Want to buy a teenager a laptop for under $1000

[bigben2wardpitt]

She really likes HP, i think because of the looks of it, but I was able to find an AMAZING deal on a Dell.. check it out...

SYSTEM COMPONENTS

E1505 Dual Core
Intel® Core? 2 Duo processor T5600 (2MB Cache/1.83GHz/667MHz FSB),
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 Unit Price $1,422.00
Qualifies for an Express Upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium
Expires Thursday, March 15, 2007

FREE Upgrade plus $10 shipping & handling payable at time of redemption
Limited Time Offer!

Inspiron affiliate offer 30% off $1299+
LIMITED TIME OFFER!
- $426.60

Module Description Show Details
Inspiron E1505 Intel® Core? 2 Duo processor T5600 (2MB Cache/1.83GHz/667MHz FSB)
Operating System (Office software not included) Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
LCD Panel 15.4 inch UltraSharp? Wide Screen WXGA+ Display with TrueLife?
Memory 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 DIMM
Video Card 256MB ATI MOBILITY? RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory?
Hard Drive 160GB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive
Network Card and Modem Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0
Combo or DVD+RW Drive 8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Sound Options Integrated Audio
Wireless Networking Cards Intel PRO/Wireless 3945a/g
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) No productivity suite- Includes Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD
Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed) No Security Subscription
Primary Battery 53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Warranty and Service 1Yr Ltd Warranty and Mail-In Service
Internet Access Service 6 Months America Online Internet Access Included
Miscellaneous E1505 Dual Core
Upgrade to Windows Vista Express Upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium from XP Media Center Edition
Dell Digital Entertainment Trial pack- Basic and trial products from Corel and Yahoo
Processor Branding Intel Centrino Core Duo Processor
TOTAL:$995.40

She wants a computer to last long, and i think this computer looks pretty darn good to last a LONG time. It's top of the line for the E1505.

SO, thats sounds so fine and dandy right? Well i havent gotten a response back from her on it, but i know she probably really wants an HP.

So i was looking at circuitcity (because i cant find any good HP coupons online to customize one--if there are any good coupons could you help me out here?) and found some OK deals-

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-Pavil...atOid/-12963/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-Pavil...atOid/-12963/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

are there any better HP deals?

 

[pkme2]

With all the extras and under $1000, get the Dell. She will be in 7th Heaven when she realizes after how great a deal that was and will ever be.

Sometimes, it's better to get the best and forget the consequences especially when it's cheap.

If she's paying for it, then it's her choice. Otherwise, get it and when she first uses it, watch the smile of realization enter her countenace.

 

[YoungGun21]

The Dell is definitely a better deal, I'm sure she'll understand when she finds out how much better it is.

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

yea guys i defiantly agree, i mean if i had 1000 to spend on a laptop right now I would buy this computer!! I just hope i can convince the girl, im gonna look at those stupid outer designs dell does for $29 to see if i can convince her..

nevermind those things won't convince her.. haha.. hopefully she gives me an e-mail back and will realize how good of a deal this is!

 

[Conky]

tigerdirect.com has a huge selection of HP laptops and several below $1,000.

I know better than to argue with a teenaged girl.

 

[Ayah]

Hell yes, I'd take the Dell.

 

[Baked]

MacBook FTW unless you want to help w/ all the virus and spyware and trojan problems.

 

[pkme2]

One important point is if she's a practical person, appeal to her sense of value.

Use comparison of components side by side and with their costs. Also if you show the feature with its benefit will clearly make the difference.

She will come around if you lead her to what she considers important. Let her make the choice naturally but be firm and reaffirm the advantages of better for less.

She must have confidence in your good judgement and in the end she will come around. She is like most kids, they want the decision to be theirs, but as an adult, you know which way to lead them.

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

haha thanks pkme2, but heres the thing ( i knew this may come along with the name of the thread) im a teenager as well! Im younger than her actually, but she's in college and i'm the computer guru of the family so, yea we'll see.

I would reccomend a macbook but she won't be used to the mac OS (i know its really easy and all, i have owned many macs), but i dunno. Sure, again, it runs windows, but does it run Windows perfectly? I will run the idea by her, but i don't know.

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

Originally posted by: Beachboy
tigerdirect.com has a huge selection of HP laptops and several below $1,000.

I know better than to argue with a teenaged girl.

haha, thanks alot

 

[Baked]

Mac OS is real easy to use. If she needs to run any PC only programs, just use bootcamp.

 

[50cent1228]

ya take the dell

 

[The Green Bean]

Originally posted by: Baked
MacBook FTW unless you want to help w/ all the virus and spyware and trojan problems.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Dell sells accidental damage coverage, does HP?

Something to consider if she has bad luck with technology (breaks cell phones, etc.).

 

[mshan]

Macbook!

If she must have a Dell, e1505 go for as little as $625 + tax with coupons from Dell.

 

[imported_goku]

IBM, get an IBM so that when she drops it, she'll be able to still use it unlike the crapbooks or the dells... Also processor speed isn't important at ALL for 99% of the tasks out there.

 

[MadBadger]

I can't say if IBMs are still built like they used to be (since being purchased by Lenovo), but I bought the last American designed IBM laptop (X41) about a year ago and I can attest to the fact that this thing is built like a tank. It's got a titanium case and it feels rock solid.

I know that IBM used to be the leader in service and support, but I don't know where it stands today, and I haven't had to call them yet *knock on wood* I think HP used to be second.

I would personally stay away from anything Dell makes. It might look good from the specs, but from my experience, you aren't getting what the spec sheet tells you you are. The first PC I bought was a Dell, and that was great (I think it was the early to mid 90s), but the second one was a piece of junk; and at the time I thought it was a great deal as well. The customer service was even worse. I had one instance where I was bounced around between call centers/departments for 3 hours. Yes, 3 hours. Absolutely ridiculous.
My brother also had a terrible experience with the Dell that he purchased (hard drive crashed and he lost all his data). If you would have asked me about Dell 10 years ago, I would say go for it. But today, I would recommend staying far far away. You'll save your friend from future hassles.

 

[Piuc2020]

 

[Piuc2020]

yeah a MacBook seems ideal, OSX is a much easier OS to use and no security issues to worry about not to mention she will have some pretty darn good time with that built in iSight.

Yeah I would get her a MacBook, slightly more expensive but its worth it. Oh and also there is parallels and bootcamp for those windows programs she might need to run (parallels is wicked fast).

 

[elkinm]

DELLs are the best deals out there. I bought a 1705 myself. The only questionable thing is how long it will last. Just tell her to be nice to it, not to spill anything on it and most importantly make sure it can get ventilation to cool and it should be fine.

One word of warning, these DELLs come with nothing but the battery charger. No cables not even an Ethernet cable or headphones.

I did not try out your configuration, but DELL online prices are cheaper if start with lowest base model and go up to the same specs. I configured two identical laptops, one from the base default, one that started with more options, the base was cheaper with everything being identical.

 

[HVAC]

You can't tell a teenage girl nothing except "I love you." And sometimes not even that......