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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 3151630 times)

Offline lcm

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13640 on: November 10, 2022, 02:38:13 PM »
I think the point that was trying to be made was that sometimes the solution to clutter isn't buying a bigger house, rather decluttering

Online etech0

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13641 on: November 10, 2022, 04:18:51 PM »
The line between "things I'm currently working on" and "things to bookmark for later" is fuzzy and likes to keep creeping over as much as we try to keep it at bay.
Workflowy. You won't know what you're missing until you try it.

Offline maple leafs

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13643 on: November 14, 2022, 04:00:34 PM »
https://go.skimresources.com/?id=53840X1297210&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FHP-15-6-Screen-FHD-Laptop-Intel-Core-i5-1135G7-8GB-RAM-256GB-SSD-Natural-Silver-Windows-11-Home-15-dy2795wm%2F480912399%3Fathbdg%3DL2000

Is this a good deal for a laptop? I’d like to use it as a home desktop connected to a monitor?
Thanks
desktops are almost always:
a) more powerful
b) cheaper
c) able to be fixed
d) cheaper to fix

if you want a desktop, do yourself a favor and get a desktop.

Offline maple leafs

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13644 on: November 14, 2022, 06:18:37 PM »
Thank you!

Offline Chuchum Ainer

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13645 on: November 15, 2022, 11:14:51 PM »
Curious what the oilom thinks re the $349 Dell on ddms. No question it's a great deal for an i5 and 8gb ram. Screen is 250nit IPS 45% ntsc (I believe), mediocre but acceptable, better than the TN screens on the $250 HPs posted.

I think though that, not counting any Amex offers, the following two laptops are better buys, even if they aren't officially on sale.

https://www.costco.com/lenovo-flex-5-14%22-2-in-1-touchscreen-laptop---12th-gen-intel-core-i3-1215u---1920-x-1200---windows-11-s-mode.product.100984049.html $399
It's an i3, but from what I've read the new i3-1215u is equivalent to the i5 1135g7 in the Dell, and uses less battery. $50 more gets you a 300nit 100% srgb touchscreen, usb c, and ~26% larger battery. Probably better build as well.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Acer-Swift-3-14-0-Full-HD-11th-Gen-Intel-Core-i5-1135G7-8GB-512GB-SSD-Silver-Windows-10-SF314-511-51A3/534855652 $379 $20 more gets you 300nit 100% srgb screen, usb c, metal build.

Both 14inch, that may be better or worse.

If you have Amex business platinum $200 dell credit, or 10%/20% amex offers etc, the dell obviously is much cheaper.

Stam

Offline Chuchum Ainer

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13646 on: November 15, 2022, 11:52:21 PM »
Thoughts on this?   Im looking for 32+GB, and this is 40GB, seems like a sweet deal.  Can better specs be found for less money?

Dell Inspiron 16″ 3k Laptop Evo 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 Processor, 40GB Memory, 1TB SSD
4.8 Ghz, 1 TB SSD, 3072 X 1920, 4.51 pounds, black friday special valid 11-14-22 through 11-28-22
Costco sku 1693069
I saw this in store at $1400, but its supposed to go to $1100 during the promotional period.  I couldn't find it on the Costco website but I did find it on another site
https://www.cochaser.com/blog/costco-early-black-friday-savings-november-14-28-2022

Seems decent.

Hp envy and Lenovo Slim 7i with similar specs and same size screen available for $1200 from costco too.
https://www.costco.com/hp-envy-16%22-touchscreen-intel-evo-platform-laptop---12th-gen-intel-core-i7-12700h---intel-arc-a370m-graphics---windows-11-professional.product.100941367.html
https://www.costco.com/lenovo-slim-7i-16%22-intel-evo-platform-touchscreen-laptop---12th-gen-intel-core-i7-12700h---intel-arc-a370m-graphics---144hz---windows-11.product.100976663.html

Cpu is the same for all three
40gb ram on Dell 32 on HP and Lenovo
Hp and Lenovo have more powerful intel arc graphics, dell has Iris
The screens on the Lenovo and Hp are brighter, the dell is 300 nits
dell has slightly higher resolution. Lenovo has higher refresh rate
None of them are 2in1. Hp and Lenovo have touchscreen
They all have similar battery sizes, with the lenovo slightly smaller
HP is heavier than the others
I don't think the Lenovo charges with Usb c, though it may be that it does, just slower
Hp has windows pro, dell and lenovo home

The HP and Dell do not have a number pad (bizarrely imo), the lenovo does.


At the end of the day, it boils down to personal preferences on the above differences, as well as which brand and line you think has the best build.
Personally I'm partial to Lenovo.

Of course be prepared to find a better deal later. Also if you are ok with smaller screens there are other deals.

Offline sguitarist18

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13647 on: November 18, 2022, 12:30:31 PM »
How does a Ryzen 5 processor compare with an i5?

Offline Yo ssi

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13648 on: November 18, 2022, 01:50:18 PM »
How does a Ryzen 5 processor compare with an i5?
Similarish
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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13649 on: November 19, 2022, 03:24:48 PM »
The HP and Dell do not have a number pad (bizarrely imo), the lenovo does.
14 inchers, in my experience, usually do not have number pads

Offline Chuchum Ainer

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13650 on: November 19, 2022, 09:02:36 PM »
14 inchers, in my experience, usually do not have number pads

The two laptops under discussion are 16 inches

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13651 on: November 20, 2022, 09:47:36 AM »
The two laptops under discussion are 16 inches
my bad, i was looking at your previous post. your right, it is strange...

Offline mevinyavin

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13652 on: November 20, 2022, 09:57:31 AM »
Similarish
Just gonna throw out a few thoughts on these (relevant to laptop processors):
Ryzen 5 3xxx = i3 10xx or 11xx but the Ryzen has horrible battery life (that is, terrible power efficiency)
Ryzen 5 4xxx outperforms i5 10xx in both performance and battery life
Ryzen 5 5xxx outperforms i5 11xx in both metrics. The i5 12xx seems to be far more powerful but the battery life is dismal compared to AMD's offering.

In basic office tasks they are all good, though. Battery should be the more important metric. If you have your heart set on Intel, get one that is Evo certified and you need not worry about battery life either.
Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

Offline Yo ssi

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13653 on: November 20, 2022, 10:53:42 AM »
Just gonna throw out a few thoughts on these (relevant to laptop processors):
Ryzen 5 3xxx = i3 10xx or 11xx but the Ryzen has horrible battery life (that is, terrible power efficiency)
Ryzen 5 4xxx outperforms i5 10xx in both performance and battery life
Ryzen 5 5xxx outperforms i5 11xx in both metrics. The i5 12xx seems to be far more powerful but the battery life is dismal compared to AMD's offering.

In basic office tasks they are all good, though. Battery should be the more important metric. If you have your heart set on Intel, get one that is Evo certified and you need not worry about battery life either.
"More powerful" also depends on use case (single threaded vs multi etc.)
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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13654 on: November 20, 2022, 11:19:53 AM »
"More powerful" also depends on use case (single threaded vs multi etc.)
Yup. Though I have yet to see a use case that mattered in TDPs of 15W or less... but the answer is extremely nuanced for those people to whom it matters - ie anyone not buying the computer for regular office work / browsing.
Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

Offline yossig

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13655 on: November 21, 2022, 12:13:54 PM »
Is this a good deal? https://deals.dell.com/en-us/productdetail/fl9a

Or should I still wait? Specs are what I’m looking for.

Online Moshe Green

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13656 on: November 21, 2022, 12:39:24 PM »
Is this a good deal? https://deals.dell.com/en-us/productdetail/fl9a

Or should I still wait? Specs are what I’m looking for.
it really matters on what you use it for. the graphics card inside itself is worth 500 dollars but if you dont need a graphics card then this is a waste of money. do you do graphics or games?

Offline yossig

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13657 on: November 21, 2022, 03:23:05 PM »
it really matters on what you use it for. the graphics card inside itself is worth 500 dollars but if you dont need a graphics card then this is a waste of money. do you do graphics or games?
I don’t do any of the 2. I need it for basic browsing and also to open and work with heavy mostly PDF files.
I now have an great XPS laptop and it’s just a breeze to work with. I’m looking for the same idea in a desktop.

This is What my laptop has,
NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GTX 1650 4GB GDDR5
9th Generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9750H (12MB Cache, up to 4.5 GHz, 6 cores)

Offline yossig

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13658 on: November 21, 2022, 03:34:09 PM »

Online Moshe Green

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #13659 on: November 21, 2022, 03:49:29 PM »
2 more options with a different graphics card

https://deals.dell.com/en-us/productdetail/fmha
https://deals.dell.com/en-us/productdetail/fl9h
your graphics card does not really help you browse any better. its really just internet speed, ram, and cpu. if you get any i7 computer, 16gb-32gb ram, and a fast internet connection you should be fine. don't bother getting a high powered graphics card.