I would go with something with a good warranty. Dell has a good warranty. When things go wrong on a laptop it is very costly to repair.

Here is our link to Best Buy, a % of the sale goes to keep SA Free : http://www.sweepsadvantage.com/shopping-252384.html

Check out the prices at Frys Electronics, and then bargain with Best Buy.  I find that Frys usually beats the prices at Best Buy

http://www.frys-electronics-ads.com/
http://www.frys.com/


The Lenovo (IBM) is an exceptional buy at $488. It has the Intel Core i5 processor with 4GB of Memory and a 750 GB Hard Drive.

Frys has many other Laptops at great prices. Actually they sell everything at great prices. Try to get at least an Intel Core i5 processor with as much GB memory and the largest GB Hard drive you can afford.

There's also a Hp in the ad with an i5 processor and 6 GB memory and 640 GB Hard Drive @ $549.

Click on the link for the store and you'll find a Dell Inspiron 15R Notebook with the following: Processor: 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-2410M Processor (2.3GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90GHz) - - - Memory: 4GB DDR3 SDRAM  - - - -Storage Drive: 640GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive - - -$579.99
 
I have a Lenovo that I won a thru SA few years ago. It has 2 Gb of Memory and 2.5 Gb Hard Drive with an Intel processor. You can now buy laptops with double that capacity and a far better processor for $500 or so.

Have fun shopping.

PS:  Best Buy is more likely to negotiate if they think they might loose a sale. Don't mention the gift card (which you can only use at Best Buy) until you check out with the cashier.

PPS:  Choose a laptop with adequate ports on the sides so that you can plug in a separate monitor, keyboard, mouse and printer.  That way, you can, if you choose, set it up as a desk top.  It's easy to unplug, and take the Laptop elsewhere.  I have mine set up like that and it's easy to unplug everything if I want to use it in my den or out on my patio.

I can tell you to be CAREFUL OF THE LED SCREENS that all laptops seem to be using.  I am 57 yrs. old & no one but myself has touched that laptop.  I do not travel w/this laptop & I barely use it. Why?  Because I do not like the KEYBOARD.  All manufacturers have gone to the VERY FLAT KEYS on the keyboard & I find it hard to use.  I have an old HP that is almost 3 yrs. old with the more raised keyboards that I have travelled with  & used at home.  NO PROBLEMS W/THE SCREEN on this old HP.  No problems in ANYWAY with this old HP.

I bought an new HP laptop in June with a bigger hard drive/storage because the main thing I do is family pics.  So the NEW HP laptop has basically only been used to download & store pictures, it has set on a desk 95% of the time, unused.   About 3 wks. ago, I opened it up to show my D-I-L some pics & noticed a thumb size black spot about 2" away from the upper left corner of the screen.

That thumb size black spot started having lines run to the left & run down the screen.  I contacted HP, after all this is a $900 laptop (I got on sale at Best Buys for $600 & no, I did not buy the warranty, duh), less than 6 mos. old (this happened Dec. 2011 & I've been battling w/a foreign speaking HP customer service since).  One foreign speaking HP C.S. (customer service) said that just by shutting the laptop screen a LITTLE TOO HARD, COULD CAUSE DAMAGE.  Which infuriated me because WHY WOULD YOU USE technology like LED IF IT'S THAT EASILY DAMAGED on a laptop?  That's crazy.   That was my FIRST CLUE I was in trouble.

I ended up w/a C.S. (foreign speaking) "Monica G" who I have spoke to since.  Since this computer HAS NOT BEEN ABUSED in any way & BARELY USED & less than 6 mos. old when the problem developed, I felt like HP should stand behind their product.  We talked & emailed for 2 wks.  At one point they tried to offer me a laptop that was 1/3rd the value & storage of my HP & I said absolutley not!  Why should I return a $900 laptop for them to resell at more money than the approx. $325 laptop w/less features, less storage, not as fast?  NO WAY.   I sent pics to them & we continued to argue.  HP wanted me to pay $329 for a new screen.   This to me was RIDICULOUS as I paid $599 for the laptop.   

END RESULT, the C.S. person WHO I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM SINCE I shipped the HP laptop back LAST WEEK, said they would charge HALF of the $329 fee to replace the screen.   So what the heck was I supposed to do? Be stuck w/a laptop that the area was spreading & eventually would have been useless?   So I sent it in.  HAVE NOT HEARD ONE WORD from HP or "Monica G".  So I have NO IDEA how this will end up.

SO NEW LAPTOP BUYERS, be CAREFUL of those LED screens, the technology gives you a beautiful screen - BUT IT IS DELICATE & if you can damage it by shutting it a "little hard" (the C.S.'s words to me), then be sure you buy the warranty - JUST IN CASE.  And THAT will cost you $200-300 & you may never have to use it & it's only for 2-3 yrs.   WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT a laptop would need a MAJOR REPAIR after owning it for 6 mos. & it sitting on a desk, basically unused.