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Looking for Recommendations of Where to Buy New PC Laptop

David_DDavid_D Posts: 3,884
edited April 2012 in Off Topic - The Everything Else Room
First off, thanks for clicking on this thread, and thanks in advance for any advice or insight on this.

And, before it becomes a PC/Mac thing, it does have to be a PC, as the primary use of this laptop will be to use a piece of software that was (unfortunately) developed for IE. And the person I work for would rather just buy PCs than use partitioned Macs.

So, with that in mind--

I am looking for recommendations of the best place to go, I would assume online, to find good prices on new PC laptops. The computing that this work laptop will do is actually pretty simple-- database management through a web portal based software program; some online research; and work on Microsoft Office documents. So it doesn't need to be powerful enough to do actual programming; it doesn't need to play video games, etc. It will not be doing anything sexy.

So, that said, when looking for a good price on such a basic PC laptop, where would you go online?

Thanks,

David
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Comments

  • John_SteedJohn_Steed Posts: 2,087
    DELL !!!!!!!!!!
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  • GregGreg Posts: 1,946
    edited April 2012
    Do not buy a Dell. Unless they have upped their quality I avoid them. My wife and I had two of their upper end models and both crashed within a year. We were given brand new ones under the waranty and those crashed as well.
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  • ZhurrieZhurrie Posts: 617
    HP. I run IT departments, and I have been in places using just about every brand/make/model known to man. Lenovo are excellent as well but support took a bit of a hit when IBM sold the Thinkpads off, they are built like tanks though. The professional line from HP are stellar across the board. Their support is one of the best right now for business laptops. The other bonus is that HP doesn't play many games and their adapters and accessories stay with the same connectors for multiple generations so you aren't stuck with useless peripherals or adapters when you upgrade or move to a newer model. If the money is there go for an Elitebook in your size/preference and call it a day, if not their pro line is fine as well.

    Check directly with HP (website) because they often have web specials, and then check with places like CDW, Insight, etc. I'll give you some inside scoop too... currently it is near the end of the quarter and salesmen are rabid for sales before April 30th. HP is also looking to post big numbers and is doing super aggressive deals right now through their channel partners. If you call a vendor like CDW/Insight/etc. they will 1. want your new business as a new customer and give you a deal. 2. want all the sales they can get right now 3. HP's incentives will also drive the price down further. All great news for you. Smaller vendors like Insight will get you a better price than bigger sites like CDW.

    Feel free to PM if you want a great small business contact (I'm guessing you are with a small business since you don't have a mandated computer or dedicated vendor).
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  • David_DDavid_D Posts: 3,884
    HP. I run IT departments, and I have been in places using just about every brand/make/model known to man. Lenovo are excellent as well but support took a bit of a hit when IBM sold the Thinkpads off, they are built like tanks though. The professional line from HP are stellar across the board. Their support is one of the best right now for business laptops. The other bonus is that HP doesn't play many games and their adapters and accessories stay with the same connectors for multiple generations so you aren't stuck with useless peripherals or adapters when you upgrade or move to a newer model. If the money is there go for an Elitebook in your size/preference and call it a day, if not their pro line is fine as well.

    Check directly with HP (website) because they often have web specials, and then check with places like CDW, Insight, etc. I'll give you some inside scoop too... currently it is near the end of the quarter and salesmen are rabid for sales before April 30th. HP is also looking to post big numbers and is doing super aggressive deals right now through their channel partners. If you call a vendor like CDW/Insight/etc. they will 1. want your new business as a new customer and give you a deal. 2. want all the sales they can get right now 3. HP's incentives will also drive the price down further. All great news for you. Smaller vendors like Insight will get you a better price than bigger sites like CDW.

    Feel free to PM if you want a great small business contact (I'm guessing you are with a small business since you don't have a mandated computer or dedicated vendor).
    Cool. Thanks for all of that-- I was thinking HP, as the one I am handing off to another contractor is an HP (and a cheap one at that!) and it has definitely been a reliable tank, so they were the brand I was thinking of. And I will check their direct website, as suggested.

    Regarding the question of going to a vendor-- it is a small business, a SUPER small business (basically one owner, and three part-time contractors, including myself). Would you expect that a vendor like the ones you are mentioning would be interested in an account THIS small?

    Thanks again.
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  • ZhurrieZhurrie Posts: 617
    Yes, I'd stay away from CDW though, even though they have small business account reps they aren't the best fit. I will PM you a guy's info that I like a lot and works solely with small businesses. Sometimes direct is good too though. SHI out of New Jersey also sells refurbished HPs for really low prices with warranties which is also a great option if money is tighter but you still want a really good laptop.
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