Best Deal On Laptop Computers

Finding the best deal on laptop computers is a multi-step process. We will see how to buy a laptop.

Computer Configurators

HP is the best selling computer brand in the U. S. and the world. One of the reasons they are, at least in the U. S. is their direct sales from their website. This website sells notebook computers in ready to ship configurations or made to your order. While your selection of hardware is limited, the site is very useful when you are shopping for a notebook. You can go there and get a "ballpark" price for the best deal on laptop computers. Unless you go to checkout though, you won't see the final price. Shipping and sales tax aren't added until then.

How To Customize Your Laptop

While this configurator is useful, it seems deliberately confusing. By deciding to shop for an entry level laptop, I've taken AMD out of the process. Entry level laptops are generally the best laptop to buy, but the hardest to find. This is a link to the HP Home and Home Office store, where we will look for the best deal on laptop computers. If you happen to click on this link and buy something now from this site, I will get a commission.

It is hardest to find is an appropriate graphics card. Like I have said, I would not put a top end graphics card in anything smaller than a 17 inch laptop.

Unless I was getting a 13.3 or smaller laptop, I'd want something better than a Nvidia GeForce 9400M-G or a ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3450/3470.

A Nvidia Geforce 9600 M GT or an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 graphics card are about the fastest cards I would feel comfortable about putting in a 15 inch laptop. I would worry about a Nvidia 9800M GS overheating. There is a pretty big group between them that are probably alright, almost everybody is selling a model with one of them in it.

When you get to the HP website, click on "Laptop & tablet PCS."

What I'm looking for is close to the best laptop they sell here. Clicking on "view series"under the "high performance" group should find the laptop we want quickest.

Now you

• Pick your screen size The 16 inch models are our size. There are 2.
• Find the model with your key component-- The more expensive of the two models already has the NVidia GeForce 9600M GT card in it. Upgrading to that from a Intel GMA 4500MHD would account for most of the price difference between the two lines. Click on it.
• Check the processor--The base processor is faster than what I epected, a T6600. I'd go the $100 for the P7550, it should be faster and give better battery life. I'm not sure about the $200 for the P8700. It might be a little excessive. I was hoping for a P8400 or a P8600.
• Be sure you have 4GB of RAM--the upgrade to 4 GB is free today.
• Be sure you have a 64 bit OS--64 bit Vista is free today too. The 32 bit version will only see about 3.2 GB of memory.
• Check that the display, hard drive, wireless card and optical drive are what we want.--what we want is standard, but it can't hurt to check.

When you check these components, an upgrade to a 320 GB hard drive is free, an upgrade to the 1920 X 1080p WUXGA display is free. A blu-ray player is free today. $15 will get you a blu-ray burner. A wireless n card is standard. The display and the free blu-ray player upgrade makes the $100 upgrade to the Nvidia GeForce GT 130M video card somewhat attractive. I would think about it, but I think the 130M isn't enough of an upgrade.

The website keeps a running total of what that company will charge for the computer you are building. Its $999.99 with the P7550 processor. With the P8700 the price is $1099.99. We will use these prices to find the best deal on a laptop.

If you go to the lower priced line, with a P7550 and the ATI Mobility Radeon 4530 you are at $1094.99. The video card is slower than the Nvidia 9600M GT and the price is already higher than the other computer. We can disregard that model. It can't be the best deal on a laptop.

If you are happy with the price, you can just purchase the laptop.

Otherwise, Shop MORE for the best deal on a laptop.

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