New General Purpose Laptop <$600 with i5 and 15.5" or more

rbhakar

Distinguished
Jan 13, 2012
3
0
18,510
Looking to buy a general purpose laptop
- mostly for browsing, online streams, netflix /hulu movies, occasional MS Office work, negligilble gaming
- weight is not a concern as will be used mostly at home
- battery life is somewhat important
- better screen would be preferred
- intend to keep for 3-5yrs
- blu ray is not required

Key must haves:
-i5 or better CPU
-4GB or more
-integrated Graphics is fine
-15.5" or more with 1300x768 minimum
-500GB (5400rpm or better)
-excellent reliability and support

Nice to have:
-1MP or better webcam
-good keyboard and keypad
-usb3.0

current short list is below (all with intel integrated Graphics)
ideapad z570 6GB - $600 online lenovo
ideapad v570 6GB - $580 at BestBuy
dell inspiron 15R 8GB Ram - $599 at Costco
asus k53 4GB- $450 at BestBuy

I liked asus U56e but can't seem to find anywhere to buy

leaning towards v570 but conflicted as asus has 2 year global warranty. i don't like k53 as it has only 4gb ram plus 0.3 MP webcam

webcam is important for skype

i am okay buying online as long as they have excellent return policy

 

rbhakar

Distinguished
Jan 13, 2012
3
0
18,510
thanks for the option but i am biased against acer. i prefer to stick with lenovo or dell based on my past experience and i have heard good things about asus.

also this is an open box
 

rbhakar

Distinguished
Jan 13, 2012
3
0
18,510
links to deals below

v570 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-+IdeaPad+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i5+Processor+/+15.6%22+Display+/+6GB+Memory+/+750GB+Hard+Drive+-+Silver+Gray/3504409.p?id=1218406955839&skuId=3504409&st=v570&cp=1&lp=1

z570 http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/builder.workflow:Enter?mtm-item=%3A000000F3%3A00004F48%3A

dell inspiron 15r http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11738857&whse=BC&Ne=5000001+4000000&eCat=BC|84&N=4047229%204294967022&Mo=13&No=10&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=


acer link same as what wr2 posted above - you are correct it is 1yr - i may have confused this with some other warranty

nero g570 is going to run close to $599 the deal i like is http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/builder.workflow:Enter?mtm-item=%3A000000F3%3A00004E1E%3A

ideapad build is lightly better than lenovo essential and hence, i am leaning toward that.

Question: I like v570 and will be checking it at BB store today. Is Lenovo V570 at $570 a better deal than Asus at $450? I know if I go with asus I will end up upgrading the memory and getting a separate webcam - that will cost me another $50 or so atleast.

Is there a reason to not go for Lenovo v570?

Thanks for all your responses.