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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

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 3184707 times)

Offline AYHG

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10003 on: October 30, 2016, 06:07:21 PM »
 Looking for a dell i5/7 touchscreen with an ssd or option to add, with decent memory. $600 range. Any recommendations. Tia

Offline Gets

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10004 on: October 30, 2016, 08:27:10 PM »
They look great. Thanks for your help

Offline AYHG

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10005 on: October 31, 2016, 11:26:30 AM »
I personally had some pretty bad experiences with the Inspiron i5559. I purchased one last black friday season from the microsoft store (it was on sale at that point for 399-it may be worth the wait) along with this Asus model (purchased from best buy for around 380) https://www.amazon.com/F555LA-EH51-Intel-Laptop-Windows-64bit/dp/B015790WNI
The Dell model was terrible. It froze up a couple of times in the two weeks I had it, (a brand new laptop!) and was just laggy in general. Just read up on the reviews before you jump for the brand name.
The Asus had better performance, but felt quite plasticy.

I then went out and purchased this Acer model (from the microsoft store for 350) https://www.amazon.com/Acer-F5-571T-569T-Touchscreen-Notebook-SuperMulti/dp/B0192T1CFG/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1477887517&sr=1-4&keywords=acer+f15 and was really impressed with the performance (especially considering that they're generaly considered to be a cheaper brand). Start up was lightning quick for an HDD. Plus the the build quality seemed better than either the Asus or Dell. It has a brushed metal palmrest and keyboard. I stuck with the Acer and almost a year later I'm still really happy with it. It still looks and performs pretty much the same as the day I bought it. The only downside is the screen. The resolution isn't full HD and the coloring is a bit off; the grays seem to have a bluish hue and the blues in general are a bit overemphasized. Most of it can be fixed though if you play around with the screen settings (there are 2 separate screen settings menus from Acer and Windows).

You might want to check this one out. http://www.microcenter.com/product/468417/Aspire_F5-573-55LV_156_Laptop_Computer_-_Sparkly_Silver
Looks pretty much the same as mine but with the latest processor, a completely different full HD screen, and a 256GB SSD included for $500.

Or this one with a graphics card https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-E5-575G-53VG-Laptop-Windows/dp/B01DT4A2R4/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1477891481&sr=1-4&keywords=acer%2Bi5%2Bssd&th=1.
Very impressive reviews!

If you are going to go ahead with the dell, you might as well get it from the microsoft store. That way you'll get their 'signature edition' pc that comes free from any 3rd party bloatware. https://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Dell-Inspiron-15-i5559-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.333089700
« Last Edit: October 31, 2016, 12:12:44 PM by AYHG »

Offline avromie7

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10006 on: October 31, 2016, 09:52:51 PM »


The Dell model was terrible. It froze up a couple of times in the two weeks I had it, (a brand new laptop!) and was just laggy in general. Just read up on the reviews before you jump for the brand name.
that has nothing to do with the brand
I wonder what people who type "u" instead of "you" do with all their free time.

Offline thaber

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10007 on: October 31, 2016, 10:40:53 PM »
that has nothing to do with the brand
My Dell office pc,  top of the line,  isn't capable of restarting out of the box.  You have to shut down and turn on.  It's been a year.  I blame the brand

Offline avromie7

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10008 on: October 31, 2016, 10:42:33 PM »
My Dell office pc,  top of the line,  isn't capable of restarting out of the box.  You have to shut down and turn on.  It's been a year.  I blame the brand
Laptop or desktop?
I wonder what people who type "u" instead of "you" do with all their free time.

Offline thaber

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10009 on: October 31, 2016, 10:45:08 PM »
Laptop or desktop?
Desktop,  sorry,  wrong thread

Offline avromie7

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10010 on: October 31, 2016, 10:46:16 PM »
Desktop,  sorry,  wrong thread
it's probably the bios, try to update it.
I wonder what people who type "u" instead of "you" do with all their free time.

Offline thaber

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10011 on: October 31, 2016, 10:47:19 PM »
it's probably the bios, try to update it.
Will do,  thanks

Offline A European

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10012 on: November 01, 2016, 09:28:56 AM »
How's this?

Acer Aspire E5-575-54E8 15.6" Laptop,
Windows 10 Home,
Intel Core i5-6200U Dual-Core Processor,
6GB Memory,
1TB Hard Drive

$379 from Walmart


How is this compared to the MS deal?



http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/97568

his laptop was $329.99 yesterday and is on sale for $249.99. Plus you can save another $25 with AMEX Offers.
-15.6″ display
-5th Gen Intel Core i3-5015U
-4GB RAM
-1TB hard drive
-Weighs 4.85 lbs. and measures 0.9″ thin
-Bluetooth 4.0
-Built-in media reader
-Next-Gen Intel Wireless-AC connectivity
-Built-in HD webcam with microphone

Offline avromie7

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10013 on: November 01, 2016, 09:35:56 AM »

How is this compared to the MS deal?



http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/97568

his laptop was $329.99 yesterday and is on sale for $249.99. Plus you can save another $25 with AMEX Offers.
-15.6″ display
-5th Gen Intel Core i3-5015U
-4GB RAM
-1TB hard drive
-Weighs 4.85 lbs. and measures 0.9″ thin
-Bluetooth 4.0
-Built-in media reader
-Next-Gen Intel Wireless-AC connectivity
-Built-in HD webcam with microphone
Ms deal is a very basic laptop, this is a decent laptop. It's in a different league.
I wonder what people who type "u" instead of "you" do with all their free time.

Online curly

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10014 on: November 01, 2016, 10:19:36 AM »
Looking for a basic tablet for web browsing and some Microsoft programs.
Any recommendations?

Offline A European

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10015 on: November 01, 2016, 11:04:51 AM »
Ms deal is a very basic laptop, this is a decent laptop. It's in a different league.
תודה רבה
Thanks allot
Spasiba !

Offline A European

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10016 on: November 01, 2016, 01:23:38 PM »
Ms deal is a very basic laptop, this is a decent laptop. It's in a different league.

Last Question bli neder for today ...

Is there anything that the MS Laptop is better?(HD camera for example) or nothing?

Offline avromie7

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10017 on: November 01, 2016, 01:24:49 PM »
Last Question bli neder for today ...

Is there anything that the MS Laptop is better?(HD camera for example) or nothing?
I didn't and still don't have time to compare.
I wonder what people who type "u" instead of "you" do with all their free time.

Offline AYHG

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10018 on: November 01, 2016, 04:02:17 PM »
that has nothing to do with the brand

First of all, I wasn't bashing the brand, i started off sayin "I personally had some pretty bad experiences with the Inspiron i5559" (it has a 3.1 star rating with 97 reviews https://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Dell-Inspiron-15-i5559-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.333089700 or 3.6 stars on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i5559-3347SLV-Laptop-Silver/dp/B010DODBUS/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1478028908&sr=8-14&keywords=inspiron%2Bi5&th=1).

However, I'd say now that it does reflect on the brand for them to be selling the current lineup of Inspiron laptops. Most of the models have terrible long term reviews. Especially when compared to the supposed 'lower end brand' Acer Aspire series. You will not find any current Inspiron with nearly 1000 reviews and a 4.3 star rating such as this Acer https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-E5-575G-53VG-Laptop-Windows/dp/B01DT4A2R4/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1478024155&sr=1-4&keywords=acer+aspire+15.6+i5. And forget about finding a Dell with those specs for within $200 of that price. (that's not to say all Aspire's are great- but the right one (like an aspire E5-575-xxxx) will have better reviews, cost less, and have better specs than it's equivalent Dell Inspiron).

It should matter what they put out there.
« Last Edit: November 01, 2016, 04:05:36 PM by AYHG »

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #10019 on: November 01, 2016, 04:10:14 PM »
First of all, I wasn't bashing the brand, i started off sayin "I personally had some pretty bad experiences with the Inspiron i5559" (it has a 3.1 star rating with 97 reviews https://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Dell-Inspiron-15-i5559-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.333089700 or 3.6 stars on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i5559-3347SLV-Laptop-Silver/dp/B010DODBUS/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1478028908&sr=8-14&keywords=inspiron%2Bi5&th=1).

However, I'd say now that it does reflect on the brand for them to be selling the current lineup of Inspiron laptops. Most of the models have terrible long term reviews. Especially when compared to the supposed 'lower end brand' Acer Aspire series. You will not find any current Inspiron with nearly 1000 reviews and a 4.3 star rating such as this Acer https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-E5-575G-53VG-Laptop-Windows/dp/B01DT4A2R4/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1478024155&sr=1-4&keywords=acer+aspire+15.6+i5. And forget about finding a Dell with those specs for within $200 of that price. (that's not to say all Aspire's are great- but the right one (like an aspire E5-575-xxxx) will have better reviews, cost less, and have better specs than it's equivalent Dell Inspiron).

It should matter what they put out there.
IMO the HP home laptops are worse than dell
I wonder what people who type "u" instead of "you" do with all their free time.