Laptop Deals

ASUS K50IJ-X8 for $550 after mail-in rebate

If you are a fan of ASUS laptops, and don't have any objections to mail-in rebates, Amazon.com is offering the ASUS K50IJ-X8 for $550 after a $100 mail-in rebate. This is a versatile multimedia laptop, with a reasonable T6600 dual-core processor, 4gb memory (max 4gb), 500gb hard disk at 5400rpm, and a super-multi-format dvd burner. It runs 64-bit Windows 7, a 15.6-inch LED LCD display, 1.3 megapixel webcam, wireless (b/g/n), numeric keypad, ASUS IceCool Technology, and things like that. It weighs 5.73 pounds with the battery, card-reader, VGA out, and Intel GL40 graphics.

17.3-inch MSI CX700-053us ships for $580 from Tigerdirect

Merry Christmas from Tigerdirect with a nice deal on a 17.3-inch MSI laptop - the MSI CX700-053US offered for $580 with free ground shipping and handling. This has some nice specs, but as always, you can't expect everything at this price!

MSI CX700-053us main specs
* 17.3" display with 1600x900 resolution
* ATI Radeon HD4300 with 512MB DDR2 VRAM
* Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4200 2.0GHz processor (could have been faster!)
* 4GB DDR2 memory (2 x 2GB)
* 320GB hard disk
* dvd burner (super multi format)
* wifi (bgn)
* Ethernet port
* Express Card slot
* HDMI and VGA out
* 4-in-1 memory card reader
* 3 USB ports
* 1.3mp webcam
* microphone-in, headphone-out
* Windows 7 Home Premium
* weighs 6.5 pounds
* 6-cell lithium ion battery

Free shipping is good just for this laptop - it is good for almost all purchases that weigh under 35 pounds and cost at least $100! As always, check the terms of the promotions and double-check the shopping cart and checkout pages to make sure all is hunky dory.

Best Black Friday laptop: HP G71-343us for $450 after rebate

Of the various laptop deals that are circulating the Black Friday pages, the best one in our opinion is the 17.3-inch HP G71-343us offered by Office Depot for $450 after a $50 mail-in rebate.

This is similar, but not exactly the same with their current HP G71-340us which is currently available for $550 after a $50 mail-in rebate. There are a couple of small differences between the two. The $450AR (Black Friday special) has 250gb instead of a 320gb hard disk drive, and its maximum memory is 4GB instead of 8GB.

As far as we can tell, these are the only differences by comparing the specifications on the Office Depot website. There could be more, but we couldn't find any.

Anyway, the reason this rocks and beats the doorbuster netbook deals at some other places is that you are getting a T6600 dual-core laptop, with 4gb memory, dvd burner, 64-bit Windows, and all the other usual laptop stuff. The screen resolution is 1600x900. It does not have a dedicated memory card, but you can't possibly demand that at $450AR :)

Compaq CQ60-420 is a smoking deal at $350 after Easy Rebate

Sure, if you want to get a fancy laptop with a shiny shell, and other extra features, you have to open your wallet wide and wider. But you don't have to! You got a choice! You can make the choice! You are the boss!

Because for $350, after a $30 Easy Rebate (which can be submitted online), you can get a nicely spec'ed (for the price) Compaq Presario dual-core laptop! A laptop's laptop, not one of them skinny netbooks ;-)

You get a 15.6" widescreen display (16:9 aspect ratio), 3gb of DDR2 memory (max 4gb), 250gb hard disk, Intel Pentium dual-core T4200 processor (2 GHz), wifi, and even a free upgrade to Windows 7, which will liberate you from the chains of Vista Home Premium that comes installed out of the box :)

Other feautres include:
* full-size keyboard with dedicated numeric keypad (yum!)
* dvd burner with lightscribes
* memory card reader
* three USB slots, VGA output, Ethernet, and such
* battery life up to 2 hours and 45 minutes ("up to", not guaranteed!)
* one year warranty
* no webcam, no HDMI out
* just over six and a half pounds (weight)

The price is good from Sunday September 20 until close of business on Saturday September 26. You can also look it up on the Staples.com website by entering the product code 802760 inside any of their Search boxes.

Microsoft Wireless Notebook Mouse 3000 (optical) in frustration-free packaging for $17

If you like the new cutesy colorful Microsoft 3000 optical notebook wireless mice, but at the same time you get utterly frustrated with the blister packs, we have some great news for you! Amazon is offering the very environmentally-friendly frustration-free packaging editions for $17.50. You have a choice of multiple colors!

It does qualify for free shipping and handling, but the total of your order must be $25 or more. You can get to that by adding just about anything, including magazine subscriptions, gift card/certificates, MP3 songs, and things like that.

Western Digital My Book Studio II for $250 (model WDH2Q20000N)

One of the hot items at Amazon Electronics right now is the Western Digital My Book Studio II going for $250 with free shipping and handling. You are getting 2 terabytes (two 1TB) with Firewire 400 and 800, eSATA, USB 2.0. This is model number WDH2Q20000N.

It comes pre-configured for RAID 0 (striped) and it is a green-powered system that uses 30% less energy and does need a fan which not only saves energy, it also runs more quietly. For more details, check the aforementioned Amazon product page.

Refurbished Dell Optiplex GX620 delivered for $189

The hot dillyeo deal today is not a laptop, but a deskto, but we all need something to keep our desks from flying when it gets windy ;-) So here we have the Dell Optiplex GX620 going for $164 plus $25 shipping and handling.

This is just the computer, no monitor or other extras! It has a Pentium 4 2.8GHz processor, 40gb hard disk, 2gb memory (nice!), DVD-ROM, floppy disk, and Windows XP professional (no Vista crap!)

This is the deal of the day and it's only good for another 20 hours or so. It will then be replaced by another deal of the day, which could be just about anything.

Compaq CQ60-420 for $350 after rebate at Staples

If you are looking to get a reasonably speced laptop with a dual-core processor and not break the bank, you may want to line-up outside Staples on Sunday morning! In their new weekly circular (check shoplocal.com or their website), they are offering the Compaq CQ60-420 for $350 after a $30 Easy Rebate. Even if you ignore the rebate, the $380 price is not bad. But this is an online rebate, so you really have no excuse for not taking advantage of the $30 rebate as well!

This is quite a laptop considering the price, you get a 15.6" widescreen (16:9 ratio), with 3gb memory, Intel Pentium T4200 processor, 250gb hard disk, wireless, Vista Home. It even qualifies for a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out!

Needless to say, just because it has a dual-core processor, it doesn't mean it is going to be the ideal laptop for every application. For example, if you are a gamer, you would need a laptop with a more expensive video-card and faster processor. But if you are planning to use this laptop for every-day tasks, browsing, email, multimedia, Open Office, etc, this should be more than good enough to handle those!

So if your priority is bang for the buck, this certainly beats all the netbooks at $350 or even less. However this is a typical laptop, and weighs as such, unlike the near featherweight netbooks you can almost put in your pocket :)

Mouse party: Two Gateway USB optical mice shipped for $10

One of the eBay deals that are currently live is a 2-pack of Gateway USB mice going for $10 with free shipping and handling. These are offered by eBay power-seller "buy-dakota" with a 99.7% rating. These are soft-touch optical mice.

Just make sure the cat is not there when you open the box ;-)

Linux-powered ASUS EeePC900A netbook just $180 (one hundred eighty)

Yo Linux Fans! Buy.com got some nice deal for you! For a mere $180, you can get the ASUS EeePC900A, with free S&H. This is a brand new model, not a refurbished. There are no rebates to bother with!

Sounds great, so what's the catch? Well, for one thing, it runs Linux, which scares away a number of Windows-cozy and Mac-adoring computer users. For another, it only has a four gigabyte solid state disk for storage, so you don't have the luxury of storing things on it. Essentially the solid state disk is for running the machine, so if you want additional storage, you have to add USB sticks or memory-cards to your pockets or netbook bag.

Having said all that however, you can't complain with the main specs, 1gb memory, Atom N270 (1.6 GHz) processor, 8.9-inch display (WSVGA), wifi, card-reader, three USB slots, and things like that. It weight just a Snickers bar over two pounds with the battery installed!

So, if nothing else, check it out so you won't have regrets of "not even taking a look at it" before it goes away...