Best Laptop/Notebook for under $1000

[Shoagie]

Ok i will be using this for everything including gaming(So minimum of a 256mb graphics card). I had a killer laptop setup for under 900 but had a problem authenticating my visa and the deal is now dead. Show me what ya got!

 

[ofacto]

What kinds of games are you planning to play with this laptop? What kind of video card did that $900 deal have, cause you probably aren't going to find very many laptops with decent video for less than $1000.

There was deal at Officemax for an Everex Stepnote XT5000T 17 inch laptop with a Geforce Go 7600 for $700. That deal had a alot of caveats: The laptop was made by less known company, it had a weird keyboard layout, and the battery life was only about 50-80 mins.

Here's the thread about it at Hard Forums, alot of people there seem really satisfied with it despite its faults:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1174232

 

[Shoagie]

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ DUO T2350 (1.86GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® XP Home edit
LCD PANEL 15.4 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen SXGA+ Display with TrueLife™ edit
MEMORY 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 DIMM edit
HARD DRIVE 160GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive edit
OPTICAL DRIVE 8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability edit
VIDEO CARD 256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory™

 

[ofacto]

[quote name='Shoagie']PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ DUO T2350 (1.86GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® XP Home edit
LCD PANEL 15.4 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen SXGA+ Display with TrueLife™ edit
MEMORY 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 DIMM edit
HARD DRIVE 160GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive edit
OPTICAL DRIVE 8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability edit
VIDEO CARD 256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory™[/QUOTE]


This is the DELL Inspiron 6400 deal right? It still active according to the thread at Slickdeals.net. I agree that's a pretty good deal. You can also get it with Vista instead of Windows XP. There's also a coupon code: D8NB50C4C23LL2 for $50 off. I wouldn't chose the 2gb upgrade cause you can buy 2x1GB DDR2 Sodimm for less than $100 and install them yourself (then sell off the 2x512mb sticks which come with the Dell).

VISTA:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=04&kc=6W300&l=en&oc=BNPDE1V&s=bsd

Windows XP:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=04&kc=6W300&l=en&oc=BNPDE1K&s=bsd

As for the graphics card the GeForce Go 7600 is roughly 2X as fast as the Radeon Mobility x1400

 

[Shoagie]

I think vista sucks and was looking for XP right now, and adding ram myself voids any warranty doesnt it?

 

[ofacto]

[quote name='Shoagie']I think vista sucks and was looking for XP right now, and adding ram myself voids any warranty doesnt it?[/QUOTE]

Ok but eventually your going to have to make that jump to Vista. I'm running Vista on an HP laptop and I like pretty well once you turn off some of the "features" of Vista (like User Account control). I do find that its easier to connect to wireless networks with Vista.

No I don't think that adding RAM will void your warranty. Even if it did you could always just put back the old RAM (if you kept it) if you need warranty service. Its just that RAM prices are so cheap right now that you might as well save the extra $50.

 

[paddlefoot]

Should people looking for sub $1000 laptops just wait a few months (I am included in this group). With Intels new chips coming out.

 

[Shoagie]

Well since my dad cant make a trip to vegas for my 21st birthday with me, he was going to pay half of a laptop at 1000 or less instead.

 

[paddlefoot]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2985966&Sku=E80-3028&SRCCODE=GOOGLEBASE&CMP=OTC-GOOGLEBASE

Always, make sure that the video card in the laptop is a dedicated 256MB and not shared memory

 

[Malik112099]

Dell Inspiron 9400 Notebook, Core Duo 1.86GHz, 17" WXGA+ w/TrueLife, 2GB DDR2, 80GB, 8x DL DVD±RW/±R/CD-RW, XP Home, 802.11b/g WLAN, 256MB Video Card » only $949.00 + Free Shipping

Go to http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=bndwgxp&cs=04&dgvcode=ss&c=US&l=EN at Dell Small Business
Under "LCD Panel" section, change the selection to "17 inch Wide Screen XGA+ TFT Display with TrueLife™(glossy) add $0"
Check each and every option to make sure you are getting everything that you need (Configuration changes will affect final price)
Proceed to checkout
Dell Small Biz is offering $389 instant discount on this system
Dell Small Biz is offering Free Shipping & Handling on new system purchases
Your Final Price: $1338 - $389 = $949.00 + Free Shipping
Note: Dell Small Business collects sales tax in most states!






Dell Inspiron 9400 Notebook, Pentium® dual-core 1.73GHz, 17" WXGA+ w/TrueLife, 2GB DDR2, 160GB, 8x DL DVD±RW/±R/CD-RW, Vista Business (or XP Professional), 802.11g WLAN, 256MB Video Card » only $999.00 + Free Shipping


Go to http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=bncwgh3&cs=04&dgvcode=ss&c=US&l=ENhttp://www.$$$$$$$$$.com/cgi-bin/dellsb.cgi?bncwgh3 at Dell Small Business
Under "LCD Panel" section, change the selection to "17 inch Wide Screen XGA+ TFT Display with TrueLife™(glossy) add $0"
Check each and every option to make sure you are getting everything that you need (Configuration changes will affect final price)
Proceed to checkout
Dell Small Biz is offering $513 instant discount on this system
Dell Small Biz is offering Free Shipping & Handling on new system purchases
Your Final Price: $1512 - $513 = $999.00 + Free Shipping

Prefer XP over Vista? Click this link to get the exact deal with XP Professional instead of Vista Business! http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=bncwghx&cs=04&dgvcode=ss&c=US&l=ENNote: Dell Small Business collects sales tax in most states!

 

[ofacto]

[quote name='paddlefoot']http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2985966&Sku=E80-3028&SRCCODE=GOOGLEBASE&CMP=OTC-GOOGLEBASE

Always, make sure that the video card in the laptop is a dedicated 256MB and not shared memory[/QUOTE]

Office Max has this for $699, they are sold out online but you can still check B&M if they have them in stock.

 

[guyver2077]

im also looking for the best sub 1k laptop..

i noticed this on bens..

http://www.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/inspn_640m?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

mine main needs are portability and battery life... i wouldnt mind something that also had a better vid card then the integrated intel 950

the above inspiron doesnt look bad though...extra 50 and you can get c2d

 

[ofacto]

Another sub $1000 laptop deal posted at Anandtech:

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=344794&pfp=external&tabtype=ts#ts

Its $799 after $400 rebate, but it has Geforce Go 7600 which can probably run most games out today.

 

[guyver2077]

[quote name='ofacto']Another sub $1000 laptop deal posted at Anandtech:

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=344794&pfp=external&tabtype=ts#ts

Its $799 after $400 rebate, but it has Geforce Go 7600 which can probably run most games out today.[/quote]


i saw that but when noticed it was 7.7 lbs..

god damn

 

[Shoagie]

Ok so im back after midterms. Thanks for the input everyone! I ended up going for the HP from CompUSA.