both in the next month or so. The challenge is being prepared so you don't make a snap decision on something that end up being junk.

Finding a laptop with good build quality under $800 has been challenging for a a few years. The Dell Inspiron 5000 is one of the better options, I just wish it had a better screen or the option to upgrade to one. Gotta love those $300 laptops with hinges you can bend by looking it them sideways and processors equivalent to a 12 year old computer... They know they're selling trash and don't care. Don't for get the 'chip shortage'.

A greater pet peeve for me is that no local stores have any laptops I might actually want on display so I can't mash on the keyboard, try the trackpad, feel the hinges or notice physical differences that would influence purchasing decisions.

HP is one of the few companies that I feel regularly has laptops with specs that match the price. But as the saying goes, friends don't let friends buy HP laptops. Like everyone else they do have some better higher end models, I just need to get over that nails on chalkboard feeling HP gives me.

As for college laptop buying season, more parents need to realize their kids are better off with (2) $800-1100 laptops over 4-5 years than one $1600+ laptop.

As for refurbs, I've got a 12 year old Dell Latitude from Dell Outlet that still works, but it doesn't see much use these days. It has PCMCIA and Express card slots (which I never used) and a smart card reader. You can open it up to service it by removing a single captive philips screw. It also weighs over 5 lbs and doesn't like Windows 10 even a little bit (notably disastrous DMA and memory mapping issues...). It lost a rubber foot and needed a new power adapter when it was still under warranty. I pull it out for some legacy software now and then or if I need a non-usb serial or lpt port for something (via dock). What drives me nuts is that even today it's more capable and better speced than some of the crap they sell with athalon silver or celeron processors.

Yeah I was looking at the Dell Inspiron 5000 and the Inspiron 15, esp. since Amex has a $120 off 599 offer now. Some issues as you noted. My niece does not need anything fancy, but I want to get her something decent that would last not some pos with an under powered processor. I usually go searching around the Dell Outlet, but my brother's family has this thing about buying new as they were burned a couple of times with refurb'ed laptops with hard drives that went bad. I told them that was not a big deal to correct, but since they are not technical, it is just not worth debating with them.

Just seems like the prices are out of line to when I last bought a laptop for someone a couple of years ago. Last time I bought one for myself was about 5 years ago and I got a Dell Inspiron 7559 (I7 6700HQ, 8GB, 960M video) for around $540+ tax. Added in an SSD myself. Still works like a champ running Win 10. No reason to upgrade, though I was toying with the idea of buying a new mid to higher end one for myself and giving my niece my current one, but it is not worth the time and hassle to me let alone the money.