purchasing new laptop

[KrazyKidd]

I need a laptop for the fall 2003 semester of college. I have started shopping around, but I don't want to get it until the beginning of August so that I get the lowest prices. I want something with a 64mb vid card so I can play some games and hopefully a mobile processor. The main thing is that I work at BestBuy and I have compaq, hp, sony, and toshiba laptops available to buy (discount aint too great, but the extended service plan is pretty cheap). I was wondering if i should go with one of those companies or try a dell out. I want something that I can use for a lil bit of gaming, music, movies, tv-outs, NO dvd-burner, and not so big (maybe 14-15 inch screen). Just lookin for advice on different brands and what to look for. Thanks.

-KrazyKidd

[Joshua]

I have the Dell inspiron 4150 and LOVE it. It was replaced with the 600m recently. I paid about $700 total with a combination of rebates/coupons etc... P4-m proc, 256mg ram, cd rom, floppy, all the ports you could want, both stick mouse and touch pad...

High review from me. I believe the video is GeForce2Go. I'm not sure about Vid ram.

[Jeffbx]

My advice - buy at Dell at the end of June.

I *think* Dell's fiscal year follows the calendar year, so end of June is the end of the 2nd quarter for them, so they may be pushing some pretty good promotions then.

Anytime from late July on forward is back to school ramp up, so don't expect to see deals quite as hot again until late September.

OTOH, as a BB employee, you might do better to keep your eyes out for a customer return that you can snag for cheap. I like Dell better than all the ones you listed, but heck, if the price is right you might not want to pass it up!

[Cubsfan]

Also, for all of the major companies take a look at their educational discount. For being a student they give you a decent deal.

[Joshua]

Maybe I read that wrong, but the Centrino already has built in 802.11b wireless and the low power consumption. Did you just mean you wanna wait for 802.11G?

Originally posted by chosenfool
...Intel just released their Centrino chips - im gonna wait for it to mature a little more. Power consumption is very low, so battery life is extended. Also, maybe after the fall when 802.11g is (hopefully) finalized, intel will release a mobile chipset that includes WIFI (if they havent already). this will help you get connected easily in internet cafes, airports, hotels, schools, and some businesses that allow you to use their hi-speed wireless connections (most of the time free).

[KrazyKidd]

you might do better to keep your eyes out for a customer return that you can snag for cheap

yea i'll tell my co-workers to look for a good deal for me. I want something with a mobile pentium or amd processor (centrino is gonna be too expensive) and something with integrated G wireless. But to my specifications, it will be hard to find one. The compaqs and hp we sell are all starting to use shared video memory ;[ so i'm leaning more toward toshiba. How about micropro.com. Has anyone had any experience with them? I'm still looking hard, but the end of June sounds just about the right time to get a laptop.

-KrazyKidd