Topic Wiki

Please, when posting a link to a laptop listing, make sure to include the price at time of posting. It helps.
Requesting help with a purchase? Please post here: https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=135662.msg2794782#msg2794782
Warning: most of the wiki that follows was written a very long time ago and the information on it can be outdated.

Dell:
Precision - Very powerful desktop replacements - great warranty, ridiculously expensive - Usually overpriced or overkill

Latitude - Good Laptops - Great warranty! Highly recommended for any Business environment - Sometimes expensive.

Vostro  - Lower end Business Machines - Better Priced - still durable - Usually 1 Year warranty.

XPS - The nicer looking dell machines, Some are better than others...

Inspiron - YMMV Every model is different

(Plain) Insprion Series - Dells lowest end laptop
(R) Insprion Series - Perfect Home use, dependable, decent build quality, recommended
(Z) Insprion Series - A little slimmer than the R series, Some are Ultrabooks (Very often don't include Optical Drives)

HP:

Spectre - Top of the line personal (dragonfly is the top of the line for business) - lightest laptops, and beautiful!

Pavilion - YMMV (Some better than others)

Probook - Stable durable business systems - Usually a little on the heavy side.

Elitebook - Business Higher end systems, usually pretty expensive

ENVY - Used to be the HP sleek and nicer systems, they pretty much replaced most of the standard pavilions now and call them either ENVY or sleekbooks

Sleekbook - like it sounds slimmer line of laptops

Lenovo:

Thinkpad Series - Very Dependable Business Machine, Expensive (Not Pretty but Durable)

IdeaPad Series -

S Series
U Series - Usually the slimmer line Ultrabooks, Doesn't always include DVD Drive
Y Series - Nice machines with good specs and features (Cool Backlit Keyboards)
Z Series - Step up from the G Series, all around decent build, priced nicely, great home use laptop
G Series - Lower end

Samsung:

Series 3
Series 5
Series 7
Series 9 - The nicest, sleekest looking laptops I've seen in a long time - Can pass for a Macbook!!


HT: Dh Data Recovery & Name Changed


A great post by caliheat:
I believe that there are many factors when deciding what laptop to purchase.
1) What is your intended use and necessary features. e.g. light use vs. heavy use & optical drive, computer speed etc.
2) As mentioned several times in this thread, RAM itself is very easy to upgrade after you purchase.
3) Brand - IMHO this is pretty important as well - which do your prefer vs. which brand do people recommend.
4) Price - you should decide a price range that best suits your needs.
5) Operating System - Many people like myself prefer Windows 7 vs. 8.1, so this would be another consideration.
6) Warranty - does it include 1 year or more, cost for extending warranty.
7) Detailed Specs:
  Processor  - model and speed i3, i5, & i7 2.0 Ghz, 3.0 Ghz etc.
  RAM - This IMHO should be minimum 8GB, especially if running 8.1, however can be added easily.
  Hard Drive - SATA vs. SSD, the latter being much faster. SATA itself offers 5400 RPM vs. 7200 RPM again, the latter being faster.
  Screen Size - this is a personal preference as you can always attach a larger screen in an office setting.
  Battery & Weight - overall laptop weight preference & battery life.
  Graphics - Integrated graphics vs. dedicated graphics, e.g. Intel 4400 vs. Nvidia GTX etc.

In summary, you have to decide what are you priorities, what can be upgraded and what you are flexible on.



Excellent article about the differences between the Intel processor suffixes.

Excellent "Laptop Buying Guide" by @dailykasha, written for Black Friday 2021, updated for holidays 2023

Author Topic: Laptop Deals Master Thread  (Read 3563587 times)

Offline joe1234

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Offline Yo ssi

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Offline eli1571

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13223 on: November 28, 2021, 04:55:49 PM »
why are all the laptops without a cd/dvd drive ?
is it really a thing of the past already

Offline yeshivabucher

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13224 on: November 28, 2021, 05:01:58 PM »
why are all the laptops without a cd/dvd drive ?
is it really a thing of the past already
it been like that for like 5 years

Offline eli1571

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13225 on: November 28, 2021, 05:04:20 PM »
it been like that for like 5 years
havent bought one in that amount of years, think i should hold on to mine as i use the drive quite often

Offline Yo ssi

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13226 on: November 28, 2021, 05:04:39 PM »
i use the drive quite often
The real question
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Offline Joel

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13227 on: November 28, 2021, 06:51:08 PM »
why are all the laptops without a cd/dvd drive ?
is it really a thing of the past already
some have it as a option for extra $

Offline eli1571

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13228 on: November 28, 2021, 07:02:11 PM »
The real question
Lots of shiurim etc on CDs to transfer. Just one example

Offline yesitsme

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13229 on: November 28, 2021, 07:17:06 PM »
Lots of shiurim etc on CDs to transfer. Just one example
we would still have record players according to your logic

https://www.amazon.com/Crosley-CR42D-PA-Lancaster-Turntable-Bluetooth/dp/B074CRKQRK
["-"]

Offline cmey

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13230 on: November 28, 2021, 07:37:02 PM »
why are all the laptops without a cd/dvd drive ?
is it really a thing of the past already
$15 gets you a plug and play dvd drive that does the same thing.

Offline eli1571

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13231 on: November 28, 2021, 08:11:07 PM »
we would still have record players according to your logic

https://www.amazon.com/Crosley-CR42D-PA-Lancaster-Turntable-Bluetooth/dp/B074CRKQRK
Don't get your comment, I was just stating my needs in response to a question ad to why its needed.

Offline eli1571

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13232 on: November 28, 2021, 08:11:49 PM »
$15 gets you a plug and play dvd drive that does the same thing.
True, but a hassle to shlep along.

Offline Chuchum Ainer

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13233 on: November 29, 2021, 06:13:26 AM »
Dell code Save10

$539.99, Inspiron 15 5510, i5, 16gb.
Rakuten offering 15% cashback
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/new-inspiron-15-laptop/spd/inspiron-15-5510-laptop/nn5510eyvkh

Going through the member link saves $12, but may exclude you from cashback portals
« Last Edit: November 29, 2021, 06:19:19 AM by Chuchum Ainer »

Offline Yisroel Tech

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13234 on: November 29, 2021, 09:33:47 AM »
why are all the laptops without a cd/dvd drive ?
is it really a thing of the past already
Yes they are. Laptops try to become lighter and smaller and the CD drive was the biggest and least-used component, so they basically all have done away with it.

While I understand where you're coming from (also have had a lot of CDs), and transition might be difficult, I'd strongly advise moving on and go with what's available. You can use an external CD drive, and since it's indeed a schlep, you'll quickly realize that it's not very needed at all.

Offline Yisroel Tech

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13235 on: November 29, 2021, 09:39:45 AM »

Offline Yisroel Tech

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13236 on: November 29, 2021, 09:44:23 AM »
What laptop or desktop should I get for blue iris?
Can be used but needs to have H.265 hardware acceleration
https://ipcamtalk.com/wiki/choosing-hardware-for-blue-iris/
Seems to me like the typical i5/8GB RAM deals should be good for this. No?

https://deals.dell.com/en-us/member/productdetail/bq1l
https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-envy-desktop-te01-2250xt-pc-1k4f1av-1

Offline Joel

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13237 on: November 29, 2021, 10:03:54 AM »
Ended up getting for $5 more the 512 GB option!

@Yisroel Tech this a good price and am I getting my money for the specs?

Offline Yisroel Tech

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13238 on: November 29, 2021, 10:08:51 AM »
@Yisroel Tech this a good price and am I getting my money for the specs?
Sure is!

Offline Yo ssi

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