Good laptop deal?

[GoodEnough]

Basic office use. Anything deal out there?

 

[RossMAN]

Since my mind reader is in the shop:

Is this for you or someone else?
Budget? Not a range, an actual $$ please.
Any preference in terms of brand, laptop size, specs, how will the laptop be used?
Any high end-graphics or gaming needed?

 

[Blain]

Basic office use. Anything deal out there?

Yes, many good deal out there.

 

[GoodEnough]

Budget is under $700.
But if you can get 90% of the performance for $350, then why not?

I heard HP is bad.
But, no real preference.

No gaming, just office use.

Mainly looking for a blowout deal if there is a current slick deal.

 

[daxzy]

Budget is under $700.
But if you can get 90% of the performance for $350, then why not?

IMO, laptops and mobile devices are more than just a spec race. I have an IvyBridge business laptop (T430s/$250) and a Skylake premium laptop (XPS 13 9350/$550). Although CPU wise, they're about the same (PassMark), using them is quite a different experience. There are things to consider (that add price to a device) such as display quality, battery life, emissions (heat and noise), warranty, size/weight, touchpad, etc.

If this is straight for office use, you can buy business decommissioned Sandy/Ivy based Thinkpads for pretty cheap <$250. Their 35W 2C/4T mobile parts are actually on par or not much behind the 15W 2C/4T Skylake parts (obviously depends on which exact SKU's).

I'd also consider looking at Dell Outlet, they generally have 20-35% (currently 35% today) off coupons on their laptops. But if you want to get an SkyLake XPS laptop, be prepared to refresh the page often, as they go OOS almost instantly. The much more in stock Skylake Inspiron 13" 7000 series 2in1 can be had for ~$500 with an i7, 1080p, 8GB, 256GB SSD. It's a massive step up from people coming from older laptops, but a step down when I used it (compared to the XPS).

 

[nerp]

The lower price you pay for a laptop, the cheaper quality it will be. Get a ThinkPad. It will last for years. buy a $300 HP and it will be busted up garbage in 2 years.

 

[RossMAN]

I'd also consider looking at Dell Outlet, they generally have 20-35% (currently 35% today) off coupons on their laptops. But if you want to get an SkyLake XPS laptop, be prepared to refresh the page often, as they go OOS almost instantly. The much more in stock Skylake Inspiron 13" 7000 series 2in1 can be had for ~$500 with an i7, 1080p, 8GB, 256GB SSD. It's a massive step up from people coming from older laptops, but a step down when I used it (compared to the XPS).

Best bang for your buck is the Dell or Lenovo Outlet.

Dell just released a 35% off coupon but inventory is constantly replenished, you may have to refresh a bit to get a good deal on a loaded system. Let's all be prepared for ... is this system a good deal for $xxx new threads/posts.
http://slickdeals.net/f/9084859-dell-home-outlet-35-off?v=1

More laptop deals here ---> http://slickdeals.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?&tagid=34&f=9

If you're not in a hurry, I'd wait for a Dell Small Business Outlet coupon because:
Dell Latitude is their business class series instead of lower end consumer (Inspiron) line, great build quality, solid keyboard, usually 3 year on site warranty included. When these coupons are released you can usually find loaded Dell Latitude laptops for around $550 with free shipping. Edit Actually I think some Dell Latitude laptops may be included with the current coupon offer, you can read the full coupon details or would you like us to do that for you?

I just checked and found a decent cheaper laptop but I would never buy it.

$429 - 25% coupon = $321.75 assuming the coupon works on this specific model. I'm too lazy to copy/paste and check.

Dell Inspiron 15 - 3558

Processor: Intel Core 5th Generation i3-5015U Processor (Dual Core, 2.1GHz, 3M Cache, 15W)
Windows 10 Pro
1 TB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
6 GB (1X2G/1X4G) 1600MHz DDR3 Non-ECC
15.6 inch HD (1366x768) Backlit TrueLife LED Display
Tray load DVD Drive (Reads and Writes to DVD/CD)
Intel HD Graphics

 

[DTN107]

+1 on the Dell outlet. I picked up some amazing deals from there over the years. I do lean towards m ore to the business outlet for the Latitude models. Just about almost every single item I bought from the outlet looks almost brand new.

I picked up a Dell Latitude E5450 for ~$459.
-Intel 5th gen i5-5200U
-4GB DDR3
-500GB hdd
-14" LCD 1920x1080 anti-glare (matte)
-Intel HD Graphics

Like what RossMan said, you usually would find more loaded Latitudes around $550. I had to constantly refresh throughout the day til I finally scored an i5 cpu model with the 1080p matte screen.

If you want the Latitudes with the stock 3 year warranty you will have to fetch the more expensive E7xxx series or an older E6xxx series. The E5xxx series are the "budget" versions and only comes with 1 year warranty.

 

[RossMAN]

Here's a good deal on a nicely equipped and portable Dell laptop, I almost had one in my cart but it disappeared. Dang the eBay scalper bots are aggressive 24/7. I would buy this but I've seen it as low as $249 AR but that was a rare 6 hour unicorn that disappeared before I was able to order. I love the form factor, 13.3" portability, 1080p touch display and backlit keyboard! Yes it's not a Dell Latitude but it's portable, brand new and under $350. Do not think, do not ask 200 questions, waiting, order now, think later.

http://slickdeals.net/f/9087155-del...3-touchscreen-1080p-344-shipped-brand-new?v=1

Dell Inspiron 13-7359 Laptop (i3, Touchscreen, 1080P) $344 Shipped, Brand New
Tech Specs
Processor: Intel Core 6th Generation i3-6100U Processor (3M Cache, 2.30 GHz)
Windows 10 Home 64bit English
1 TB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
4GB DDR3L at 1600MHz
13.3inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Truelife LED-Backlit Touch Display with Wide Viewing Angle (IPS)
Intel HD Graphics
Silver

Upgrade RAM and SSD for around $150 and you have a nice laptop for under $500 that will easily last ~3 years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yySB7okjXJs

 

[GoodEnough]

I don't see any latitudes in the Dell outlet. Can't filter by that. Weird.

 

[daxzy]

I don't see any latitudes in the Dell outlet. Can't filter by that. Weird.

You have to go to business outlet section. Dell has a huge divide between home and work. Inspiron 13-7000 series is pretty solid laptop. I'd get one with an SSD (or install an aftermarket M.2 SSD).

However, if you are really to fork over extra money for a great laptop, you can try and catch a XPS 13 9350 on the outlet (I got my i5-6200U/8GB/128GB for <$550).

 

[RossMAN]

http://slickdeals.net/f/9084859-dell-home-outlet-35-off?v=1

I don't see any latitudes in the Dell outlet. Can't filter by that. Weird.

You have to visit Dell Small Business Outlet instead of Dell Home Outlet.

Here's a new thread, read it and follow the instructions, I just searched and found plenty of Dell Latitudes available.
http://slickdeals.net/f/9089139-del...ions-1000-or-more-other-discounts-as-well?v=1

 

[Muse]

The lower price you pay for a laptop, the cheaper quality it will be. Get a ThinkPad. It will last for years. buy a $300 HP and it will be busted up garbage in 2 years.

I have been using Thinkpads for 10 years, have 3 of them now (the last 2 -- one bought used-refurb and the other not working and sold for parts. I fixed that one). All of these still work. There are many devotees and you can get good support in their forums.

 

[GoodEnough]

Thanks for the info.
Too many choices in the outlet.
Psychologically, this results in no action being taken.
I'll wait for someone to post a specific deal to a laptop, and just tell my friend to go with that one.

 

[sttubs]

I recommend this one every time & those that have bought it are very happy with it's quality and speed: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834266056

 

[RossMAN]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834266055&Tpk=N82E16834266055

 

[Alienware Gamer ALX]

stay onder 350$ and all is fine

 

[RossMAN]

http://slickdeals.net/f/9090651-hp-...b-ddr4-gtx-950m-1tb-hdd-580-free-shipping?v=1

$580 with free shipping

• Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
• 15.6" 1080P IPS Anti-Glare Display
• Skylake Core i5-6300HQ 2.3GHz (3.2GHz Turbo, 6MB cache)
• 8GB DDR4L 2133MHz Ram
• 1TB 7200 RPM HDD
• GTX 950M 2GB GDDR5
• Backlit Keyboard, B&O PLAY with 2 speakers
• Dual Band 802.11ac WiFi + Bluetooth 4.2 + Gigabit lan
• 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, SD card Reader
• 1x HDMI
• 3 Cell 61.5 WHr Battery with up to 9 Hrs
• 4.81 lbs
• 1 Year HP Warranty

 

[GoodEnough]

Thanks I'll pass it on.
Probably avoid the HP link

 

[RossMAN]

Thanks I'll pass it on.
Probably avoid the HP link

Including this bargain at only $299?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834266055&Tpk=N82E16834266055

 

[GoodEnough]

At $299 they may be flexible. Def needs a RAM upgrade.

 

[RossMAN]

At $299 they may be flexible. Def needs a RAM upgrade.

For once, you're absolutely correct.

So is the actual realistic budget $350-ish? I know you said "under $700" which this technically qualifies for but you lazily passed up several better Dell Latitude 5xxx laptops you could have found with minimal effort.

This must be some friend you're shopping for, I hope you find a laptop that's good enough for them.

 

[RossMAN]

Two new laptop offers for you to consider, take your time, ask questions then make excuses:

1) HP Pavilion 15 for $600 @ Staples.com
http://www.staples.com/HP-Pavilion-...-RAM-1-TB-Windows-10-Notebook/product_2286584

• Windows 10 Home operating system
• 6th generation Intel Core i7-6500U Processor
• 15.6-inch diagonal screen, (1920X1080 resolution)
• 12 GB RAM
• 1 TB SATA Hard Drive
• Intel HD Graphics 520
• B&O PLAY with dual speakers
• Up to 9 hours and 15 minutes of battery life
• SuperMulti DVD burner
• 4.27 lbs
• Full-size island-style backlit keyboard with numeric keypad
• 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth
• 2 SuperSpeed USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, 1 HDMI, 1 RJ-45, 1 Headphone-out/microphone-in combo jack
• 0.89 in (H) x 15.06 in (W) x 9.56 in (D)

2) Dell Small Business outlet has a new offer, 30% off laptops!
http://slickdeals.net/f/9104835-dell-outlet-new-sales-30-off-everything-in-the-business-outlet?v=1

Currently the SD link for Latitude points to servers, so here's how to manually search in easy step by step instructions:

1) Take a deep breath, you can do this.
2) Click this link http://dell.to/2cDWdrO
2) Currently there are 698 laptops available, to narrow down the choices I would click the following on the left hand side:
Screen size, whatever your friend wants 14.1 - 15.6 is perfect for average user
Screen resolution, definitely 1920x1080 unless your friends actual budget is closer to $300-$400 then leave this selection alone
Memory, personally I would leave this alone as memory is a cheap and easy upgrade if you do it yourself

After selecting only two criteria:
Screen size - 15-16 inch
Screen resolution - 1920x1080

I was able to find the following configuration for $468.30 after coupon:

Latitude E5570 Laptop

• Processor: Intel Core 6th Generation i5-6440HQ Processor (Quad Core, 2.60 GHz, 6M Cache, 35W)
• Windows 10 Pro
• 500 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
• 8GB (1x8G) 2133MHz DDR4 Memory Non ECC
• 15.6inch FHD (1920x1080) Display
• AMD Radeon R7 M360
• Dell Outlet Latitude E5570 Laptop

 

[RossMAN]

https://m.newegg.com/Product/Index?itemNumber=N82E16834315422&Keyword=N82E16834315422

I would still order a Dell latitude over that.

 

[Alienware Gamer ALX]

edit:
no, i was wrong