Time for a new laptop

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AfterBurners

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I'm in the market for a new laptop. I saw one in the ad that Costco mails out every month. It was an HP 15t with Celeron processor and 4gb of RAM and 500mb hard drive. The price was only $279. which I though was pretty good. Well when I went to the store today the guy told me that not every store carries the same inventory and my best bet would be to buy it online, but that kind of defeats the discount, because you are stuck paying the $30 in shipping. see link below for the exact system.

https://www.costco.com/HP-15t-Laptop-|-Intel-Celeron.product.100154295.html

I'm in IT and I know all about computers and my reasoning is why spend a lot of money on a system when within the next year or so you can't get back what you paid in it.

My plans is just to use it for email, coming on here and ROCKSIM. That's about all I do on the computer. The system I'm on now is my soon to be ex girlfriend's and she will be moving out soon and taking it with her.

So does anyone on here have a preference when it comes to laptops and where to get the best deals?

Thought I would throw it out there and see what kind of feed back I get.
 
Micro Center. They have a store in Tustin, CA or you can buy online. good selection and good prices. Just got an ASUS w/Intel Celeron N2840 Dual Core Processor 2.16GHz, 4GB Ram and 500GB drive and optical drive for $240.00.
 
I've never bought a computer yet from the store always directly from the manufacturer. My last purchase was from HP last year, very happy.
 
I've never bought a computer yet from the store always directly from the manufacturer. My last purchase was from HP last year, very happy.

I always felt that if there was an issue with the item and I bought it from a store its always a hassle to get it replaced. Too much red tape to go through. I do like the HP that you gave me the link to. I could upgrade to quad core and Bluetooth and get it for $339 shipped
 
I too am in the market for new puters, 2 laptops and a tower for our son.
I prefer AMD, never had much luck intel, except bad.
I go to AMD.com/shop. On the left you pick the things you want, spits out price and places to buy.
If HP is your flavor, Staples has the best prices, even on intel's.
Cosco has some deals on Dell.
Not sure I would consider anything other than those 2 myself.
 
That little HP in the link above is a pretty good deal IMO. Buying direct from the manufacturer is a pretty safe way to go - if there is an issue it shouldn't be a big deal to have them help you with it. Some of the knockoff brands have really terrible warranties and support and won't help if there is an issue (of course, you're in IT so that shouldn't matter because you ought to be able to take care of whatever issues arise, right??!?).

Unless you find a deal on a used laptop (which I, personally NEVER recommend too many 'layer 8' issues) the one in the link seems like a sure thing (In fact I'm considering it as a replacement for my wife's machine).

Good luck with your search.
 
That little HP in the link above is a pretty good deal IMO. Buying direct from the manufacturer is a pretty safe way to go - if there is an issue it shouldn't be a big deal to have them help you with it. Some of the knockoff brands have really terrible warranties and support and won't help if there is an issue (of course, you're in IT so that shouldn't matter because you ought to be able to take care of whatever issues arise, right??!?).

Unless you find a deal on a used laptop (which I, personally NEVER recommend too many 'layer 8' issues) the one in the link seems like a sure thing (In fact I'm considering it as a replacement for my wife's machine).

Good luck with your search.

I agree with you. I can fix most things that go wrong but if it comes to a time when the system needs to be replaced then its a lot easier going directly through a manufacturer. I think I will get the HP and do some minor upgrades such as going to quad core over dual core and also having the blue tooth technology. For $40 seems like a fairly affordable upgrades. Also the screen is large enough I can see what I am doing.
 
I'm in the market for a new laptop. I saw one in the ad that Costco mails out every month. It was an HP 15t with Celeron processor and 4gb of RAM and 500mb hard drive. The price was only $279. which I though was pretty good. Well when I went to the store today the guy told me that not every store carries the same inventory and my best bet would be to buy it online, but that kind of defeats the discount, because you are stuck paying the $30 in shipping. see link below for the exact system.

https://www.costco.com/HP-15t-Laptop-|-Intel-Celeron.product.100154295.html

I'm in IT and I know all about computers and my reasoning is why spend a lot of money on a system when within the next year or so you can't get back what you paid in it.

My plans is just to use it for email, coming on here and ROCKSIM. That's about all I do on the computer. The system I'm on now is my soon to be ex girlfriend's and she will be moving out soon and taking it with her.

So does anyone on here have a preference when it comes to laptops and where to get the best deals?

Thought I would throw it out there and see what kind of feed back I get.

Deciding what your minimums are FIRST then shopping price have served me well .

I just saw a Sub $400 at Frys for a 17 inch Core i3 notebook from Lenovo or Toshiba if you were looking for a desktop replacement .

They regularly feature a handful of notebooks below $300.

Usually I take the model # advertised and search on newegg for feedback and real world pricing . Also the specs are easier to pick up there. On the cheapies it is Core Pentium or Celeron for Intel , don't buy anything without an HDMI and try to find the batt specs like 3 cell 4 cell or 6 cell ..

Costco has a great warranty , Best Buy may void your warranty if you upgrade with SSD or RAM .

Are you looking for lighter and stronger or bigger and faster ?? Or is just price ?

Kenny
 
They use to be, not so much anymore.
This is the one were getting our son.
Staples
Competitors
Office Depot
Best Buy

That's a lot of computer. I shop like KenRico in a way. I know that if I was to buy an $800 laptop in the next year it would be worth half that. Even if it was not how many people would pay $400 for a used laptop. Now if I pay $300ish and keep it a couple years I know I could sell it for at least $100 and still get value out of it for the time I used it. I feel that a lot of people go overkill when buying a computer. It has to be lightning fast and have the best of everything, but if you're not utilizing the full potential of the system its just a waste of money that could have been spent elsewhere like...you guess it. Rocket Motors, kits and all that other fun stuff!!!

The three things I will be using t for...

  • ROCKSIM
  • Email
  • Seeing my buddies on this forum

As I mentioned I'll spend the extra $40 for Quad Core and Bluetooth because I feel that's a nominal amount for that type of upgrade. The laptop will be spending time in the shop when I'm building or surfing the net.

So just my :2: I'm just over going for the best in the technology gadgets
 
Good luck on your search,finally had to retire my HP desk top after 12 years.Bought a HP laptop on ebay back in August for 180 dollars.2.4 dual core,hd screen,8 gigs of memory,500 gig hd.I'm happy with it, it's my gaming computer also.I'm a regular ebayer but thats just me I know some are not.You can find some good deals on occassion.
 
Yea, I agree with you, IF you change puters every year or every other year. I use to build my own my puters. The last one's I built lasted 10 years. These laptops I bought 7-1/2 years ago are still working. Just a bit slow for now. When I invest, it's for a lengthy time period. Mimimul upgrades, mostly memory. I'm seriously looking at CybertronPC.com right now for my son. He's a gamer and they are made in KS and fully upgradable. You get to pick and choose what you want now, and upgrade later. I'm thinkin I'll do the same since the wife said she doesn't need a lap top anymore because she uses her phone for everything.
I don't go into it looking to get by for the next year, but rather at least 5 years. So I pay out the nose up front, but in the long run I save because they last me up to 10 years. Yet, at the end it's a hastle to get things done because they are so slow, but I am a creature of repitition. I hate change. I wish someone would come out with an OS that would never change in appearence, but run everything put out.
So that said, I'm buying not for the now, but for the next 5 or so years. And with the upgradeability to keep up with the minimal standards of keeping things going.
But I have to say one thing. Once I came accross Cybertonpc.com, and found NO refurbished units, and absolute positive tech support, I think I'm hangin up the lap top idea and going in with my son on a tower and large monitor. After all, I am going blind due to diabeties. In another 10 years it won't matter much to me.
But my son has to have a system that will get him from 6th grade to 12th grade, and after that he will need what the University requires for his computer programing classes. But he will still have an exceptional gaming platform to use for his own use.
Key thing is, 1)Motherboard platform, 2) CPU 3) Mem capability 4) video upgradeability 5) Supportive devices.
All of which is customizable from the platform you choose off their site, including liquid cooling, and/or add it later.
Take me for a nut case, but I use to build my own puters, and cybertronpc has got it right, and tech support is there.
I bought my truck new in August of 1998, and it has 335k miles on it, and it's the only vehicle we own. No knocks, power steering leaks and needs fluid couple times a week, but it's damn much cheaper than buying new every 5 years!
You bought it, get the most out of it. That's my attitude, sorry if offends anyone. Not my intent.
 
That's a lot of computer. I shop like KenRico in a way. I know that if I was to buy an $800 laptop in the next year it would be worth half that. Even if it was not how many people would pay $400 for a used laptop. Now if I pay $300ish and keep it a couple years I know I could sell it for at least $100 and still get value out of it for the time I used it. I feel that a lot of people go overkill when buying a computer. It has to be lightning fast and have the best of everything, but if you're not utilizing the full potential of the system its just a waste of money that could have been spent elsewhere like...you guess it. Rocket Motors, kits and all that other fun stuff!!!

The three things I will be using t for...

  • ROCKSIM
  • Email
  • Seeing my buddies on this forum

As I mentioned I'll spend the extra $40 for Quad Core and Bluetooth because I feel that's a nominal amount for that type of upgrade. The laptop will be spending time in the shop when I'm building or surfing the net.

So just my :2: I'm just over going for the best in the technology gadgets

Any desktop I tend to hand pick the components .. if i was buying today would do a mini-itx antec vesa case and pick a intel chipset board ..and processor 4gb ram and ssd ftw. The next set of intel core chips will not be 'more powerful' they will be more efficient and ALL Dual Core.

On the notebooks..a ssd is a great upgrade on a cheapie for a bigger performance boost without paying for bigger processor.

Kenny
 
Well I decided to go with this one

https://store.hp.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/us/en/pdp/Laptops/hp---15t-touch-laptop-k4u26av-1

When I ordered it yesterday it was $349 now I see its $369. The other listed at $299 was reduced from $319. My reasoning was that the discount was much bigger on the better model and it also has Intel Dual Core processors and 6gb of RAM which is plenty and then a little extra. When I get it I'll remove all the programs that are just garbage....mostly the trail version stuff and install Web Root for virus protection, Office 2007 and ROCKSIM. Map my network printer and I'm done. Now that I have my own machine I'll start book marking my favorites and getting things in order. Also transfer my ROCKSIM files and other personal stuff from external.

I feel good about my purchase. I spent a week looking around so I know what was out there prior to the purchase.
 
Yea, I agree with you, IF you change puters every year or every other year. I use to build my own my puters. The last one's I built lasted 10 years. These laptops I bought 7-1/2 years ago are still working. Just a bit slow for now. When I invest, it's for a lengthy time period. Mimimul upgrades, mostly memory. I'm seriously looking at CybertronPC.com right now for my son. He's a gamer and they are made in KS and fully upgradable. You get to pick and choose what you want now, and upgrade later. I'm thinkin I'll do the same since the wife said she doesn't need a lap top anymore because she uses her phone for everything.
I don't go into it looking to get by for the next year, but rather at least 5 years. So I pay out the nose up front, but in the long run I save because they last me up to 10 years. Yet, at the end it's a hastle to get things done because they are so slow, but I am a creature of repitition. I hate change. I wish someone would come out with an OS that would never change in appearence, but run everything put out.
So that said, I'm buying not for the now, but for the next 5 or so years. And with the upgradeability to keep up with the minimal standards of keeping things going.
But I have to say one thing. Once I came accross Cybertonpc.com, and found NO refurbished units, and absolute positive tech support, I think I'm hangin up the lap top idea and going in with my son on a tower and large monitor. After all, I am going blind due to diabeties. In another 10 years it won't matter much to me.
But my son has to have a system that will get him from 6th grade to 12th grade, and after that he will need what the University requires for his computer programing classes. But he will still have an exceptional gaming platform to use for his own use.
Key thing is, 1)Motherboard platform, 2) CPU 3) Mem capability 4) video upgradeability 5) Supportive devices.
All of which is customizable from the platform you choose off their site, including liquid cooling, and/or add it later.
Take me for a nut case, but I use to build my own puters, and cybertronpc has got it right, and tech support is there.
I bought my truck new in August of 1998, and it has 335k miles on it, and it's the only vehicle we own. No knocks, power steering leaks and needs fluid couple times a week, but it's damn much cheaper than buying new every 5 years!
You bought it, get the most out of it. That's my attitude, sorry if offends anyone. Not my intent.

Valid points.
 
Laptops are rated as the least reliable and failure prone consumer electronics items made. I am constantly finding a laptop that looks great price and spec-wise, only finding with further research that it seems to have major issues. Unfortunately, you can never know whether a long string of major issues is caused by a bad manufacturing run or something inherent in the design. And the list of "Most Reliable Brand" laptops seem to vary year to year and from evaluator to evaluator. It's a crap shoot.
 
Laptops are rated as the least reliable and failure prone consumer electronics items made. I am constantly finding a laptop that looks great price and spec-wise, only finding with further research that it seems to have major issues. Unfortunately, you can never know whether a long string of major issues is caused by a bad manufacturing run or something inherent in the design. And the list of "Most Reliable Brand" laptops seem to vary year to year and from evaluator to evaluator. It's a crap shoot.

It's a guessing game for sure, that is why I'm more along the lines of building or ordering from a suggestive state, rather than buy wha
's out there.

either build your own, or build frm the manufactures specs. You can't go wrong.
 
Laptops are rated as the least reliable and failure prone consumer electronics items made. I am constantly finding a laptop that looks great price and spec-wise, only finding with further research that it seems to have major issues. Unfortunately, you can never know whether a long string of major issues is caused by a bad manufacturing run or something inherent in the design. And the list of "Most Reliable Brand" laptops seem to vary year to year and from evaluator to evaluator. It's a crap shoot.

I agree! I think you just have to do the research to a certain extent and then make a judgment call
 
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