Decent deal at Costco?

[Bonesdad]

Looking at latest Costco ads and spied this HP dv6t:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...S&Sp=C&topnav=

seems like a decent deal, esp with the wireless printer. 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, HDMI etc. Only Intel HD Graphics, but this is for my bro...he's not really into gaming except for older games (3+ years older), which this should be able to handle OK, I think. He's mostly web browsing and doing some digital photo enhancements and using Office apps.

Can anyone comment? Haven't been keeping up with laptops, so I don't know what is reasonable anymore.

 

[Throckmorton]

What 3 year old games?

 

[Bonesdad]

What 3 year old games?

Take it back, he's kinda stopped gaming. He was playing Covert Ops and the like...but only occasionally

 

[EliteRetard]

Thatd be a better 600$ laptop...at 700$ you should be getting a dedicated GPU. Ive seen 750$ laptops with switchable graphics so it doesnt hurt the battery life. Even a lower end GPU will beat integrated. I built a cheap PC for a friend and used the Intel HD graphics for temporary but it could even handle the graphics in an MMO. He couldnt see spell effects and such and kept dieing. Kinda funny for a few minutes, but you cant really upgrade a laptop video card and it could become anoying.

Slightly higher up the scale Ive seen some nice quad core laptops with midrange GPUs for under 900$. I like the Intel mobile quads, they run low speed when four cores are active, but ramp up speed significantly when using fewer cores (for light office work/internet/games). Seems to work great for everything.

My vote is look for something cheaper with similar specs if gaming really isnt a priority. In the 700$ price range you should find something with a dedicated GPU either ATI or Nvidia or step up just a hair for switchable if battery life is important too. I think ATI has better cards at the low end as of right now (5xxx), theyre more modern and use less power and make less heat. Nvidia just released their newest 4 series mobile parts that will be similar, but I havnt seen them in any laptops yet.

If there is a chance he may want to play some newer games eventually it might be worth looking at a midrange mobile GPU.

 

[Bonesdad]

Thatd be a better 600$ laptop...at 700$ you should be getting a dedicated GPU. Ive seen 750$ laptops with switchable graphics so it doesnt hurt the battery life. Even a lower end GPU will beat integrated. I built a cheap PC for a friend and used the Intel HD graphics for temporary but it could even handle the graphics in an MMO. He couldnt see spell effects and such and kept dieing. Kinda funny for a few minutes, but you cant really upgrade a laptop video card and it could become anoying.

Slightly higher up the scale Ive seen some nice quad core laptops with midrange GPUs for under 900$. I like the Intel mobile quads, they run low speed when four cores are active, but ramp up speed significantly when using fewer cores (for light office work/internet/games). Seems to work great for everything.

My vote is look for something cheaper with similar specs if gaming really isnt a priority. In the 700$ price range you should find something with a dedicated GPU either ATI or Nvidia or step up just a hair for switchable if battery life is important too. I think ATI has better cards at the low end as of right now (5xxx), theyre more modern and use less power and make less heat. Nvidia just released their newest 4 series mobile parts that will be similar, but I havnt seen them in any laptops yet.

If there is a chance he may want to play some newer games eventually it might be worth looking at a midrange mobile GPU.

Well...maybe...he's 60 yrs old, so I doubt he's gonna strap on the headset or anything. he's like me, games just to unwind for a bit, then moves on with his evening. Won't be playing any MMOs, or anything like it. Like I say, mainly web browsing, office apps and photo editing (Photoshop Elements or PhotoScape, nothing too fancy). I just wanted to know if the Intel HD would handle the older games OK, what I'm hearing is that it's hard to say without trying...

Also, he's in need of a new printer, so the inclusion of the AIO is a boon.

edit: I just configured the same PC on the HP website, but knocked the CPU down to an i3 2.4 Ghz and added the switchable ATI 5450 GPU. Price came in at $809 (including the same printer), but I think I can nab a coupon online somewhere to bring it down a little bit. Purely a matter of cost/benefit for him now.

 

[EliteRetard]

Yeah, my example was basically itll run games but even some 3yr old games (anything with flashy graphics like MMOs) need to reduce detail settings and that could be annoying. If were talking about stuff like civilization, red alert, or games where the graphics dont matter then you can get away with the integrated stuff. If youve had any experience with ATI or Nvidia integrated theyre all pretty similar performance wise.

Im am curious, is this needed now? Sounds like theres going to be some interesting developments in the low end laptops by the end of the year. Seems both AMD and Intel are doubling the performance of IGPs. Check out the Sandy Bridge and Zacate articles here, those would probably be just perfect.

My other question was how much the printer was worth or if you needed it. I just kinda ignored it at first, I didnt think it added much value to the bundle. Ive seen several similar laptops like the one you posted for around 600$ (or slightly less with an i3) meaning the printer is adding ~100$ to the cost. Im thinking 100$ can get you a better printer or one with cheap ink cartridges.

I remember recently seeing an Asus 15" at JR.com that had an i3 4GB and I think the same 500GB drive for like 570$ after a code and free shipping, might not even have tax. I think Dell has some new aluminum laptops with the i3/i5 around 600$. Lenovo has had some sales recently too...I think the only code Ive seen for HP recently was like 150$ off 1000$. Codes change all the time. I guess the Costco deal isnt terrible, but if you shop around a bit I think you can save some money or end up with a better system/printer without spending more.

 

[Bonesdad]

yeah, unfortunately kinda needed now. His 5 year old desktop is in ruins...

His printer is 6+ years old, not sure he'll find a Win 7 driver for it. I don't think the gaming is a huge deal for him, but who knows, after he gets his hands on it, might be the first thing he goes for.

The costco deal appeals to him because it's in his price range, includes a new printer and he gets the extra year warranty on it. WOuld like to hear other's opine on this unit or point to a specific site where a better one can be had, there may be better deals and units with better graphics, but I know he wants to move fast.

 

[EliteRetard]

yeah, unfortunately kinda needed now. His 5 year old desktop is in ruins...

His printer is 6+ years old, not sure he'll find a Win 7 driver for it. I don't think the gaming is a huge deal for him, but who knows, after he gets his hands on it, might be the first thing he goes for.

The costco deal appeals to him because it's in his price range, includes a new printer and he gets the extra year warranty on it. WOuld like to hear other's opine on this unit or point to a specific site where a better one can be had, there may be better deals and units with better graphics, but I know he wants to move fast.

Well I only got 5 minutes, but heres one around 500$ with 4GB and 500GB HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834220763
Just noticed this ones a refurb...lame.

And an Acer with an ATI card for 650$ (dont know if its switchable)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834115805

I think this was the other Asus I saw...there should be 10$ code somewhere 570$
http://www.jr.com/asus/pe/ASU_X52FX1/

If I had more time Id flip through Dell and stuff but thatll have to wait untill later today. I know RAM and HDDs are pretty easy to upgrade...

Oh heres another possible 600$
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...363&CatId=4938

Lenovo Edge 14 or 15 i3-370 1x2GB 250GB 584$ after 10% off code: USPTHINK914
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...79D9A60A9BDD25

And more Lenovo, Z560 i3-350 3GB 500GB 550$ after code: USPZ53A913
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...eate-bundle-wf

Theres also a 14" G460 i5-450m 4GB 500GB for 650$ after code: USPG4C913

Did I miss this Toshiba on newegg? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834114937

WEEEeee!!! 17" for 550$?
http://www.staples.com/HP-G72-250US-...=StaplesSearch

Hey heres a dv6 for 450$ after rebate
http://www.staples.com/HP-Pavilion-d...P4118:CL161747

Might as well check this 600$ Dell too
http://www.staples.com/Dell-Inspiron...P4118:CL161747

Did you try customizing an HP G62t? i3-350M 3GB 320GB for 510$ or 585$ with an ATI card.

Yeah heres a few from office depot
http://www.officedepot.com/a/product...6-LED-Backlit/
http://www.officedepot.com/a/product...4-LED-Backlit/

Another newegg option 600$..must be getting tired, Im jumping all over.
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16834101232

I think Ill call it done for now...I havnt really looked over these I was just randomly finding stuff for fun.

Bumped into another Dell, 15R 519$ i3-350 4GB 320GB (dont know how good they are but they have printers too)
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...0550055-227502-E011A0A0B24A01223766A0A1A0A0B3

A 1x2GB stick is like 35$ and you can get a high speed hybrid drive for ~100$...so if theres a cheap option missing one or the other it might be worth upgrading it yourself. External storage is also really cheap, if he doesnt need a high speed HDD in the laptop. Lots of options in the 500-600$ range...though I admit Im not finding allot of exciting options right now (Im suprised). If you were able to get ahold of the dv6 from staples for 450$ thatd be pretty hot, but availability looks spotty.

The Dell 15R looks OK as does the HP G62t with i3-350 for ~510$. The dell adds 1GB RAM for a slower HDD (5400 vs 7200RPM) that custom HP also looks like the cheapest way into an ATI card if your interested. Adding a 2GB stick to the HP makes it about 550$ 4GB 320GB 7200RPM and its easy to do, but 3GB is probably fine. You could upgrade to a fast hybrid HDD in the dell, its more hassle but for around 600$ youd have a decent system (use the one included as external storage/backup). A few of these customizable systems can add larger HDDs RAM and/or printers as well and there may be other minor differences like number of ports/display outputs. I think the dells use a brushed aluminum cover. Not sure who makes a better quality machine.

I havnt really looked all that hard, and have totally ignored AMD options...like theres an Acer on Newegg with an AMD X2 4GB 500GB HDD and a lower midrange 5650 ATI card for 600$. The costco deal just seemes so average...if it were 50$ less itd be allot more interesting.