Where/When to buy Inspiron 8200 for best bargain

[weirdo100]

I'm looking to buy an Inspiron 8200 it seems like it gives the most bang for the buck (correct me if I'm wrong), for less than $2000, and closer to $1500 would be ideal. Would you reccomend ebay (would warranties still work if bought in an auction). I'm been looking at the dell site and the outlet site too. I think I missed a good deal a little while ago w/ free upgrades. Basically I want:

at least 30 gigs (5400 RPM)
256 MB RAM (I hear its pretty easy to install extra RAM in laptops, true?)
1.6+ Ghz
cdrw/dvd
network card
floppy,
a good warranty (is 3 years a good deal?)

I've heard some people mention that dell usually has some upcoming deals that will be worth the wait, is that true? If so, will it be best to wait for the deal and buy new from the dell site, or buy a refurbished one.
btw, i live in Texas but go to school in california, i think i heard something about how dell taxes in Texas, so how would I avoid paying it. I don't leave for school for about 3 weeks, so i guess I could wait, but i was hoping to configure it before I leave.

Bottomline: Where's the best place to buy the Inspiron 8200, and are there any sales coming up that I should wait for?

Thanks, I'm a college student looking for a good machine for 4 years.
-Weirdo

 

[ElFenix]

warranty is supposed to be transferable. dell collects sales tax in texas, not in california, but legally you're tax-evading if you don't pay it. as for sales, they come and go, if you don't need it immediately then wait and see.

personally i'm big on the compaq 2800T with radeon 9000 graphics right now.

 

[MWink]

I would not buy a new laptop off Ebay. I wouldn't want to take any chances. Just buy it from Dell. I would get the 3 year warranty. The best time to buy is whenever you think the deals look the best. Back when I bought mine they changed deals every week. I noticed that they really didn't make much difference in the end price (from one weeks deals to the next).

It's really easy to upgrade the RAM yourself. I also suggest you buy the HD separate and install that yourself also. That is an easy way to save a good bit of money (at least it was when I bought mine).

I've had my Inspiron 8200 for over 3 months and I'm very happy with it. The thing I really like about the Inspiron 8200 is that EVERYTHING is upgradeable in it (CPU, video, RAM, HD, etc.).

 

[weirdo100]

So, I should buy the minimum amount of RAM and HD space? Then where should I buy the extra RAM and HD, is it the same stuff used in desktops, pr different? How much would a 40 gig 5400 RPM HD cost separate, and what would I do with the HD that came w/ the laptop?

 

[techs]

When buying a Dell laptop you will notice on there website you pay extra to have the ram in a one stick 512mb solution. The standard is two sticks of 256. This is because there are only two slots for ram and you pay to get one free slot. If you intend to upgrad your ram be sure there is an open slot or you may have to take out a stick to increase it.

 

[MWink]

Get the hard disk from either Newegg or Googlegear. Get the memory from Crucial.

 

[PsychoAndy]

Wait until end of quarter. Best deals can be found then.

-PAB

 

[weirdo100]

Could you give me a more specific date/time period? When is the end of the quarter?