[Godotology]

after building up my dell over and over... i've decided to pass on the xps simply because other options with similar specs seem much cheaper. i'm considering the inspiron 1420 (do they also use the santa rosa chipsset?). you get free memory/HD upgrade and i got a $200 off coupon for any inspiron. apparantly, you can still get student discounts for being alumni... haha

im gonna be using the laptop as a business machine within the next year, and feel that the inspiron/vostro or thinkpad would better suit my needs and save me some cash for other things... haha

btw... is there any clear winner between vostro and inspiron? they're almost same price when i build the two. (the student discount applies to the inspiron only... so i just got curious about any 'hidden' specs between the two)

I really don't see where the Vostro is different other than the color.. they seem to be the same exact notebook.. but for me, I found the vostro to be cheaper?

personally I hate that silver keyboard on the Inspiron, all black Vostro ftw!

[EYJAYJAY]

vostro is nice, cheap too. i looked at it and built one that's slightly worse than the acer i wanted and it can be about 200 bucks cheaper IF the college discount stacks up with the current 50 bucks discount but, i wouldnt get it before my trip to japan unless i pay extra for shipping. tough choice

[Godotology]

vostro is nice, cheap too. i looked at it and built one that's slightly worse than the acer i wanted and it can be about 200 bucks cheaper IF the college discount stacks up with the current 50 bucks discount but, i wouldnt get it before my trip to japan unless i pay extra for shipping. tough choice

freaky, I too need a laptop for a trip to Japan lol

[underneathHERskin]

I need some desperate help here. I'm using a desktop right now and want to get a laptop so I can use it anywhere in the house and when I'm out also. But I'm so confused as to which brand, models are good. Could I get some suggestions on which ones to consider?

I mostly use my computer just for music, watching videos, word, excel, powerpoint, surfing the web and some online games here and there. I have a LOT of music and picture files on my computer right now. And I would like something with a cd burner. My budget is $1100.00 and under.

I actually like the HP style. Are they any good? And what about Acer?

[tungywungy]

I thought this was a great deal for those on a cheaper budget for a laptop.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/con...dwj2j&s=bsd

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5470 (1.6GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Basic
LCD PANEL 14.1 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Display
MEMORY 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM
HARD DRIVE 120G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
OPTICAL DRIVE 8X CD/DVD Burner w/ double-layer DVD+R write capability
VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8400M GS
WI-FI WIRELESS CARD Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Wi-Fi Mini Card
SOUND OPTION Integrated High Definition Audio
BATTERIES 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

I opted for bluetooth also which is an additional 20 dollars. My total came out to be 670.83 including tax. It's a good deal for those needing a lappy anytime soon or for a decent college one. You can also try to upgrade to premium for $29 but some csr's aren't letting it go through. Here's the main site I got this info from, http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=556273 .

[EYJAYJAY]

I thought this was a great deal for those on a cheaper budget for a laptop.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/con...dwj2j&s=bsd

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5470 (1.6GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Basic
LCD PANEL 14.1 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Display
MEMORY 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM
HARD DRIVE 120G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
OPTICAL DRIVE 8X CD/DVD Burner w/ double-layer DVD+R write capability
VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8400M GS
WI-FI WIRELESS CARD Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Wi-Fi Mini Card
SOUND OPTION Integrated High Definition Audio
BATTERIES 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

I opted for bluetooth also which is an additional 20 dollars. My total came out to be 670.83 including tax. It's a good deal for those needing a lappy anytime soon or for a decent college one. You can also try to upgrade to premium for $29 but some csr's aren't letting it go through. Here's the main site I got this info from, http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=556273 .

whoa it is a pretty decent deal. i think those who posted just above tungy should look into this one, it's not half bad at all. it'll be worth it


and range.. that is freaky. when are u going there? i might just mail u my laptop and lend u it

[spexc31]

what do u guys think of the new sager2090 / compal ifl90?
http://powernotebooks.com/specs/Sager/2090specs.php

[tungywungy]

Also for those in search of a 15 inch, dell has the vostro for 599 also. But in this one you can upgrade the video card to 256 nvidia geforce 8600m gt which would be very sufficient for gamers out there for 169 dollars.

Here's the link http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/con...dwk2j&s=bsd . It will be the same price if you add blue tooth like I did to my previous post and keep everything else the same, however, it will not come with a 9 cell battery(comes with 6) unless you upgrade for 40 more dollars. I thought the extra batteries for an extra 59 dollars is an excellent deal also.

Edit: Also! There is a 30 day refund if you don't like the vostro or find a better deal. Dell will pay for the return shipping and will have no restocking fee.

[Godotology]

what do u guys think of the new sager2090 / compal ifl90?
http://powernotebooks.com/specs/Sager/2090specs.php

its a nice notebook and that vendor in particular is very good, you'll get great and instant service from him..

however..

it'll be hard to beat that Vostro and Inspiron though in terms of pricing.

[enticing]

I'm starting to have my doubts on Dell Inspirion 1520 after seeing the deal on HP Dv6450us.

Is this a good deal?
http://www.officemax.com/max/solutions/pro...nOID=-536879891

or should I just stick with the Inspirion 1520?

[Godotology]

I'm starting to have my doubts on Dell Inspirion 1520 after seeing the deal on HP Dv6450us.

Is this a good deal?
http://www.officemax.com/max/solutions/pro...nOID=-536879891

or should I just stick with the Inspirion 1520?

the inspiron 1520 is a generation newer. that HP is last year's model, so it's actually not as "cheap" as you think.

[enticing]

I really like the Inspirion 1520, but seeing the HP just made me doubt it. If being last generation will affect the performance, I think I will opt for paying more and getting the 1520.

Would being "last year's generation" matter in terms of performance and all that other stuff? I'm sorry but I'm new to buying notebooks so I want to make sure I don't buy something that I will end up regreting.

[Godotology]

I really like the Inspirion 1520, but seeing the HP just made me doubt it. If being last generation will affect the performance, I think I will opt for paying more and getting the 1520.

Would being "last year's generation" matter in terms of performance and all that other stuff? I'm sorry but I'm new to buying notebooks so I want to make sure I don't buy something that I will end up regreting.

depends on who.. to be honest.. most people won't notice the difference, especially if the average user only uses his notebook for surfing the net, typing word documents, watching media and downloading stuff.

in anycase the integrated video card on the 1520 is far superior to the HP, and the 1520 has a far superior video card option should you opt for it.. in addition Inspirons always have great coupon codes.

the newest Inspiron revision incorporates better build like magnesium chassis, etc that were missing on the cheaper, all plastic inspirons of last year. HP's main line is still all plastic (although they are thinner and lighter than the new inspiron). to be honest,the Inspiron should STILL be cheaper, you're just not finding the right coupon codes or haggling the operator as hard.

[underneathHERskin]

I really want to get a LG laptop. I heard it's quite expensive.

What I use it for:
- downloading, listening to music
- surfing the web
- online games (tetris... etc)
- watching dvds, videos
- burning music
- word, excel, powerpoint
- storing lots of pictures and music files

How much do they cost around normally? And which series/model would you recommand me if I do decide to go with LG? Preferably the cheaper ones please.

If I had to go less costly, what about HP or Acer? Any good?

[pxd]

I really want to get a LG laptop. I heard it's quite expensive.

What I use it for:
- downloading, listening to music
- surfing the web
- online games (tetris... etc)
- watching dvds, videos
- burning music
- word, excel, powerpoint
- storing lots of pictures and music files

How much do they cost around normally? And which series/model would you recommand me if I do decide to go with LG? Preferably the cheaper ones please.

If I had to go less costly, what about HP or Acer? Any good?

You will be able to do pretty much everything you mentioned with any up to date laptops.
That makes the option margin quite large, so you might want to specify on the screen size, battery life, and price(prefered price) to find a fitting laptop for yourself.

[EYJAYJAY]

Also for those in search of a 15 inch, dell has the vostro for 599 also. But in this one you can upgrade the video card to 256 nvidia geforce 8600m gt which would be very sufficient for gamers out there for 169 dollars.

Here's the link http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/con...dwk2j&s=bsd . It will be the same price if you add blue tooth like I did to my previous post and keep everything else the same, however, it will not come with a 9 cell battery(comes with 6) unless you upgrade for 40 more dollars. I thought the extra batteries for an extra 59 dollars is an excellent deal also.

Edit: Also! There is a 30 day refund if you don't like the vostro or find a better deal. Dell will pay for the return shipping and will have no restocking fee.

you cant get this vostro. i tried and dell operator said this one is for small business



i talked to two dell's operators and i was able to haggle and get 400 bucks off

basically the first operator built me an inspiron1520 for 1299 and i told him i find it kind of expensive, so he talked to his manager and gave me manager's discount for 100 bucks off, i told him i gotta consider it and ill call back later that day so he gave me quote #. i called back after i found a coupon for 300 off inspiron that's 1399 or higher and the other operator upgraded a bunch of stuff on the laptop and then applied the coupon and in the end it came to 1200 for a pretty nice laptop. but i still find the acer i got sexier with a couple better functions and whatnot (i never liked dell much) plus i wouldnt get the dell in time for my trip.

but from what i learned, dell's coupon code isnt exactly based on the usage date (ex. 7/3/07~7/14/07) it's actually based on the number of uses. once that amount is reached, even when its only 7/10/07 when it expires 7/14/07 you cant use it anymore.

[VTjimmy]

Aw.. I shoulda read this before I ordered mine yesterday =[. But it seems like it would've helped alot, nice guide!

[Godotology]

you cant get this vostro. i tried and dell operator said this one is for small businessi talked to two dell's operators and i was able to haggle and get 400 bucks off :Pbasically the first operator built me an inspiron1520 for 1299 and i told him i find it kind of expensive, so he talked to his manager and gave me manager's discount for 100 bucks off, i told him i gotta consider it and ill call back later that day so he gave me quote #. i called back after i found a coupon for 300 off inspiron that's 1399 or higher and the other operator upgraded a bunch of stuff on the laptop and then applied the coupon and in the end it came to 1200 for a pretty nice laptop. but i still find the acer i got sexier with a couple better functions and whatnot (i never liked dell much) plus i wouldnt get the dell in time for my trip. but from what i learned, dell's coupon code isnt exactly based on the usage date (ex. 7/3/07~7/14/07) it's actually based on the number of uses. once that amount is reached, even when its only 7/10/07 when it expires 7/14/07 you cant use it anymore.

lol, well, Dells (except for the XPS M1330) were ever known to be sexy. infact they're kinda hideous. but they're just oh so cheap!and yeah, you cannot buy a vostro through the operator unfortunately. they'll refuse. but it doesn't stop you from doing it the normal way online

Aw.. I shoulda read this before I ordered mine yesterday =[. But it seems like it would've helped alot, nice guide!

you can still cancel if it hasnt shipped.

[EYJAYJAY]

lol, well, Dells (except for the XPS M1330) were ever known to be sexy. infact they're kinda hideous. but they're just oh so cheap!and yeah, you cannot buy a vostro through the operator unfortunately. they'll refuse. but it doesn't stop you from doing it the normal way online :)you can still cancel if it hasnt shipped.

yeah.. dell laptops are pretty hideous, xps is fairly sexy but too sexy for my budget

[tungywungy]

you cant get this vostro. i tried and dell operator said this one is for small business
i talked to two dell's operators and i was able to haggle and get 400 bucks off

basically the first operator built me an inspiron1520 for 1299 and i told him i find it kind of expensive, so he talked to his manager and gave me manager's discount for 100 bucks off, i told him i gotta consider it and ill call back later that day so he gave me quote #. i called back after i found a coupon for 300 off inspiron that's 1399 or higher and the other operator upgraded a bunch of stuff on the laptop and then applied the coupon and in the end it came to 1200 for a pretty nice laptop. but i still find the acer i got sexier with a couple better functions and whatnot (i never liked dell much) plus i wouldnt get the dell in time for my trip.

but from what i learned, dell's coupon code isnt exactly based on the usage date (ex. 7/3/07~7/14/07) it's actually based on the number of uses. once that amount is reached, even when its only 7/10/07 when it expires 7/14/07 you cant use it anymore.

Of course you can buy it, just make up a business name or just use your own name. I bought it like this before and it's not like they call to check up on your business either.