Hot laptop deals at Best Buy right now

Best Buy is having a number of laptops starting as low as $380. The specials are good for the whole week, until May 30, 2009.


Move over Netbooks, Here come the Single Cores at $350
These include, a couple of single-core Celeron models for $350, namely the Toshiba L305-S5919 and the Compaq Presario CQ60-211DX. Even though both include 2gb of memory, we strongly recommend not getting a single-core processor these days unless you absolutely don't need to do anything remotely processor-intensive on these laptops. They do run Vista Basic which should help as it is not as bloated as Vista Premium or higher, but still, Vista is Vista.

As you can see, the netbooks are getting a run for their money, since you can get full-sized laptops for the same price, or even less when you compare to some of the more "designer" netbooks. After all, the netbooks have 1gb or less memory and a single-core processor too.

So keep that in mind, if obviously the laptop size is not an issue, which is (in theory at least) one of the strong points of netbooks.


Dual-core laptops at $400
As you can see, an extra $50 can get you your choice of two dual-core processors, from the same two manufacturers. The two being the Satellite L305-S5944 and the Presario CQ60-215DX. And better yet, one uses the Intel processor (Toshi) and one uses the AMD (Compaq). So there you go, you even have real choice between the two :)

In theory, the AMD-based laptops eat up more memory and heat up faster, but with so many processors, chipsets and laptop designs, this really is more of a general statement, if not stereotype, if nothing else. So be sure to look into the particular models you are interested in, to make sure you get the right facts about them.

AMD Phenom 9500 Processor HD9500WCGDBOX for $90

If you are the computer-builder type, Tigerdirect is having on sale the AMD Phenom 9500 Processor, model HD9500WCGDBOX, for $90 plus applicable shipping, which you can actually reduce by taking advantage of their $2 shipping promotion.

Here are the summary specifications:
* 2.20GHz speed QUAD-CORE
* 4 x 512KB Cache
* 1800MHz (3600 MT/s) FSB
* Socket AM2+, Processor with Fan

Refurbished Gateway P-7805u FX for $750

If you are looking for potentially good deals, Tigerdirect is a good place to check, nd that's where we find the refurbished Gateway P-7805u FX for $750 plus shipping, which is $2 thanks to an on-going ground shipping promotion the Tigers got going over there. So before we take a look at the specs, let me remind you this is a refurbished laptop!


Gateway P7805u FX specifications
* Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GH processor
* nice 4GB DDR3 memory!
* 320gb hard disk (7200rpm)
* 17" WXGA+ display (1440 x 900 widescreen)
* 64-bit Vista Premium
* NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS with 1GB of GDDR3 discrete
* dvd burner
* ExpressCard Slot 54
* memory card reader
* wifi
* 9-cell lithium-ion battery
* webcam
* weighs NINE pounds
* refurbished

Two nice LCD monitors at Staples (weekly special)

In addition to the Presario desktop bundle we just mentioned, there are two nice affordable LCD monitor deals at Staples on sale this week. By this week of course we mean the March 8 to 14 promotional week, as seen in the circular ad found in your Sunday paper or the Staples website.

The first one is the AOC 2217V going for a mere $150 and without any rebates. This has a 16:10 aspect ratio, 5ms response time, 1680x1050 resolution, anti-glare treatment, and 3000:1 contrast ratio. This is a "while supplies last" promotion. What do you think? Not bad considering the size and price!

But if you want a smaller display and a more "recognizable" name, then you may be interested in the Acer P191WD going for just $110. This is, as the model name hints, a 19" widescreen LCD, with a 1440x900 resolution, 5ms response time, DVI and analog inputs, 2000:1 contrast ratio, and a blac bezel. Not bad either, considering the price, the Acer brand and the DVI!

Of course you can't expect either one of the above to behave like a designer Apple Cinema display, which after all costs an order of magnitude more!

Nice Compaq SR5710 desktop bundle at Staples

I don't know if it is good enough for you to stand in-line Sunday morning, but Staples has a nice desktop bundle going for $360 in their March 8 circular ad. It is the Compaq Presario SR5710 tower with a 19" LCD monitor going for that price and yes, without rebates.

The processor of this computer is the AMD Athlon X2 dual-core 4450e+, and it comes with a nice 3gb of memory, 250gb hard disk, dvd burner with lightscribe (and super-multi support), and of course the dreaded Vista Premium operating system.

So if you need a bundle and want to get it all from one brick and mortar store and be done with it, or if you have a Staples coupon or gift card, hey, why not?

Desktop bundle specials at Best Buy this week

Yes, this is a laptop blog, but we all need desktops too! If it wasn't for desktops, who would hold our desks in place and keep them from floating in outer space? :)

We start with a computer+monitor+printer bundle that's not bad at all! We are talking about the eMachines ET1161-07 bundled with the 18.5" E181H monitor and the Canon IP2600 printer, all together for one low price of $480 and of course WITHOUT rebates. None of the Best Buy specials require rebates!

So you are getting a desktop with an AMD dual-core 4050e processor, 3gb memory, 320gb disk, dvd burner, and NVidia GeForce 6150SE graphics. Not bad considering the price and the 18.5" widescreen LCD monitor, eh?

Next up, for $550, you can get a better bundle from Acer. Better and $70 more expensive, making it a good candidate for a trade-off comparison. The display here is a 20" Acer X203H, and the printer is the Canon MP240. The desktop itself, is the Acer AX1700-U3700A and it comes with a Pentium dual-core E2200 processor, 4gb memory, 640gb disk, NVidia G100 graphics with 512mb dedicated memory, dvd burner and all the usual amenities you would expect from a desktop. All things considered, this may be a BETTER DEAL than the eMachines, unless of course price is a factor in the decision.




And now we move to another set of trade-offs, jumping from a dual-core to a quad-core processor. That's where we find the HP A6700y bundle, for $650. The display here is smaller (20" widescreen LCD), but the processor is an AMD Phenom X4 quad-core 9150e, with 4gb memory, half a terabyte of storage, nVidia 6150 SE, and wireless-G even. A color printer is also included in this bundle. But if you prefer a 22" display instead, you can "upgrade" to that for an extra $70, bringing the price of the new bundle to $720.

And now yet another twist, back to a dual-core processor, but from Intel (Core2 Duo E7400), with SIX gigabytes of memory and 750gb hard disk. So you get a better but dual-core processor, with 50% more memory and hard disk. Trade-offs, trade-offs. The bundled display is a 19" LCD and the printer is an Epson NX105. The computer itself, is the Dell Inspiron I530-120B.

From here we return to quad-cores with the Gateway LX6810-01 bundle for $900. A 22" LCD widescreen is included, with EIGHT (8gb) of memory, and a 640gb hard disk. But you get a nice video card too, an NVidia Gt120 with 1gb of dedicated memory. Yum! One gigabyte of dedicate memory! Bring on the games of 2009 :) You can also watch-and-record TV out of the box, and of course you get all sorts of other things. And we almost forgot to mention, the quad-core here is the Intel Core2 Duo Q8200.

Staying with quad-cores, but switching to the AMD X4 9750 is the HP M9500Y bundled with a 22" HP W2207H LCD widescreen. This bundle approaches four-figures ($980), and includes a healty eight gigabytes of memory, 750gb hard disk, dvd burner, and NVidia 9500GS with 512MB of dedicated memory. And of course the usual stuff, from dvd burner to coffee brewer ;-)

Last, but certainly not least, is the Dell Studio XPS SXPS-122B, managing to blend in almost all the Dell buzzwords. Only thing missing a (PRODUCT red) designation ;-) This goes for $1100 and has 4gb of DDR3 memory, 640gb disk, ATI Radeon 4850 graphics with 512mb decicated memory, and things like that. Also cutting edge, the 20" widescreen display is the Dell S2009W, which has a 16:9 aspect ratio, ideal for those who like to watch widescreen video on their computers. And before we forget, this uses the Intel Core i7-920 processor, which, despite the different numbers in its name, is a four-core processor :) Oh, and the printer bundled is the Epson NX105.

Again, please keep in mind that all the prices above are without rebates, and none of them offer any rebates. So if you hate rebates, Best Buy hates them too :)

Desktop specials at Office Depot

It's not too late to get some of the Office Depot desktop specials that are set to expire on Sunday morning. So, let's get started!

We start with the lowest price, the Compaq Presario SR5710F for $300 after a $70 mail-in rebate, which means you pay $370 in-store. This has an AMD dual-core 4450e+ processor, 3gb memory, 250gb disk, dvd burner with lightscribe, and things like that. Monitor not included by the way!

Next up, for $430 after a $50 MIR you can get the Acer AX1700-U3700A which uses 64-bit Windows in order to make the best of its 4gb memory. The hard drive is at 640gb, with dvd burner of course, and an Intel Pentium E2220 dual-core processor. Monitor is not included, but for an extra $100 you can add the Acer X183Hb monitor for $100 - no rebates. You can buy this monitor independently, you don't have to buy it with an Acer computer.

But if you prefer a power-bundle, for $550 after two mail-in rebates of $220 total, you can get the HP A6742PB bundled with the 19" HP widescreen LCD monitor. The computer comes with the Pentium E5300 dual-core processor, and 64-bit Vista allows you to max out the 6gb of memory (yep, six gigabytes). The disk is half a terabyte, and of course dvd burning is included. This is a quantities limited promotion. The desktop by the way is the typical tower-type.