Tech Bargain Thread: Post Your Deals Here!

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
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Jul 19, 2005
17,329
Those seem a little pricey.  With some effort you should be able to get a 3TB external for a little over $100.
 

mt8thsw9th

anti-SoSHal
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Jul 17, 2005
17,120
Brooklyn
The Passport is a good value, though. I own one and it's small enough to toss into my bag (and forget it's in there). Most (or all) of the 3TB options are more or less stationary, and likely not USB-powered.
 

Couperin47

Member
SoSH Member
mt8thsw9th said:
The Passport is a good value, though. I own one and it's small enough to toss into my bag (and forget it's in there). Most (or all) of the 3TB options are more or less stationary, and likely not USB-powered.
 
All units over 2 TB require external power at this point, and the 3 & 4 Tb drives are still inherently less reliable, even before you pack them into tiny cases sans any active ventilation...which is why most, especially the Seagates all have whopping 1 year warranties.
 

Couperin47

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Lenovo IdeaPad P500 at the Lenovo Outlet  - refurbs  $383   25 available at 7:45 pm EDST
http://outlet.lenovo.com/outlet_us/itemdetails/59RF0322/445
 
Not a Thinkpad but a lot of laptop for the money, will run very well right out of the box:
 
Intel i5-3220M with Intel 4000 graphics
6 GB ram
1 Tb 5400rpm HD
DVD burner
15.6 WXGA LED screen
B/G/N wifi
 
sadly Win 8 x64...get used to it and just download Classic Shell already...
 
ALSO NOW
 
Ideapad Z510 refurbs $357  27 in stock
 
http://outlet.lenovo.com/outlet_us/itemdetails/59RF0827/445
 
CAREFULL They have a bunch at same price with ONLY 4 Gig ram, these have 8 Gig... crazy pricing again
 
These have an i5-4200M, 4600 graphics, probably a better buy, just make sure you're buying the 8 Gig ram refurb.
 

bowiac

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Dec 18, 2003
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I saw this deal posted today on Lifehacker for Office 365, which doesn't seem all that appealing to me given it's a 1 year subscription only. Does anyone have any thoughts about about what the best deal on MS Office is these days?
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
17,329
MS's subscription strategy is to push people to one year deals.  You will start to see subscription models based on # of users only not making financial sense.
 

Couperin47

Member
SoSH Member
bowiac said:
I saw this deal posted today on Lifehacker for Office 365, which doesn't seem all that appealing to me given it's a 1 year subscription only. Does anyone have any thoughts about about what the best deal on MS Office is these days?
 
How 'latest and greatest' does it need to be ?..as a lawyer I mostly need Word and Excel. To this day 95% of Word docs i receive are in .doc format, not docx. The number of users who have refused to upgrade past Office 2003 because of their hatred of the ribbon interface is staggering. I ask because legit copies of Office, especially 2003 versions can easily be found at eBay.
 

Couperin47

Member
SoSH Member
More good Lenovo Ideapad laptops: U530 Refurbs for 535.50
 
http://outlet.lenovo.com/outlet_us/itemdetails/59RF0753/445
 
Again be careful they have an almost identical listing at the SAME price but those have half the ram and a hd that's half the size. (Who does their weird pricing?)
 
i5-4200U with Intel 4400 graphics
8 Gig ram
1 Tb HD AND a 16 Gb SSD (which you can replace with a 128 and make a real boot drive...)
Windows 8.1
 
At 8:30 am EDST they had 21..but they go fast...
 

Couperin47

Member
SoSH Member
Intel 335 Jay Crest 240 Gb SSD - $131 with Code EMCYTZT58883 at Newegg Only til Midnight PT
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167128&nm_mc=EMC-EXPRESS032914&cm_mmc=EMC-EXPRESS032914-_-EMC-032914-Index-_-SSD-_-20167128-L02A
 
Little more than the cost of many 128 Gb models, very good drive, as an Intel it has the toolbox that gives you direct Trim function for those who otherwise can't access this feature (your mb doesn't offer the AHCI mode, you're still running XP, etc). 9.5mm so it will not fit in ultra-slim laptops that demand a 7mm thickness.
 

Couperin47

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SoSH Member
Cheap, cheaper...bottom feeder desktop options. Refurbs from Newegg:
 
Cheap: Dell 755 - $200  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883156052&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL033014&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL033014-_-EMC-033014-Index-_-DesktopPCs-_-83156052-L02B&et_cid=6449&et_rid=2267858
 
The usual assemblage of semi-obsolete stuff in a stupidly small box:
Intel Duo-Core 2.33 Ghz  775 socket CPU
4 Gig DDR2 ram
750 Gb HD
Gig ethernet
DVD-ROM (read only)
Win 7 Pro x64
 
Not cheap enough for you? Newegg reaches new depths... how about a desktop for $100 and there's a $10 rebate so you can have this thing for 90 bucks:
 
HP DC7800  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883250715&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL033014&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL033014-_-EMC-033014-Index-_-DesktopPCs-_-83250715-L02D&et_cid=6449&et_rid=2267858
 
Another stupidly small box:
 
Intel Duo Core E2180 2.00Ghz (one review claims they actually got an E2220 running at 2.4 Ghz !!)
2 Gb ram DDR2
80 Gb HD
Gig ethernet
DVD-ROM (read only)
Win 7 Pro x64
 
You get a keyboard AND a mouse with both of these gems.
 

Couperin47

Member
SoSH Member
Brother HL-4570CDW Color laser printer  - $250 + $3 shipping
 
Newegg only til midnight pacific today 3/31
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=28-113-510&nm_mc=EMC-GD033114&cm_mmc=EMC-GD033114-_-index-_-Item-_-28-113-510
 
I'm not a big fan of Brothers, but the reviews are OK. This model is uber connectable: usb, ethernet, wireless b/g
Does auto duplex, has separate multifeeder for envelopes
Most amazingly: it comes with real normal toner carts, none of this BS 'starter 300 sheet' empty toner carts: Black good for 2,500 pages, color for 1,500 pages and separate drum for 25,000
Brother 'only toner' carts and compatibles tend to be on the inexpensive side
 

Couperin47

Member
SoSH Member
Newegg deals today:
 
 
Fractal Design R4 Midtower case  $80, free ship Use Code: EMCPFPW23
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352020&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL040114&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL040114-_-EMC-040114-Index-_-ComputerCases-_-11352020-L0D
 
High quality, designed for silence, water cooling all the features you could want:
2 usb 2.0 and 2 usb 3.0 on top
2 Silent fans and integrated fan control
2 HD drive cages, special mounts for SSD
Excellent price on a high end case
 
 
ASUS VS238H-P 23" Monitor $140 - $20 rebate = $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236175&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL040114&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL040114-_-EMC-040114-Index-_-LCDMonitors-_-24236175-L0E
 
Decent cheap monitor
Inputs: HDMI, DVI-D, Dsub
VESA mount
LED backlit
Fast response for gaming
What it's not: IPS with better color and view angles (can be had for little more), no Displayport (typical at low end).


Acer H226HQLbid 21.5" IPS monitor $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009484&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL040114&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL040114-_-EMC-040114-Index-_-LCDMonitors-_-24009484-L014B

Close to cheapest IPS monitor you will find (better viewing angles, color remains consistent)
Inputs: HDMI, DVI, Dsub
LED backlit
NO VESA mount
External PS


ESET Smart Security  One year  $10 use code EMCPFW65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832114031&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL040114&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL040114-_-EMC-040114-Index-_-SecurityUtilitiesSoftware-_-32114031-L017B

Excellent security suite, includes AV, anti-spam, firewall, parental controls
Very small footprint, uses very little resources.
While sold as 1 piece for one computer, in fact I and others have used it on up to 5 computers at one site for years and they "don't notice".
In my experience MUCH better than the free options...for a pittance, also works perfectly with MS built in AV for layered protection.
 
 

Couperin47

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SumnerH said:
 
First the power supply I just bought, now the case.  Newegg is taunting me.
 
Great case.
 
There are certain brands they regularly discount and those that never or almost never go on sale. All it takes is patience to wait them out. The trap is that if you take 90 days to assemble the parts for your build and then you find something is DOA, you're beyond the 30 day Newegg return window, hence the strategy of what has to be bought just prior to build...cases are the easiest thing to buy early.
 

Couperin47

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Couperin47

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Dell P2314H  with Code EMFCYTZT58948 = $170  thru 4/6
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824260148&nm_mc=EMC-EXPRESS040514&cm_mmc=EMC-EXPRESS040514-_-EMC-040514-Index-_-LCDMonitors-_-24260148-L07B
 
23" IPS screen
LED backlit
VGA, DVI, Displayport
No HDMI
Good base, with height adjustment & allows portrait mode, also VESA option
USB 2.0 hub
 
High quality, seriously better than all the $130-150 TN crap from everyone, only reason not to prefer this is if you insist on absolute minimum lag for gaming.
 

SumnerH

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Jul 18, 2005
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Couperin47 said:
Dell P2314H  with Code EMFCYTZT58948 = $170  thru 4/6
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824260148&nm_mc=EMC-EXPRESS040514&cm_mmc=EMC-EXPRESS040514-_-EMC-040514-Index-_-LCDMonitors-_-24260148-L07B
 
23" IPS screen
LED backlit
VGA, DVI, Displayport
No HDMI
Good base, with height adjustment & allows portrait mode, also VESA option
USB 2.0 hub
 
High quality, seriously better than all the $130-150 TN crap from everyone, only reason not to prefer this is if you insist on absolute minimum lag for gaming.
The IPS glow on this is pretty bad. With the lights on, it means the screen has uneven brightness but it's not that noticeable if you're not doing color-accurate work. With the lights out, I found it distracting to the point of unusability--the lower left hand corner had a particularly large glowing area, I'm not sure if that varies by unit or is there by design. But it made it an unacceptable monitor for watching movies/TV on, IMO.

Unless extreme viewing angles were my #1 priority and it was never being used outside of bright light, I'd much rather have the $160 Asus VS238H-P (which has a much better picture quality despite it being "TN crap").

One thing from bad reviews on this that isn't a real problem: If you do get this monitor and text looks fuzzy, you just need to recalibrate your OS's font subpixel rendering. It's BGR order rather than RGB. Once you set that, text renders perfectly.
 

Harry Hooper

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Starting tomorrow, Best Buy will give customers a $100 credit on a new computer if you trade in a functioning Windows XP machine (apparently it must boot up into a validated install and have a COA sticker on the case).
 
Per the LATimes, $100 credit can be used in the purchase of a new Windows machine, a Chromebook computer or an Apple Mac.

 
One example: today and tomorrow Best Buy is selling this new Dell XPS8700 for $649.99 with a 1-year warranty. If you can get $100 off on Sunday with a trade-in, that's pretty good as Dell sells the same PC for around $900, but with a 3-year warranty.
 
 
c/o Slickdeals.net, this offer turns out not to be as good as it sounded: You can only trade in laptops (no desktops) You will receive a $25 gift card and a $75 coupon that expires 5/3  towards buying another computer, but $75 coupon is only good towards computers at normal price. Not good on sale, clearance, open box, etc.
 
http://m.bestbuy.com/m/e/promotion.jsp?id=pcmcat327400050020
 
In theory, you might get more than the combo $100 for your trade-in. So, if you had a new-ish XP laptop that you hated, maybe it's worth trading in. Blah.
 

Couperin47

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SumnerH said:
The IPS glow on this is pretty bad. With the lights on, it means the screen has uneven brightness but it's not that noticeable if you're not doing color-accurate work. With the lights out, I found it distracting to the point of unusability--the lower left hand corner had a particularly large glowing area, I'm not sure if that varies by unit or is there by design. But it made it an unacceptable monitor for watching movies/TV on, IMO.

Unless extreme viewing angles were my #1 priority and it was never being used outside of bright light, I'd much rather have the $160 Asus VS238H-P (which has a much better picture quality despite it being "TN crap").

One thing from bad reviews on this that isn't a real problem: If you do get this monitor and text looks fuzzy, you just need to recalibrate your OS's font subpixel rendering. It's BGR order rather than RGB. Once you set that, text renders perfectly.
 
Glow tends to vary from example to example, just as bleed often does.  Admittedly all IPS inherently have glow, it's a question of what bothers you more: glow of IPS or color shift inherent when your head moves on TN...pick your poison. Personally one monitor I am still running is a 24" MVA screen that I thought was a better answer than IPS in many respects, but development of that technology seems to have close to ended, I assume because IPS, especially the e-IPS that all these inexpensive monitors use, was far cheaper to produce than MVA. Apparently AUOptronics still produces advanced MVA panels and Samsung has a technology called PVA which is somewhat related, but both are not common in anything we see here in the US.  I suspect you got a particularly bad 'glowy' panel, otoh the weird reverse setup of the phosphors is inherent and means Mac owners should probably avoid this monitor.
 
A quick search shows the actual panel used is an LG AH-IPS, used in many LG, many NEC,  2 Asus and one Viewsonic model, besides the Dell, of course. I don't see many reviews anywhere that find glow to be worse than the average IPS panel on this panel.
 

Couperin47

Member
SoSH Member
Disposable Thinkpad ?
 
Newegg has refurb T61 14" Thinkpads on sale this week for $160, free ship.
 
http://www.neweggflash.com/product/34-317-002?utm_source
 
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 Ghz cpu
2 Gb ram
80 Gb HD
DVD burner
Only USB 2.0 ports, only video out is VGA
Windows 7 Home premium (32 bit)
 
Unclear the source of the refurb, only 90 day warranty, 30 days to return for refund/replacement.
You can be pretty sure these will NOT be pristine like the product from the Lenovo Outlet.
 

Couperin47

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Inexpensive 32 Gig USB 3.0 thumb drive $14.29, free ship use code EMCYTZT58963 til 4/8 midnight PT
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-178-684

PNY brand, no cap, the outside sleeve retracts. They are using relatively slow cheap memory in this one,
it will run faster than any usb 2 drive, but nowhere near what a high end 3 can do, but should be fine for relatively small files.


Cheapest Laser B&W printer generally available only til 4/7 midnight PT

SAMSUNG Xpress SL-M2625D/XAC at Newegg $50, free ship
 
http://www.newegg.com/Special/ShellShocker.aspx?cm_sp=ShellShocker-_-28-112-478-_-04072014_2

Has separate muilt-feed for envelopes, does duplex printing, has Mac & Windows drivers
Apparently you get a full toner cart (toner & drum are separate)
You will pay as much or more for your first replacement cart if you buy Samsung brand
 
 

Couperin47

Member
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Toshiba PH3300U-1I72 3Tb 7200rpm HD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822149396
 
$100 using code EMCPFPB43, til 4/14, no rebates needed, free ship
 
This is the retail version, which means the packing is serious and you don't get a drive that was wrapped in one layer of bubblewrap and bounced around in a way too big box with a token crumple of paper.
The box says Toshiba, the label on the drive reveals it's built by Hitachi in China and, in fact, both are now owned by WD.
3 year warranty and overall seems a bit better on performance and cheaper than WD's own similar drive, my current favorite.
 

Couperin47

Member
SoSH Member
Dell Outlet sale - 4 days til 4/12 @ 9:00 am CT.
 
25% extra discount on all Outlet laptops - use code QWKSX8WQCKK2FG
25% extra discount on all Outlet monitors - use code S?XJRZBFLM$V1W
 
Note they have changed some policies: monitors still come with free ship, but if not bought with a computer, warranty is now only 90 days.
 
For example an UltraSharp U2412M, 24" IPS , 1900 x 1200 (16:10 aspect), VGA, DVI-D & Displayport can be had for $209.25, damn good price for that much monitor.
 

75cent bleacher seat

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Couperin47 said:
Disposable Thinkpad ?
 
Newegg has refurb T61 14" Thinkpads on sale this week for $160, free ship.
 
http://www.neweggflash.com/product/34-317-002?utm_source
 
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 Ghz cpu
2 Gb ram
80 Gb HD
DVD burner
Only USB 2.0 ports, only video out is VGA
Windows 7 Home premium (32 bit)
 
Unclear the source of the refurb, only 90 day warranty, 30 days to return for refund/replacement.
You can be pretty sure these will NOT be pristine like the product from the Lenovo Outlet.
 
Wondering if you'd elaborate on the pristine comment...significant difference between Newegg and Lenovo outlet stuff? ..thanks in advance.
 

Couperin47

Member
SoSH Member
75cent bleacher seat said:
 
Wondering if you'd elaborate on the pristine comment...significant difference between Newegg and Lenovo outlet stuff? ..thanks in advance.
 
Lenovo Outlet: whether called refurb or scratch and dent I have now heard of close to 100 laptops bought from the site. In every case the unit looked virtually brand new, came with a battery that still held a decent charge, was loaded with what appeared to be factory fresh software (that's both good and bad...see below) and had at least a one year warranty.
 
Refurbs from Newegg, Rakuten and others: Warranty is always 90 days or less, condition is all over the map, all show more than casual wear, condition of battery is often "barely hold a charge"...in short, these guys are sourcing the stuff independently from Lenovo, often off longer term leases or it's where Lenovo dumps the stuff that doesn't meet their standards. This can be a total crapshoot.
 
btw, to replace a post that got lost in the crash
 
Lenovo laptop caveat
 
ATM the Lenovo Outlet has been very quiet, only single laptops at OK but not great prices.
 
2 people I know, however, both found decent deals on "Z" series Ideapads and both reported the same 2 issues: One fixable, the other not.
 
Both laptops had i5 cpu, 8 Gig of ram and large hard drives, and were complete slugs. Fresh installs of Win 8.1 on each. At a minimum the following needed to be done to make them perform as expected.
First added Classic Shell (of course), then turned off Indexing on all drives, completely remove the McAffee trialware crap and added protection that doesn't make it run like it's in molasses, finally reset the pagefile to a fixed size (generally 100 to 150% of real ram is preferred). Now the machines responded as expected.
 
Now the problem you can't fix: Z Ideapads use a trackpad with 'virtual buttons' in the lower portion. These are poorly defined in relation to the rest of the pad, the result is erratic response, inadvertent presses and an overall twitchyness that is driving users bonkers. Add to this that there is no scroll area on this pad and overall navigation is hyper annoying. Users have looked for a fix from Synaptics (who make most trackpads in everyone's laptops) and they have replied that the design and features of this pad are baked into the firmware and Lenovo is responsible: no change in drivers or fiddling with the settings can improve this at all.
 
All of this just reinforces my predilection for Thinkpads which always offer the trackpoint option for navigation. Both my acquaintances intend to mostly use their Ideapads at home and are content to add mouse or trackball to solve the issue. You definitely want to sample an Ideapad of this sort before buying one of these.
 

Couperin47

Member
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Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout Silent ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
with promo code (no rebate required) $80 til 4/24.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352038

An excellent case, being discounted again just to taunt SumnerH...


Corsair Carbide Series 300R Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
with $20 rebate $60 til 4/24
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139011

The Corsair is a very good case with all the things most will require:
2 front USB 3.0 ports, 2 good fans, 7 fan locations, dust filters, decent layout.


MOTOROLA SB6121 SURFboard Cable Modem
with Gift Promo code EMCPFWB53  $70 and you get a free Networks N150R basic wireless router
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16825122015

The 6121 provides full thruput with all but TimeWarner or Comcast current top Internet tiers, and is fully compatible with pretty much every cable system. If you don't intend to go for the maximum service, it's indistinguishable from the SB6141, I have been using one for a year and they are rock stable. The bundled free wireless router is OK, ONLY 2.4 Gig 150Mbps b/g/n.

This is fine if you only need wireless for 1 or 2 devices like smartphones (most of which don't do the 5 Gig band).
If your needs are not this modest, you almost certainly want a more serious combo switch/wireless router.


Lenovo T61 Refurbs (The disposable Thinkpads, see listing above) are back til 4/24 for $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834317002

No reviews at Newegg on this, which probably isn't a good sign. Btw if you get one in decent condition, but the battery is almost shot (pretty likely on laptops this old), be aware Tiger Direct sells replacements.... for $89.
 

Marceline

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Couperin47 said:
MOTOROLA SB6121 SURFboard Cable Modem
with Gift Promo code EMCPFWB53  $70 and you get a free Networks N150R basic wireless router
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16825122015

The 6121 provides full thruput with all but TimeWarner or Comcast current top Internet tiers, and is fully compatible with pretty much every cable system. If you don't intend to go for the maximum service, it's indistinguishable from the SB6141, I have been using one for a year and they are rock stable. The bundled free wireless router is OK, ONLY 2.4 Gig 150Mbps b/g/n.

This is fine if you only need wireless for 1 or 2 devices like smartphones (most of which don't do the 5 Gig band).
If your needs are not this modest, you almost certainly want a more serious combo switch/wireless router.
 
Thanks for posting this. I'm moving from a Verizon FIOS home to an area that's Comcast-only, so I just ordered the one above.
 

canderson

Mr. Brightside
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Jul 16, 2005
39,306
Harrisburg, Pa.
A client needs a new laptop, budget between $400-500 but closer to $400. All they use it for is FB, Internet, light Word work and pulling photos off a camera and then uploading to Flickr or FB. So essentially an internet machine. Only catch is they're not computer people so one that doesn't come with all sorts of junk and is easy to operate is crucial.

Any ideas? I'm way out of the loop on laptops.
 

Couperin47

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canderson said:
A client needs a new laptop, budget between $400-500 but closer to $400. All they use it for is FB, Internet, light Word work and pulling photos off a camera and then uploading to Flickr or FB. So essentially an internet machine. Only catch is they're not computer people so one that doesn't come with all sorts of junk and is easy to operate is crucial.

Any ideas? I'm way out of the loop on laptops.
 
Until you mentioned "light Word work" I was almost going to suggest something I would never in a million years thought I would suggest or own...a Chromebook. Fortunately mention of Word brought us back to reality where your client actually requires a real computer. You say a "new laptop" so I will assume they find a typical trackpad "easy to use". Give us a better idea of what they are used to...coming from the Mac world or XP ?
One man's easy to use is another's nightmare...if coming from XP almost everything new will have Win 8.1 and you may want to add Classic Shell before you even let them see the machine to avoid utter panic.
 

canderson

Mr. Brightside
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Jul 16, 2005
39,306
Harrisburg, Pa.
Coming from XP I believe, but I assume her personal CPU has 7. When I say client, I mean I administer their website. Not a tech guy really for them, though will help with this purchase.

They write for a blog and for their projects (it's a garden center, lots of private yard makeovers) a lot so word is def needed and used frequently.
 

Couperin47

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canderson said:
Coming from XP I believe, but I assume her personal CPU has 7. When I say client, I mean I administer their website. Not a tech guy really for them, though will help with this purchase.

They write for a blog and for their projects (it's a garden center, lots of private yard makeovers) a lot so word is def needed and used frequently.
 
The Lenovo Outlet is very quiet atm, something like this would be very good:
 
http://outlet.lenovo.com/outlet_us/itemdetails/6885XF3/445
 
but they tend to only have singles and they go quickly:
 
Good cpu, thinkpad rugged, both trackpad and trackpoint navigation. It will come with Win 8.1 and there will be some trialware, these need to be removed, installing the free Classic Shell can remove all need to deal with the metro interface and allow it to be configured to look almost exactly like XP or Win 7. See my caveat post a few above for what to do to speed up the average new laptop...
 

Couperin47

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Lenovo G700 laptops     $381.05 free ship
 
Who makes up their prices ? Anyway, this weekend they have close to 100 of these in slight variations: Pentium 2020M, 2030M and some i5 3220M (all are dual core, the i5 have more advanced graphics).
All have a 17" 1600x900 screen, 4 Gig ram, 500Gig 5400 rpm HD, DVD burner, USB 3.0 ports, b/g/n wireless, a 740p cam, and a trackpad that has real buttons and scroll. Windows 8 x64.
 
Good not great prices as when they are really discounting Thinkpads with similar features have sold for roughly the same price.
 
Link is to the general listings as these will change, but look at ALL the G700 options understanding the variations are slight:
http://outlet.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/outlet_us/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:expandcategory?current-catalog-id=A4A41B4CA13D4754AE2FBF7721EBF357&current-category-id=908B184AED4F29502E6EB3E1E76AFC13&menu-id=products&ref-id=products#/?page-index=1&page-size=100&sort-criteria=1&facet-2=3
 
NOTE
 
This weekend Newegg has the G710, slightly updated version of same laptop Pentium 3550M cpu with same features, same warranty and Win 8.1 (of course) on sale for $440
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313715&
 

Couperin47

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Samsung Refurb 50" 720p Plasma TV  Model PN51F4500AFXZA  free shipping  $450 - $100 rebate cc = $350 final cost til 4/28
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889354529
 
600 Hz. If you watch mostly cable or sat or netflix, most of your HD content is really only 720p anyway, if the bulk of your viewing is Bluray/DVD you really want a true 1080p set..
Probably makes an ideal 2nd set at this price.. the real issues are: how good is the refurbing (it's coming from Samsung) and  how does Newegg get this to you without damage?
90 day warranty...If you get one that hasn't been wrecked in shippping could be a great deal.
 
Reviews at Samsung are decent http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/PN51F4500AFXZA
 
New this set does sell for $450-500.
 

Couperin47

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Canon LPB6000 B&W laser printer, with Code EXLEMCYTZG98 $53 including ship til midnight PT 4/27
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16828102689&
 
Basic monochrome laser printer at the lowest price we ever see, uses the Canon 125 cart which is the only replaceable (combines drum & toner).
The Canon brand of these can be had at Amazon for $14 with free ship, compatibles even cheaper so this is ultra economical to run. If you don't need a
multifunction machine, it doesn't get any cheaper than this.
 

Couperin47

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SoSH Member
WD My Book 2TB USB3.0 external HD with code EMCYTZG63 $90 with free ship. til midnight PT.
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=22-236-628
 
This model does NOT self-power because it's a 3.5" drive, uses a small wall supply, which in fact, makes it more stable. Includes WD backup & Acronis recovery software.
 
This is 10 bucks cheaper than most sell it for and you get the discount without the rebate nonsense.
 

AlNipper49

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Dope
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Apr 3, 2001
44,840
Mtigawi
For people who have machines capable of USB3 and don't yet use it (and use your usb drive for something other than plain old backups) I would implore you to try that shit out -- it's night and day speed-wise versus 2.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
19,236
Couperin47 said:
Canon LPB6000 B&W laser printer, with Code EXLEMCYTZG98 $53 including ship til midnight PT 4/27
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16828102689&
 
Basic monochrome laser printer at the lowest price we ever see, uses the Canon 125 cart which is the only replaceable (combines drum & toner).
The Canon brand of these can be had at Amazon for $14 with free ship, compatibles even cheaper so this is ultra economical to run. If you don't need a
multifunction machine, it doesn't get any cheaper than this.
 
Damnit, i was looking for this exact printer to go onsale but missed it.
 

Couperin47

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SoSH Member
AlNipper49 said:
For people who have machines capable of USB3 and don't yet use it (and use your usb drive for something other than plain old backups) I would implore you to try that shit out -- it's night and day speed-wise versus 2.
 
A complete image of your laptop drive to an external can eliminate SO MUCH grief. Windows has an included imaging program, the problem is...no matter how fast the external, it takes 25-35 mins to do an image of a typical 45-55 Gig filled drive...otoh better imaging software like Paragon or Easus ToDo does the same thing in under 7 mins to a USB 3.0 external drive...making it painless.  In Windows 7 or 8 do a help search on "System Image" to find where they hide this on your version, but consider spending $30-$49 on aftermarket software that makes this quick and painless: Paragon Hard Disk manager 14, Easus ToDo backup and Macrium Reflect are all excellent, the one I do not recommend these days is any version of Acronis...for years now, they and they alone actually modify the OS kernel when installed and that's a totally unacceptable strategy in my opinion.
 

Couperin47

Member
SoSH Member
AlNipper49 said:
For people who have machines capable of USB3 and don't yet use it (and use your usb drive for something other than plain old backups) I would implore you to try that shit out -- it's night and day speed-wise versus 2.
 
"night and day" means in almost all cases any USB 3.0 external HD will be just as fast as the internal HD on your laptop or desktop.
The one other usual complaint: The USB 3.0 cable is too short and too stiff...this is true...currently they need to be thicker and shorter to handle the bandwidth to be this fast. So if you decide to use a longer, more convenient USB 2.0 cable, it will work, and your speeds will decline to USB 2.0 level...
 

Couperin47

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SoSH Member
In answering Bleedred in the All-in-one printer thread re: a Color laser multifunction I found...
 
Well right now...the low end Canon is on serious sale at Amazon for only $250 with free ship...sometime the stars do align...
 
http://www.amazon.co...ywords=MF8280Cw
 
It even has wireless, what you lose over the next unit up is duplex printing, smaller paper capacity and some memory, otoh it's over $150 cheaper...you can see the comparison of features on that Amazon page.
Starter carts mean you pretty much must buy a full b&w toner cart immediately, you can probably get away without new color carts for a while.
 

AlNipper49

Huge Member
Dope
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Apr 3, 2001
44,840
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Couperin47 said:
 
A complete image of your laptop drive to an external can eliminate SO MUCH grief. Windows has an included imaging program, the problem is...no matter how fast the external, it takes 25-35 mins to do an image of a typical 45-55 Gig filled drive...otoh better imaging software like Paragon or Easus ToDo does the same thing in under 7 mins to a USB 3.0 external drive...making it painless.  In Windows 7 or 8 do a help search on "System Image" to find where they hide this on your version, but consider spending $30-$49 on aftermarket software that makes this quick and painless: Paragon Hard Disk manager 14, Easus ToDo backup and Macrium Reflect are all excellent, the one I do not recommend these days is any version of Acronis...for years now, they and they alone actually modify the OS kernel when installed and that's a totally unacceptable strategy in my opinion.
Another one is ShadowProtect. I love that damn program so much.

(Although I'm primarily working off of VMs these day which I use Veeam for)
 

Couperin47

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SoSH Member
AlNipper49 said:
Another one is ShadowProtect. I love that damn program so much.

(Although I'm primarily working off of VMs these day which I use Veeam for)
 
Yep Shadow has always been excellent, was probably the first to have the ability to transfer an image to different hardware and actually work, I left it out because it's interface is the most intimidating to non-techies... and I'm not sure it can handle new UEFI Bios motherboards, but then all these programs are having some issues with them...
 

Couperin47

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Lenovo G500s laptop   refurb   $437

They had 23 @6:45 pm   http://outlet.lenovo.com/outlet_us/itemdetails/59RF0473/445

Intel i5-3230M (2.6 Ghz dual core) HD4000 graphics
8 Gig RAM
15.6 1366x768 graphics (it's a 10 pt touchscreen..ugh...)
Full keyboard with numeric pad and touchpad with real switches
1 Tb 5400 rpm HD
DVD burner
b/g/n and BT wireless
2 USB 3.0 and 1 USB 2.0 ports
VGA and HDMI output
Win 8

Free ship, 1 yr warranty
Good machine, if not a Thinkpad. New they run at least $650 generally with only 6 Gig ram.
 

Couperin47

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75cent bleacher seat said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834300486
 
Advertised to have Windows 7,,,,  the one I received came with Vista...no big deal I guess but returning it anyway...
 
Which implies it's an older machine and the battery is probably shot. As I said, Newegg and Rakuten refurbs are a real crapshoot. Dell's own refurbs are better, but Lenovo Outlet stuff is generally the class of the litter.
 

Strike4

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Jul 19, 2005
3,881
Portland, Maine
Couperin47 said:
Lenovo G500s laptop   refurb   $437

They had 23 @6:45 pm   http://outlet.lenovo.com/outlet_us/itemdetails/59RF0473/445

Intel i5-3230M (2.6 Ghz dual core) HD4000 graphics
8 Gig RAM
15.6 1366x768 graphics (it's a 10 pt touchscreen..ugh...)
Full keyboard with numeric pad and touchpad with real switches
1 Tb 5400 rpm HD
DVD burner
b/g/n and BT wireless
2 USB 3.0 and 1 USB 2.0 ports
VGA and HDMI output
Win 8

Free ship, 1 yr warranty
Good machine, if not a Thinkpad. New they run at least $650 generally with only 6 Gig ram.
In your opinion, how would a machine like this compare to a ThinkPad E540 with a mini SSD installed, in terms of performance?  Cost-wise the G500 would be less expensive since you wouldn't have to buy a mini SSD.  I just don't know how much better a ThinkPad is than the non-business type Lenovo models.  These G500 specs look pretty good for $437.  
 

Couperin47

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I'm lost, you can't buy a mini SSD for a G500, as there's no place to put it, in that sense you 'don't have to' and the result is it will perform like any laptop that doesn't have an SSD as a boot drive: it will be much much slower doing everything. Beyond that. the overall build quality of Thinkpads is better, the keyboards are better, the trackpoint & touchpads are better, the screens are usually better and when the Outlet has sales really cooking we've seen comparable Thinkpads (same or better cpu, as much memory etc.), for less than $100 more, in some cases barely $50 more, though of course you still have to add the mSATA drive so they would wind up probably at least $100 more than these G500. The majority of folks still run computers that don't have a boot SSD ...otoh once exposed to one that does, they tend to get mighty impatient with boxes that don't...