Looking for opinions on laptops.

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fionntan

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I am going back to school this fall and I have to buy a new computer. I have been a mac user all my life, but now I need a pc. What brands are good? What should I look for when picking out a new computer? I am looking for a laptop so that I can use it at school as well as at home. I have looked around a bit and most of what I have seen seems to be the same. Some are quite a bit more expensive then others, but seem to have the same components. The only differences I find tend to be the brand.

Don't flame me for using a mac...as you can see I am switching sides.
 
the last three laptops that have been purchased at my house have been dells. the only problem weve had is one had a hard drive go out in about 6 months but other than that A+.
 
just remembered, you might check out the Dell Outlet. their stock is real-time and can move pretty fast but you can get really good deals if you don't mind buying a refurb unit.

outlet.dell.com
 
The Dell XPS series are really nice, and for the price and what you get is great. HP touchsmarts are also great laptops, but their actually construction has always felt cheaper to me. What price range are you looking at?
 
I am looking at between $650 - 900. My girlfriend had a dell a few years back and I did not like it very much. Have they improved in the last few years? Microsoft is running a deal right now where if a student buys a laptop then they will give you an xbox. It is perfect timing since I just got into school and I need a computer anyway. Does anyone have a samsung? I have always like samsung products.
 
You should be able to get a pretty well-spec'd Dell XPS 15" in that price range. I have an XPS 15" from dell outlet, Core i5 460M 4gb ddr3, 320gb 7200rpm hdd, 1gb geforce 410m video and I got it for a little over $600 back in february. You should be able to get the sandy bridge models pretty easily now. And yes, Dell has come up in quality by a fair margin in the last few years. I have had no problems with mine and it gets used 9 hrs a day 5 days a week pretty heavily.

How do you get this xbox deal? do you have to buy through microsoft's store?
 
No you just have to have a student email address I think. I think you can buy a computer from a lot of places. I know bestbuy, dell, amazon, etc are participants in the deal.
 
I have been doing a bit of research and I am leaning towards the HP envy 14. It seems to have the best bang to buck ratio. Plus all the reviews I have read have been pretty good.
 
This was posted on GotApex.com

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15.6" HD LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)
HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone
HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN with Wireless Display Support
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
This is the BEST price I've seen on the HP Pavilion dv6t QUAD. Remember, since this is a percentage off coupon, any upgrades you want are also 33% off! HP PAVILION DV6T QUAD EDITION INTEL SANDY BRIDGE NOTEBOOK PC SALE

Use coupon code: NBQL6835 for the 33% off discount. Expires after just 500 uses or on 06/19/2011.
 
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The envy is quite a bit lower spec'd though, and uses the first-gen core i5 vs the sandy bridge i7 in the dv6.

I guess the question is, can you get the dv6 with the free xbox.
 
Probably, however I think the xbox deal can not be combined with other offers. I would not be able to use the 33% off.
 
Ah, yeah. If you weren't interested in the xbox I'd definitely go for the dv6, but the envy is still a decent system.
 
I just think in the long run it is a better deal. I don't really need a new xbox, but it would be nice to have two in the house. I use it as my primary media interface (netflix, dvd's, cd's, and gaming) so it would be good to have on both of my tv's. Also I am not a huge multi-tasker. I tend to use my computer for one task at a time, so uber processing is not my main concern. The video card in the dv6 seems nicer which would be good, but the envy's is not bad. I guess it really depends on how long the microsoft store is offering the envy for $799. If it is just a limited time sale, and they end it before I am ready to buy then the dv6 would be the better deal without the 33% off. If I buy the envy through HP it costs $999.
 
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