Is anyone laptop shopping over the Memorial Day weekend?

Here is the other Dell -- both are $850 after coupons.

EDIT:: Grrr -- sorry for the duplicates - there are 2 different Dell laptops -- one in this message and one in the previous post. Thanks again.

Hello Wendy,

Generally with items like laptops and PC's, it comes down to a number of factors.

What will you be using it for? e.g Are you a hardcore gamer, everyday web surfer or graphic designer?

Do you have any preferences regarding brand and colour/design?

Operating system preference, such as MAC, Windows or LInux?

What are the minimum requirements needed for programs that you are going to be running on it

Etc. etc.

If you can give a general overview on these areas and anything else that you think may be useful then i will try to give my opinion on what i think would suit you best, but as with everything, peoples opinions differ due to life experiences and what people are used to. So this may not be as straight foward as you may hope :(

But again, i hope i can help!!!!! I'll try my best atleast!

Awesome -- thanks Jordan --

>> What will you be using it for? e.g Are you a hardcore gamer, everyday web surfer or graphic designer?

Instructional designer / Graphic designer with a short attention span! In other words, I tend to run many things at the same time and open many many browser tabs along the way. I am not really a gamer though.

>> Do you have any preferences regarding brand and colour/design?

I have had decent luck with Dell in the past. I will go with an HP and have been looking at Asus lately, though I have never owned one. I try to avoid Acers.

As for color and such, I am not really picky. The one asethic type requirement I have is to have a full keyboard with numbers on the right and I would prefer a backlit keyboard. (I say the backlit though not having ever had one. I do tend to work a lot at night and find myself moving the screen to see the keyboard. My only issue is if this makes the machine hotter.)

 >>Operating system preference, such as MAC, Windows or LInux?  Windows

>>What are the minimum requirements needed for programs that you are going to be running on it

The most intense programs that I use are all work related- Adobe CS5 is probably the heaviest

Hopefully that helps -- thanks again for your offer to help - I really appreciate it.

I've been looking at laptops. Always buy the best you can afford. But you don't need top of the line because that will be middle of the road soon enough. I have the Articulate products on a few older laptops and they all run fine, but of course the older ones are a bit slower. My 4 year old Dell XPS 15 handles the content fine.

Here are a few thoughts:

• There's always a sale.
• Almost any office/business laptop you get will suffice. I used to run Adobe Creative Suite on an older tablet PC.
• Look for a SSD or hard drive that is 7200 RPM. The ASUS drive is only 5400 so will be a lot slower reading/writing.
• Fast processor and ample RAM. The 32-bit apps can only go up to 2 GB anyways so no need to get 16 GB. Most systems seems to come with 4-8 GB now.
• I've always enjoyed my Dell laptops. I was leaning towards the Dell 14 or 15z, but I don't like that I can't swap batteries. The Z's come with 2 year warranties but Dell only warranties 1 year on the battery. Considering that most Dells I've had have battery issues after a year, I'm reluctant to buy a system with a locked in battery. The HP Envy is a comparable laptop with a removable battery.
• I have a Lenovo tablet and my wife has an IdeaPad. Both are very solid builds and good laptops. I recently ordered a Lenovo and they canceled the order (no parts) but never notified me. It was a pain working with their service department to get them to rectify the refund. It took a number of calls. What surprised me is that they never asked if I wanted a different laptop. I'd probably still get a laptop from them because I think the build quality is really solid, but I'm not so sure about their service.

Hey Tom - thanks for the feedback. Good point about the hard drive RPM - no one has ever mentioned that. Guess I will keep looking.

Wait a minute - you mean to tell me that with all of your loyal followers, you don't have some intern doing this research for you?

I would be interested in hearing what you end up jumping for. I'd even buy you a beer the next time I see you. Thanks!

lol...I need an intern

What's your budget?

$800  or so ... for the laptop, not the beer

The Lenovo u400 is a good deal and nice laptop. Although to get more than an i3 processor seems you need to go with the 5400 rpm drive.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?GroupID=457&Code=09932JU

Use this code on check out and it drops to $649 plus free shipping USPU42J0524 

Thanks Tom! I will go check this out.

My personal recommendation would be to go with an i7 processor if you can swing it. The multi-threading capabilities makes a big difference when you are running a lot of different apps and it also helps with publishing speeds. 

I guess Tom beat me to it! Haha!

But I have to say I do like Dell from a personal view, as they have great technical support and a lot of customisation options to get the right machine for you.

The new range of Dell XPS 15’s is an option that you could look in to. They are excellent machines but considering the sealed battery issue that Tom mentioned (which is a serious fault on Dell’s part in the design) then maybe in the long run the Lenovo may be better... Especially as they are priced around the same and the specs aren’t too far apart.

Just thought I’d chuck my opinion in the mix!  Also referring to your comment about ASUS laptop’s, they are actually very good machines and cheaper than most competitors from what I have seen.

Laptop searching is a pain… this is why I stick to Desktop machines as I just make my own. It’s considerably cheaper that way. But life is forcing me to get a laptop, so Tom’s suggestion has actually helped me in my decision also. So thanks Tom!!

Jordan.

@Tom -- did you see the Y480 deal for $799? Here is the link and the coupon code --

http://dealnews.com/Lenovo-Ivy-Bridge-Core-i7-Quad-2.3-GHz-14-Laptop-for-799-free-shipping/580590.html

Let me knkow what you think --

I'm in the market for a new laptop and stumbled across this post. I totally agree with the statement "Laptop purchasing drives me insane. Way, way too many options." The technology changes so quickly it is very difficult to keep up with what is current for processors, graphics cards, etc. and the options are overwhelming. My needs are very similar to what Wendy posted above. What did you end up purchasing?