Laptop with at least 2-3 year warranty

[blitz6speed]

Here is what i am looking for:

Laptop.

At least 15.6" or bigger screen.

Dual Core a plus. AMD or Intel no preference.

2 Gigs of ram at least.

Webcam with mic ontop of the LCD screen.

HDMI out a huge plus.

Uses for this laptop:

Youtube, Netflix instant streaming, playing mp3 music, looking at pictures from a camera, basic browsing, typing up stuff in word, msn video chat, Farmville.

This is a laptop for someone younger in the family.

Right now we got a acer from costco for 600 but its just ok and seems pricey for what it does. I can return it easily. Would like to get a laptop thats cheaper and with at the least 2 year warranty, better for 3. I checked best buy and their laptops extended warranty is crazy expensive. Walmart extended warrantys were much more reasonable, but who knows what kind of janky warranty it is. Id rather purchase locally then online.

I have memberships at costco and sams club. Please advise!

 

[daminion]

BestBuy has a line of Laptops that they call Blue Label which are higher specs and longer warranties. They come with a higher price though.

Remember that a 15.6 or bigger screen is going to really hurt you when it comes to portability and battery life. It sounds good, but those suckers are big.

Personally for a laptop I want smaller -- 13-15 since they get long battery life and tend to be lighter. If I want a desktop, I'd just buy a desktop and then hook up dual 22" monitors and be set.

The only exception to the size vs. battery life tends to be the Macbook Pro -- 8 hours of battery life on the 17" model is exceptional. But yes, it's expensive.

Prices and brands change often, but for overall reliability look at Toshiba & Lenvo. Avoid Acer and Asus. They are fine laptops, but the build quality isn't the same as a good Toshiba or Lenvo.

 

[shrike4242]

You can get any extended warranty direct from the manufacturer of the laptop, regardless of where you get it from. You won't have to deal with where you bought the laptop, if you bought it at a retail store, for the warranty extension.

There's numerous options that fit the criteria you're looking at from multiple vendors, though I think that getting all of the options at that price point will be difficult.

 

[blitz6speed]

[quote name='daminion']BestBuy has a line of Laptops that they call Blue Label which are higher specs and longer warranties. They come with a higher price though.

Remember that a 15.6 or bigger screen is going to really hurt you when it comes to portability and battery life. It sounds good, but those suckers are big.

Personally for a laptop I want smaller -- 13-15 since they get long battery life and tend to be lighter. If I want a desktop, I'd just buy a desktop and then hook up dual 22" monitors and be set.

The only exception to the size vs. battery life tends to be the Macbook Pro -- 8 hours of battery life on the 17" model is exceptional. But yes, it's expensive.

Prices and brands change often, but for overall reliability look at Toshiba & Lenvo. Avoid Acer and Asus. They are fine laptops, but the build quality isn't the same as a good Toshiba or Lenvo.[/QUOTE]

Blue label like the whiskey? Nice tie in! And yah, i dont need something high end, mid level is more then needed. In regards to battery life, the laptop will never leave the home. Its for a younger sibling to have as their own PC but to never be taken anywhere. Even in the backyard near the pool, they use the charger on it with an extension if battery gets low. So 3 hours or so which is average battery life is more then adequite. And no way i'd get a mac, imo very overpriced. Asus ive read is a good brand and good warranty, are they really bad? Everyone ive spoken to told me to avoid Toshiba and IBM (Lenvo) because of terrible build quality. I like Dell a lot, good reliability, but a tad pricey especially with warranty.

[quote name='shrike4242']You can get any extended warranty direct from the manufacturer of the laptop, regardless of where you get it from. You won't have to deal with where you bought the laptop, if you bought it at a retail store, for the warranty extension.

There's numerous options that fit the criteria you're looking at from multiple vendors, though I think that getting all of the options at that price point will be difficult.[/QUOTE]

I didnt know you could purchase extended warranties from the companies themselves. I will fire up the google machine and see what the going rates are. 3 years from purchase date is what i'd like honestly, and ive read Asus gives you 2 years automatically. Might be a good fit. And as far as price range, i would really like to spend 700 or less total with tax + warranty. It seems do-able, although i can spend more, i'd rather let the person keep more funds in their pocket then have more gigglebytes on their pc they'll never use.

 

[rmb]

Asus gives 2 years on some of their laptops. Not through best buy though. Check amazon. The details are there. Also, asus has a 1 time accidental repair in the 1st year I believe. You can check squaretrade out as well for a warranty.