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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
Warning: most of the wiki that follows was written a very long time ago and the information on it can be outdated.
[Deleted post based on DH Data Recovery's experience dated 2013. Maybe I'll take a stab at replacing it with something similar at some point.]


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. EDIT: Unless there are no RAM slots for upgrading.
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 3945200 times)

Online moish145

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #15141 on: February 07, 2025, 05:30:55 AM »
Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #15142 on: February 09, 2025, 04:50:00 AM »
Ideapad 5 Pro 16", OLED screen, Ryzen 5 8640HS (35W Zen 4 six-core) and RTX 3050 (6GB VRAM), on sale from Lenovo on ebay for $650. Hard to argue with the price if you will utilize the specs and if they are enough for your needs. Bit of a niche case, though.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/166796502693
Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

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Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #15144 on: February 10, 2025, 12:24:38 PM »
Lunar Lake version of Vivobook S 14 back on sale for $650 at Best Buy.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-vivobook-s-14-14-oled-laptop-copilot-pc-intel-core-ultra-5-16gb-memory-512gb-ssd-neutral-black/6595523.p?skuId=6595523
Down to $550 (no shipping. In store only)
Lowest price ever.
@mevinyavin why are they getting rid of these?

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #15145 on: February 10, 2025, 10:45:21 PM »
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-yoga-7i-2-in-1-14-2k-touchscreen-laptop-intel-core-ultra-5-125u-with-16gb-memory-512gb-ssd-storm-grey/6571362.p
Down to $550. Great price. (It was $500 at one point, but I wouldn't wait if you are looking to buy now)
This is the slightly lower powered but (slightly?) longer battery Ultra 5 125u version. vs the ryzen H chip.

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #15146 on: February 11, 2025, 05:12:50 AM »
Down to $550 (no shipping. In store only)
Lowest price ever.
@mevinyavin why are they getting rid of these?
Some of the marketing people might think that Core Ultra 200H replaces Core Ultra 200V.
Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #15147 on: February 11, 2025, 07:13:33 AM »
Down to $550 (no shipping. In store only)
Lowest price ever.
@mevinyavin why are they getting rid of these?
Well, these people are enthusiastic about it, so it isn't just me.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-Vivobook-S-14-OLED-becomes-one-of-the-best-value-laptops-around-as-price-drops-42-to-new-historic-low.959290.0.html
Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

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« Last Edit: February 11, 2025, 12:04:52 PM by sruli17 »

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #15149 on: February 11, 2025, 06:07:11 PM »

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Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

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Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #15152 on: February 16, 2025, 04:02:53 PM »
Good bargain laptop at $330?
i5-1235U/8gb/512gb/15.6-touchscreen

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-ideapad-1i-15-6-fhd-touchscreen-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-with-512gb-ssd-storage-abyss-blue/6588661.p?skuId=6588661

8gb ram is soldered but there is an available slot to add 8 (16?) more

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #15153 on: February 16, 2025, 05:14:41 PM »
Good bargain laptop at $330?
i5-1235U/8gb/512gb/15.6-touchscreen

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-ideapad-1i-15-6-fhd-touchscreen-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-with-512gb-ssd-storage-abyss-blue/6588661.p?skuId=6588661

8gb ram is soldered but there is an available slot to add 8 (16?) more
Looks pretty good for a budget laptop with a 300 nit IPS screen. The dell inspiron i5, when it falls to $300 or less, is probably the better buy, dimmer screen, but dell offers and codes drop it much lower than this one.

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #15154 on: February 16, 2025, 06:05:05 PM »
Looks pretty good for a budget laptop with a 300 nit IPS screen. The dell inspiron i5, when it falls to $300 or less, is probably the better buy, dimmer screen, but dell offers and codes drop it much lower than this one.
inspiron with touchscreen goes this low?

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #15155 on: February 16, 2025, 07:15:57 PM »
I missed the Touchscreen. You're right. Great deal

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #15156 on: February 18, 2025, 07:49:00 PM »
Envy 2-in-1 14" on sale at Best Buy.
Ryzen 5 8640HS (45W Zen 4, six cores) for $550, $480 for My Best Buy Plus members.
Ryzen 7 8840HS (45W Zen 4, eight cores) for $600. Also bumps storage from 512GB to a TB. Worth it for the processor alone even if you have no idea why you might need the extra processing, UNLESS you get the $480 price.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-envy-2-in-1-14-wide-ultra-xga-touch-screen-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-16gb-memory-512gb-ssd-glacier-silver/6571087.p?skuId=6571087
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-envy-2-in-1-14-wide-ultra-xga-touch-screen-laptop-amd-ryzen-7-16gb-memory-1tb-ssd-glacier-silver/6571077.p?skuId=6571077

down to $500 (best ever) and $650 respectively

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #15157 on: February 18, 2025, 10:51:39 PM »
This seems to be a fairly good deal for its specs. $699 after automatic $250 off

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-16-laptop/spd/inspiron-16-5640-laptop/useichbts5640gtjx

Intel® Core™ 7 processor 150U, 16gb RAM, 1 TB SSD w/ backlit kbd
16" Touch 1920x1200 IPS 300 nit, ComfortView Plus.

Note added: Laptops with a numeric keypad, I tend to prefer others over Acer. It's hard to adapt to their squished numerical with some buttons not in proper placement.
« Last Edit: February 18, 2025, 10:57:40 PM by grobyak »

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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #15158 on: February 18, 2025, 11:12:01 PM »
This seems to be a fairly good deal for its specs. $699 after automatic $250 off

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-16-laptop/spd/inspiron-16-5640-laptop/useichbts5640gtjx

Intel® Core™ 7 processor 150U, 16gb RAM, 1 TB SSD w/ backlit kbd
16" Touch 1920x1200 IPS 300 nit, ComfortView Plus.
If you use a combination of email 10% off code, plus amex 13%, plus 10% portals/amex plat credits, you get it under $500, plus something like $40 in dell rewards. That's good, but is it better than https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1811273-REG/lenovo_83fw0007us_16_ideapad_slim_5.html $450 without shenanigans? Or the cheaper AMD version below?

There's a few other dells worth looking at if you can get the price down as above, especially if you have amex credits to use up
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-15-laptop/spd/inspiron-15-3530-laptop/useicpbts3530hcsk#customization-anchor $560 starting. 15 inch 3xxx series, metal+plastic? i5-1334U 16gb 512gb non-touch 250nits ~3.63 lbs. 41whr battery
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-14-2-in-1-laptop/spd/inspiron-14-7440-2-in-1-laptop/useichbts7440hbtv#customization-anchor $600 starting 14 inch 7xxx series, metal, Core 7 150U 16gb 512gb touchscreen 250nits 3.77 lbs 64whr battery

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-16-laptop/spd/inspiron-16-5645-laptop $570 starting 16inch 5xxx series, Ryzen 5 8540U 16gb 512gb non-touch 250nit 4.12lbs 54whr battery.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-14-plus-laptop/spd/inspiron-14-7440-laptop/useichbts7440gvhg $700 starting 14 inch 7xxx series metal. Core Ultra 7 155H 16gb 1tb non-touch 300 nits  3.53 lbs 64whr battery. prob the best deal here, if you are looking for 14inch. comes out to under $500 after the steps above, plus dell rewards. I'm curious how the battery lasts with the strong cpu.






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Re: Laptop Deals Master Thread
« Reply #15159 on: February 19, 2025, 03:36:00 AM »
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-14-plus-laptop/spd/inspiron-14-7440-laptop/useichbts7440gvhg $700 starting 14 inch 7xxx series metal. Core Ultra 7 155H 16gb 1tb non-touch 300 nits  3.53 lbs 64whr battery. prob the best deal here, if you are looking for 14inch. comes out to under $500 after the steps above, plus dell rewards. I'm curious how the battery lasts with the strong cpu.
14:40 https://uk.pcmag.com/laptops/152002/dell-inspiron-14-plus-7440
17h playing 4K vid at 250nits https://www.pcworld.com/article/2277005/dell-inspiron-14-plus-review.html
33h idle, 12.5h web browsing, 1:18 load https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-Inspiron-14-Plus-7440-laptop-review-Dropping-GeForce-RTX-for-integrated-Intel-Arc.813905.0.html
Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!