When is the best time to buy a laptop?

[Abhi]

Hi. I know this question is kinda vague, but i really need help on this.

As i am not from the US, and am buying the laptop in US, please tell me when is the best time to buy a laptop? I mean i need to buy a laptop before the 1st week of December, latest. So from now to then, generally, what is best time to buy.

I noticed that dell prices were actually LOWER a month ago than they are today. I guess because of the colleges beginning and all.

Are there are normally any holiday season discounts etc?

Thanks.

 

[StraightPipe]

laptops arent really like cars, they arent all releasedat the same time, so when they are on sale is the best time.


what do you want to use it for?

 

[timswim78]

Originally posted by: AbhiJain
Hi. I know this question is kinda vague, but i really need help on this.

As i am not from the US, and am buying the laptop in US, please tell me when is the best time to buy a laptop? I mean i need to buy a laptop before the 1st week of December, latest. So from now to then, generally, what is best time to buy.

I noticed that dell prices were actually LOWER a month ago than they are today. I guess because of the colleges beginning and all.

Are there are normally any holiday season discounts etc?

Thanks.

Yes, the day after Thanksgiving (the third Thursday in November) is known as "Black Friday" because the stores officially kick off their shopping season and go from being in the hole "red" to being ahead "black." You will see crazy deals at retail locations, but people line up hours ahead of time to get in on the limited supplies.

Anytime is a good time to buy a laptop if you check the "hot deals" forums on this site and fatwallet. Last night, a guy posted a deal for an Inspiron 1100 for less than $600 shipped.

 

[madthumbs]

Don't look at Dell, Consider Toshiba or Fujitsu. I just got an incredible deal on a Toshiba A15-s157 ($850 after rebate) at Circuit City. I believe this model is discontinued, so good luck. It was at Outpost.com cheaper (considering taxes) a couple weeks ago. Dell is mostly good for corporations. Dell's home systems and laptops tend to suck unless you're never going to be a power user.

 

[dkozloski]

Do like the majority of the people on this board seem to do. Check with Leroy and Bubba in the alley behind the pool hall. They probably have a pretty good selection in the trunk of their car.

 

[Abhi]

Originally posted by: timswim78

the day after Thanksgiving (the third Thursday in November) is known as "Black Friday" because the stores officially kick off their shopping season and go from being in the hole "red" to being ahead "black." You will see crazy deals at retail locations, but people line up hours ahead of time to get in on the limited supplies.

I cant purchase from retail stores... well cause i am in India 🙂 Does this "Black Friday" discount actually show up on the internet as well?

 

[Abhi]

Originally posted by: StraightPipe
laptops arent really like cars, they arent all releasedat the same time, so when they are on sale is the best time. what do you want to use it for?

I need a desktop replacement with the highest config I can get. Has to last me for a minimum of 2 year without upgrades 😛
So basically need the most powerful machine i can afford. Willing to spend around 1500$. 3 hrs of battery life is enough and 8 lbs is not a problem.

Currently Dell Inspiron 5150 and 8500 seem like a good deal... Toshibas are tempting too... specially the tecras... but they are too expensive!

 

[IgoByte]

I'm not a huge fan of Dell's notebooks, but they do run some excellent deals every once in a while. I suppose it all depends on what kind of notebook you want to buy and how much money you're counting on spending. If you want something that's cheap and relatively reliable, go for a Dell and wait it out until a good deal comes around again. Of course, buy it when you know you'll need to use it - they generally go down in price...
If you're looking for something more elite, I can always recommend IBM's T series. I've had three of them in a row and they're absolutely excellent. Personally, I think the T30 was a bit of a miss (they seem to have used it to bridge the gap between the T23, a PIII notebook, and the T40, a Pentium M notebook, and didn't put a whole lot of thought into it.), but they're still excellent notebooks and can be had fairly cheaply nowadays. If you want the best there is, get the T40 with the extended battery and you can really get one whenever you feel you need to use it, because their retail prices aren't affected by coupons and other deals as much as Dell's notebooks are.

Also, which notebook you choose depends on what you intend to use it for. I've used all of my T series notebooks on the go and I find that the T40 is great for that as well. It's compact and light and the battery and battery management are so good that I don't even have to bring an AC adapter for daily trips. The one drawback to the T series is that it's not a gaming computer - my T40 has a Radeon 9000 32MB graphics chip in it.

Just my two cents...

 

[chocoruacal]

The best time to buy is when you can score a combination of rebates and coupons.

1. Go to Fatwallet.com
2. Go to Dell.com and sign up for their email newsletter. Dell will then start sending you 5/10/15% off coupons for systems and periphs.
3. Keep an eye on Fatwallet and watch for any laptop deals that get posted. Dell deals pop up a couple times a week, it seems like.

 

[MangoTBG]

FYI Dell has a deal where you get a free upgrade to a DVD+RW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think that's badass, if you ask me. It's only on some laptops, and won't last long.

 

[Abhi]

Thanks a lot

Really appreciate the advice 🙂

 

[peterskm]

It seems that the back to school season is a huge discount period for computer hardware retailers.