Need Help Purchasing A Laptop

dell i5 $480:
Dell Inspiron 15 Intel Core i5-3317U ULV 15.6in Laptop (4GB/500GB) $479.99 (http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/348117)

dell i7 $625:
HP dv6tqe Core i7-3630QM 2.4GHz Quad 15in Laptop (8GB/750GB) $624.99 (http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/348327)


the i3 i posted above is all you need, and they're doing a lot better as far as the amount of stupid crap they put on the thing.

BIG HINT: when you go to the store to pick it up
-- YOU DO NOT NEED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY
-- YOU DO NOT NEED A COPY OF McAFFEE
-- YOU DO NOT NEED CABLES OR ACCESSORRIES

they try to upsell you them 3 or 4 times, just be confident and don't agree to extras.

I totally disagree if your someone who doesn't want to do their own troubleshooting and follow-up repair. Now, for the average tech person who doesn't mind popping a palm-rest off or reapplying thermal paste, sure, don't buy anything warranty related.

$400 - $499.99: Asus: Laptops - Best Buy (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olstemplatemapper.jsp?id=pcat17080&type=page&qp=cabcat0500000%23%23d%23%231u4~~cabcat0502000%23 %235%23%2332~~f510%7C%7C41737573~~q70726f636573736 96e6774696d653a3e313930302d30312d3031~~nf1221%7C%7 C24343030202d20243439392e3939&list=y&nrp=15&sc=abComputerSP&sp=-bestsellingsort+skuid&usc=abcat0500000)


Take a look at Asus, great Laptops, reliable, won't set you back, and with Office do you use Outlook or no??

When you say office do you mean using it for work? Don't use it for work but I do have Outlook at work.

here's an i3 lenovo 15.6" for $360, free shipping or pick it up at office depot:
Lenovo G580 59359080 Laptop Computer With 156 Screen 3rd Gen Intel Core i3 Processor Brown by Office Depot (http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/983842/Lenovo-G580-59359080-Laptop-Computer-With/?cm_mmc=Mercent-_-PriceGrabber-_-Computers_and_Tablets-_-983842&mr:referralID=a0060ca3-b736-11e2-a969-001b2166c2c0)

Two of you have mention Lenovo I have never heard of them but that's not saying very much. The $400 to $500 price range was what I was thinking but I don't want a piece of crap that fails over and over again. I just don't need all the bells and whistles. I also don't know crap about computers.

Two of you have mention Lenovo I have never heard of them but that's not saying very much. The $400 to $500 price range was what I was thinking but I don't want a piece of crap that fails over and over again. I just don't need all the bells and whistles. I also don't know crap about computers.

If your needs are, as listed above, web surfing and email in a Windows environment, then any $400 laptop from the companies listed above (Asus, Dell, HP) will more than do want you want.

Personally I avoid Lenovo since they are a Chinese company (although an offshoot from IBM). But they do make good computers and the difference is marginal since pretty much all computers have at least some parts which are made in China.

Depends on what you need it for.

Some of these newer tablets (galaxy note 10.1, ipad 4, etc.) have the processors and graphics capabilities of some laptops.

If you're just getting something just for web surfing and what not, go with a tablet and get a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. If you run into any compatibility issues just hop on google (or thewarpath) and you'll find answers to most of your problems.

Consider looking at Chrome books if you're just looking for a webbrowsing box. It isn't as robust as Windows, but they're cheap and effecient for browsing.

Newegg.com - FOR EVERYONE (http://www.newegg.com/chromebook?Tpk=chrome%20book)

My wife uses people pc and has an email account through them. If I'm correct that's a web based and all she need to see her email is accesss to the internet.

Consider looking at Chrome books if you're just looking for a webbrowsing box. It isn't as robust as Windows, but they're cheap and effecient for browsing.

Newegg.com - FOR EVERYONE (http://www.newegg.com/chromebook?Tpk=chrome%20book) heard great things about chrome books. sounds like a good thing for someone who just to surf and doesn't want to deal with computer issues.
.

As always it just depends on what you need it for. If you're looking for a cheap laptop for internet browsing, well virtually anything new even in the $350 range is likely going to make you happy.

HP has plenty of laptops in said range
Pavilion Laptops | HP® Official Store (http://shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/Laptops?SearchParameter=%26%40QueryTerm%3D*%26bran dlaptops_dte2%3DPavilion%26CategoryUUIDLevelX%3Dje EQxXjbj14AAAE0syxcZzOW%26%40Sort.TieredPricing%3D0&PageSize=15)

I feel like right now HP has the best combination of price and performance. They remind me a bit of Dell when Dell was in their glory days (think Stoner Steve (http://youtu.be/L7wfHStzm24)). The main problem that myself and other people have with their computers is bloatware. Also I think like virtually every other computer manufacturer they have a call center in India depending on the time you use support. However I have never had to use them.

Heck I have a store bought HP from 2008 that I'm just running into the ground without mercy (virtually on 24/7) playing movies and/or music all day. It's only issue is the battery life is around 15 minutes if unplugged which would be fixed if I replaced the battery. My most current computer is an HP high performance laptop which I would grade as a B+ for gaming.

You can also apply to BillMeLater and hold off paying for 6 months or pay as you go before interest kicks in at the 6 month mark which reminds me, I need to finish off paying for my laptop..

My only questions at this point are if you have any additional plans and or requirements? Do you ever edit videos (video editing has a lot of potential to slow down your computer)? Do you want something thats easier to carry around or do you prefer something with a bigger screen? Blu-Ray movies?

Also have you used Windows 8? Virtually any new computer you buy will come equipped with it. Personally I think it's a terrible OS for PC's. Everytime the mouse "wanders" into the bottom left corner your computer goes to the metro aka the new start menu that takes up the entire screen which is really designed for tablets. Granted this is easily fixed by paying $3 for an app (I think theres also a couple free ones) that gives you back the traditional start button but just beware that there can bit of culture shock with Windows 8. Ironically part of the reason I bought a laptop around this time last year was because I knew Windows 8 was coming and I wanted to get one before Windows 8 became standard.

Anyway let me know about how you feel about windows 8 or if you have any additional requirements besides web browsing but I think if you're just looking for a simple point A to B computer you'll have a TON of options none of which will really be a bad fit.

3 year on-site repair is always a good option to have when getting a laptop.

I'd say that depends on the type of computer you're getting. If you're spending close to a $1,000 or more then yes on site repair and extended warranties, especially on laptops are a smart investment. However if you're getting a low end, just let me browse the web and email type then you might be better off with risking it.

However if you want to get a cheap computer with a protection plan then just a quick look says Dell probably has the best offer. HP charges more for warranty and in home service on their low end laptops then Dell. Like $216 for HP on a $400 laptop vs $119 for protection with Dell on a $350 laptop on a 3 year protection plan with in home home service.