Stuck on what kind of laptop to get

[navdeepz]

lol he just hit 5 posts for the NBR discount :P btw how much % is the nbr discount ?

[Mr_Mysterious]

i think 3%?

Mr. Mysterious

[meemster725]

Wait, what places can I use the NBR discount at?

[hdlsa]

Downgrade it to whatever the base RAM is (4GB or 8GB). You won't need any more than that for the foreseeable future.

If you want to spend money on a better laptop, here are some suggestions:

• I wouldn't touch the CPU options. The only real-world difference you'll see is between dual- and quad-core systems, and only if the applications you run support multi-threading and benefit from more cores (like Rockstar games).
• Get a 1080p display. Full stop. Matte or glossy is up to you, but if you work in an environment with a lot of glare, matte is your best choice.
• Only change the default HDD option iff (if and only if) you need much more space than what is available at default (say, 750GB to 1TB). Otherwise, keep the default, and if you're okay with having less storage space, grab a decent, inexpensive SSD to give you the most noticeable performance boost you'll get from any of the hardware upgrades (for example, 128GB Crucial M4 for $99, or 256GB Samsung 830 for $225; iirc these sales are still going on).
• Upgrade the wireless card from the default to some Intel or Bigfoot card.
• I'd aim for the Radeon 7970M for your GPU option, or something in the Geforce 6xxM series.
• Spend whatever is left on a decent mouse, like the Logitech G9x (Newegg sale for $60).

Haggle over the phone to reduce the price on your laptop purchase. Treat it as if you were buying a car. Should save you at least 15%, if not more (I got 24% off my W520 brand-new).

I thought you could only haggle over the price with Alienware purchases from Dell. Are you saying that there are sager/asus resellers that will reduce the price that much if you haggle with them?

[Ferrari353]

I thought you could only haggle over the price with Alienware purchases from Dell. Are you saying that there are sager/asus resellers that will reduce the price that much if you haggle with them?

I don't know about Sager and Asus specifically, but you can haggle most anywhere. You can haggle at HP too for sure.

And I don't think it's just alienware that you can haggle with. I think you can haggle on any other Dell purchases too.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

[Jarhead]

I thought you could only haggle over the price with Alienware purchases from Dell. Are you saying that there are sager/asus resellers that will reduce the price that much if you haggle with them?

You can haggle over anything. Cars, computers, houses, etc. General rule is that the more expensive an item is, the more likely you are able to haggle (so good luck haggling over groceries at Walmart ).

That pretty much applies to anything where the sales agents are on commission. They personally don't care what price they sell you the item for, just that they get to mark another sale on their count.

Click on the "Laptop Ordering Advice (DR650SE)" link in my sig. That's where I read up on tips on how to get a good price for a laptop. Here's just a small bit from the beginning:

Haggling
First and foremost. Order by phone. Did I mention ORDER BY PHONE! Use the website to price, but...You got it... order by phone. This gives you the ability it interact with a live sales rep. This is good for a number of reasons. The most important is it gives you the ability to haggle. While Dell sets the prices, they are not in stone. Remember they are trying to make a profit. Do your best to decrease this profit margin Always remember that these sales reps are working on commission. A sale at a lower price is a commission that they would otherwise not have. Here is where your childhood manipulation skills come to play. Run some game on these agents. Good lines include but are not limited to the following

"Well, I almost have enough saved up but I'm about XXX dollars short..."
"Hmm, It sounds like a good deal, but I don't think I can afford it at the moment"
"I'm on the fence but I need some time to think about it..."
"Well the price is good, but the Asus I was looking at is $100's cheaper..."
"Aghh, I have to pay for a transmission rebuild, is there anyway you can knock $50 off? I could probably seal the deal then"

You get the idea.

Whatever you can make up, run with it. Think about it like this, when you're at the bar, you have to sell yourself to the ladies, this is no different.

Haggling is probably the most effective way to reduce the price. Understand that the ball is in your court. You have the money they want. Simple manipulation is all that stands in the way of you and your shiny new toy.

Now let's say they can't reduce the price any further. Push for Next Business Day shipping (NBD) or a mouse or a t-shirt or other shiny toys, maybe even a gift card. Throw jokes in the mix, ask them about how their day is going. Open them up.

[meemster725]

I narrowed it down to an M14x or a Sager 9150. I really like both of them, but I'm not sure how they compare. It's a tough decision.

Wait, and how are the Lenovos?