Laptop Deals Master Thread

[springles]

I don't know what the price was, but I would consider it an okay price at $150 or so. For $200 you can do better.

thank you

[mevinyavin]

Re: Woot's sale on Macs
Do NOT buy the Macbook Air with 8GB of RAM and an M2 processor. There's a complicated explanation why but I don't have time to type it out now. If you are interested, I'll tell you after Shabbos.

[jack]

Any good deal on a regular home use laptop? Is it worth waiting for July 4th sales?

[mevinyavin]

Any good deal on a regular home use laptop? Is it worth waiting for July 4th sales?

Still this if you have a Micro Center near you (in-store only).
https://www.microcenter.com/product/663100/lenovo-ideapad-3-14-laptop-computer-platinum-grey

This one will ship and is decent value for its price.
https://www.microcenter.com/product/666315/lenovo-ideapad-3-14itl05-14-laptop-computer-platinum-grey

I rarely see anything better, even though the hardware is old, because for office work even the first one is plenty fast.

[yfr bachur]

@mevinyavin is this a good deal?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09R8ZHZSD/?tag=cl03f-20&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1&psc=1

[mevinyavin]

I bought it for $1030 when it just came out and considered it a good price (2 years ago). It had been hovering at $800 for about a year (if you scroll up thread you can see me mention it). Now it is $630. Hmm...
No, it isn't a good deal UNLESS you need a computer for graphics / light gaming that is also portable with good battery life AND you can't spend a few hundred more for something better (the ASUS G14 is between $900 and $1000 and has much more power but just as good battery life).

[mevinyavin]

@mevinyavin is this a good deal?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09R8ZHZSD/?tag=cl03f-20&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1&psc=1

@yfr bachur
Windows Central just posted an enthusiastic article about this deal, and it is right for all the WRONG reasons...
https://www.windowscentral.com/hardware/laptops/how-to-get-a-laptop-with-an-nvidia-rtx-3050-ti-for-just-dollar630-on-prime-day

1. How cheap is a 3050 TI laptop when it isn't Prime Day? Look upthread, I've posted a few. (SPOILER: less.) But this computer is not defined by its graphics alone.
2. Comparing this to the price of a Surface Go? This has nothing to do with any normal laptop. It doesn't even have anything to do with gaming laptops, which you can get for cheaper. And why you would compare a Swift to a Surface instead of some normal, less classy laptop is beyond me.
3. An offhand shot at the generation of the hardware... Perhaps, but when no modern hardware is available at this price point with the advantage of this computer, that is irrelevant.

This computer is unique because: it has 3050 TI graphics AND it is barely more than 3 lbs AND its battery life runs all day. (The latter two advantages, arguably the computer's greatest selling points, are not mentioned at all in the article.) The closest competitors start at around $750 with worse last-gen hardware and at $900 with better last-gen hardware (the G14 I mentioned above). Thin and light laptops with current gen hardware start at the same $900 but somehow don't manage the battery life, or for several hundred more if they do manage the battery life.

end rant

[AYHG]

I bought this Gateway (acquired by Acer) laptop on clearance in black for $300 3 weeks ago. It looks like they just put the silver on clearance as well for $330 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Gateway-14-1-Ultra-Slim-Notebook-FHD-Touchscreen-Intel-Core-i5-1235U-8GB-RAM-512GB-SSD-Fingerprint-Scanner-Tuned-THX-Audio-2MP-Camera-HDMI-Windows-11/403416787??

I also got this one for $350 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Gateway-14-1-Ultra-Slim-Notebook-FHD-Touchscreen-Intel-Core-i7-1255U-8GB-RAM-512GB-SSD-Fingerprint-Scanner-Tuned-THX-Audio-2MP-Camera-HDMI-Windows-11/307653297?

I'm trying to decide if I should keep one of them or return both. Anyone have any experiences recently with Gateway? They're still sealed in box, but I saw it in store, and the build quality seemed very good at the entry level price. Metal lid with no flex whatsoever.

Also, how useful is the core i7 over the core i5 with just 8GB of ram?

Most of the reviews are from promos, so I don't know what to trust. I saw two complaints about the battery swelling up after a few months, causing the trackpad to pop upward. Do other brands ever have battery swelling issues?

I also got 2 of the plastic looking, non-touch ones from the MS a few weeks ago for $279 which has double the ram, but touch is a must for me. https://www.dansdeals.com/shopping-deals/walmart/gateway-14-1-fhd-core-i5-512gb-ssd-ultra-slim-laptop-just-279-shipped-walmart/

Thanks

[NTorch]

Still this if you have a Micro Center near you (in-store only).
https://www.microcenter.com/product/663100/lenovo-ideapad-3-14-laptop-computer-platinum-grey

I bought this BF at Best Buy (@$299) and BH am generally happy with it, other than battery life.

I was in the Flushing Microcenter store yesterday and they said the price will be good through July at least.

[mevinyavin]

Problem with Gateway, ever since they were produced exclusively for Walmart, has always been the build quality. I don't mean the quality of the materials, I mean how they were put together, QC, and longevity. Although practically every model is made somewhere else and some places are good, you are rolling the dice. You can use it if you have low expectations. (Even name-brands have problems, too.)
Re: paying for the i7 - I have said elsewhere that the advantage of the i7 over the i5 is relevant only if you are maxing out the i5. No regular office work does that.

I bought this BF at Best Buy (@$299) and BH am generally happy with it, other than battery life.

I was in the Flushing Microcenter store yesterday and they said the price will be good through July at least.

$200 is a clearance price considering how long the model exists (processor is from Q4 2020). If they shipped it it would be sold out almost instantly. The price will last until they run out of them or until they let people buy it by shipping, at least I think so. (I may be wrong, as it is surprising that the i5 version for $300/$330 is still in stock and you can ship that one.)

[mevinyavin]

$900 for the ASUS ROG Flow 13.4" 2-in-1 gaming laptop. Ryzen 9 6900HS and RTX 3050 TI, 16GB DDR5 RAM and TB SSD. 2.87 lbs.
Battery life: 7 W (~8-9 h of use) – text editing in Google Drive, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;
6 W (~10 h of use) – 1080p fullscreen video on Youtube in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;
5.8 W (~10-11 h of use) – Netflix fullscreen in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;
10 W (~6-7 h of use) – browsing in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;
62 W (~1 h of use) – Gaming on Performance mode, Witcher 3, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON.

Review: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/54570-asus-rog-flow-x13-review/
@yfr bachur - An example of the same concept as the Swift X but extra-powered processor, done better

[AYHG]

Problem with Gateway, ever since they were produced exclusively for Walmart, has always been the build quality. I don't mean the quality of the materials, I mean how they were put together, QC, and longevity. Although practically every model is made somewhere else and some places are good, you are rolling the dice. You can use it if you have low expectations. (Even name-brands have problems, too.)
Re: paying for the i7 - I have said elsewhere that the advantage of the i7 over the i5 is relevant only if you are maxing out the i5. No regular office work does that.
$200 is a clearance price considering how long the model exists (processor is from Q4 2020). If they shipped it it would be sold out almost instantly. The price will last until they run out of them or until they let people buy it by shipping, at least I think so. (I may be wrong, as it is surprising that the i5 version for $300/$330 is still in stock and you can ship that one.)

Thanks for the advice. It seems to me that prices are coming down across the board at least for 11th gen processors, especially at Walmart. For example, yesterday I saw in stock in the local store this HP core i3 for $154! (and it wasn't even on clearance.) I suppose that's why it's showing out of stock online in all local stores now even though they just got them and the online price is $300 (I checked the same store about two weeks ago).

https://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-15-6-Laptop-Intel-Core-i3-1115G4-8GB-RAM-256GB-SSD-Spruce-Blue-Windows-11-Home-in-S-mode-15-dy2792wm/2195027585?

They also have this Asus core i5 for $350 which they also just got.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ASUS-Vivobook-15-6-FHD-PC-Laptop-Intel-Core-i5-1135G7-8GB-RAM-256GB-Win-11-Home-F1500EA-WB51/3616880107?

The touchscreen Gateway touch laptops I got from them on clearance the past few weeks have 12th gen processors.

Any good deals on touchscreen laptops that you're aware of? Otherwise, I'll probably just keep one of the Gateways.

[AYHG]

The above referenced Gateway 14.1 FHD touchscreen 12th gen core i5 is back in stock at Walmart for $299

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Gateway-14-1-Ultra-Slim-Notebook-FHD-Touchscreen-Intel-Core-i5-1235U-8GB-RAM-512GB-SSD-Fingerprint-Scanner-Tuned-THX-Audio-2MP-Camera-HDMI-Windows-11/220954263

[mevinyavin]

Thanks for the advice. It seems to me that prices are coming down across the board at least for 11th gen processors, especially at Walmart. For example, yesterday I saw in stock in the local store this HP core i3 for $154! (and it wasn't even on clearance.) I suppose that's why it's showing out of stock online in all local stores now even though they just got them and the online price is $300 (I checked the same store about two weeks ago).

https://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-15-6-Laptop-Intel-Core-i3-1115G4-8GB-RAM-256GB-SSD-Spruce-Blue-Windows-11-Home-in-S-mode-15-dy2792wm/2195027585?

They also have this Asus core i5 for $350 which they also just got.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ASUS-Vivobook-15-6-FHD-PC-Laptop-Intel-Core-i5-1135G7-8GB-RAM-256GB-Win-11-Home-F1500EA-WB51/3616880107?

The touchscreen Gateway touch laptops I got from them on clearance the past few weeks have 12th gen processors.

Any good deals on touchscreen laptops that you're aware of? Otherwise, I'll probably just keep one of the Gateways.

The HP is a great deal at that price; the ASUS is just a regular (good) price.
Regarding touch - basically, the best deals are premade models and there are much less of them with touch in the market, so finding a budget one is a matter of luck. (There are always $1000 models for $700. But it is rare to find $600 ones for $400.)
I can look around but can't get to it until next week. If you want me to, PM me Motzei Shabbos.

[STL EQUITIES]

Re: Woot's sale on Macs
Do NOT buy the Macbook Air with 8GB of RAM and an M2 processor. There's a complicated explanation why but I don't have time to type it out now. If you are interested, I'll tell you after Shabbos.

Why not?

[mevinyavin]

Why not?

The vanilla M2 models also come with only two lanes connecting the SSD to the motherboard, resulting in (aprox.) half the speed when writing and actually half the speed when reading.
Problem is that 8GB of RAM quickly becomes saturated and the computer borrows space on the drive for RAM. On the M1 models (and the better M2 models), users can't tell the difference. On the plain M2 models, this results in a huge slowdown. Reviewers were calling it "Celeron speed."

[NTorch]

Thanks for the advice. It seems to me that prices are coming down across the board at least for 11th gen processors, especially at Walmart. For example, yesterday I saw in stock in the local store this HP core i3 for $154! (and it wasn't even on clearance.) I suppose that's why it's showing out of stock online in all local stores now even though they just got them and the online price is $300 (I checked the same store about two weeks ago).

https://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-15-6-Laptop-Intel-Core-i3-1115G4-8GB-RAM-256GB-SSD-Spruce-Blue-Windows-11-Home-in-S-mode-15-dy2792wm/2195027585?

They also have this Asus core i5 for $350 which they also just got.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ASUS-Vivobook-15-6-FHD-PC-Laptop-Intel-Core-i5-1135G7-8GB-RAM-256GB-Win-11-Home-F1500EA-WB51/3616880107?

The touchscreen Gateway touch laptops I got from them on clearance the past few weeks have 12th gen processors.

Any good deals on touchscreen laptops that you're aware of? Otherwise, I'll probably just keep one of the Gateways.

I've been looking for the HP on the Walmart site based on your post of it being $154 in store and when I went to the Walmart in East Brunswick which had it it in stock it was $299.




Which store had it for $154?

[mevinyavin]

@mevinyavin is this a good deal?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09R8ZHZSD/?tag=cl03f-20&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1&psc=1

And finally, the deal we've all been waiting for: the Swift X - Killer... https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-rog-zephyrus-14-fhd-144hz-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-7-16gb-ddr4-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-3060-512gb-pcie-ssd-moonlight-white/6494633.p?skuId=6494633
Compare specs:
Acer Swift X versus ASUS Zephyrus 14
$630 (invite price, otherwise $930 but you can get it for $800 if patient) versus $800
15W Ryzen 7 versus 35W Ryzen 7, same gen
16GB RAM
512GB SSD (But the Swift X has two M2s, the Zephyrus has only 1)
Same screen quality
3.06lbs versus 3.53lbs
RTX 3050 TI versus 3060
very good cooling versus stellar cooling
15:18 video playback (PCMag, but I was getting 12h doing my thing when it was new) versus 11:58 wifi test (Notebookcheck)

Reviews:
https://uk.pcmag.com/laptops/138120/acer-swift-x-amd

Note: version with Ryzen 9, not Ryzen 7
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-Zephyrus-G14-GA401QM-Laptop-Review-AMD-Still-Rules-The-14-inch-Gaming-Space.547502.0.html#toc-7

[AYHG]

I've been looking for the HP on the Walmart site based on your post of it being $154 in store and when I went to the Walmart in East Brunswick which had it it in stock it was $299.


Which store had it for $154?

I'm sorry it didn't work out for you.

Here's the display at the Howell, NJ store from last week, but I highly doubt it's still in stock.

[mevinyavin]

Re: HP's 4th of July sale as posted on DD.
I left a comment there; crossposting here as well.

If you buy the $500 model, consider: 1) the $20 upgrade to 256GB, which is way more breathing room and 2) the $20 upgrade to a 1080p screen. The $40 upgrade to 16GB of RAM is okay but not amazing, especially because $100 total gets you all the above + an i7.
Also: the $500 model includes a backlit keyboard, but the $600 model takes $10 to upgrade to one, which is totally worth it. Also, the $600 model is taking only $70 for a 3-year warranty including accidental damage.