Well I didn't need a new laptop but I managed to get one at Best Buy today for $500 and since it's TN's Tax Free weekend I managed to get the laptop tax free as well. I also opened up a Best Buy card and have 18 months to pay it off with no interest, pretty sweet if you ask me! This is the model that I bought today. http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529668661.php
Sweet!!! I forgot that Gateway still existed... I have been in the land of Dell too long:loony: The one thing I love/hate about technology is that stuff gets better and cheaper all the time. I replaced my laptop six months ago with the Dell XPS1647... Looking back on it now, I did overpay, but I am swallowing that bittersweet pill. I am enjoying the built in Bluray player though. I do everything on it... I did get a 12 month zero interest on it. I am halfway through it. I may just throw a party when it's paid off LOL
I:m still very much enjoying my Toshiba laptop I bought about 6 months ago. I spent about twice as much as I did for my last laptop, but it was so worth it. The better video & sound, plus the quad core processor and the backlit keyboard make it so much more enjoyable for me. I don't think I could ever go back to buying $700 laptops. Also, watch if you need warranty service for a laptops purchased from BB. My last laptop was from BB, and when I wanted warranty service I was told that they would have to ship the laptop off to a service center and I would get it back in about 2 weeks. Not wanting to be without my laptop for 2 weeks I fixed it myself out of pocket. I'm set with my new Toshiba. There is a shop that's an authorized Toshiba warranty center 200 yards from my office. If I need warranty service I just walk it in and drop it off. In many cases where I've taken computers to him for service, I've gotten them back the same day.
I had a Dell before this also bought from Best Buy and I did take an extended two year warranty on the Dell. I actually did have to have it serviced and they told me the same thing although I got it back in just 7 days and they had indeed fixed everything on it. I've had some issues with my Dell and honestly it was the second Dell computer that I had and I wasn't that impressed with either. This Gateway has really good reviews on Best Buy's website so I'm hoping its gonna be a better computer for me than either of the Dell's I have had. By the way on this Gateway machine I took out only a one year extended warranty but it includes everything including accidental damage. I'm a tech nerd so I don't seem to keep laptops for long so I decided a one year covering everything should be ok for me this time.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.1-update1; en-us; SGH-T959 Build/ECLAIR) AppleWebKit/530.17 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/530.17) I hope Gateway treats you better then they did me, Dan.
My first Dell was from Best Buy as well... it had a 12 month warranty on it and I didn't buy the extended warranty. Laptop was $500 and the extended warranty was $75 to $100. I declined the warranty. And then six months after the warranty expired, the laptop died The new Dell I bought has a 15 month warranty on it, though. I do appreciate the extra power of my new laptop, and I dont think I could go back either.
Pretty nice specs for $500. GB ethernet port is a big plus for home networking. I also forgot about Gateway. I remember getting some boxes of computers when I was in the military around 1996, and wondering why they were covered in "cow graphics" I think the US military had a contract with Gateway back then, not so sure anymore...
My previous laptop was a DELL, and I swore I'd never make that mistake again. Its worth it to spend a little more and get a better machine. Once the newness wore off after a couple of months I started to hate it. The hinge screws and the screws that held the housing together were constantly falling out.
That's what I thought as well. Other brands for similar specs were at least running $600 or even more. Plus with the 18 months to pay it off with no interest and no tax, I just couldn't seem to pass this computer up.
It's funny you bring up the casing. One of the hinges on my Dell laptop came apart and the monitor case was starting to crack. Best Buy sent it off and fixed that and I never had any more problems with the hinges on the unit. However the casing is starting to crack a little now on the bottom and there is a little chip off the side of the laptop. Dell's casing, at least in the case of the Inspiron 1500 series lineup just seemed very cheap to me. This Gateway seems to have a better construction to it though, it feels just more like a solid unit than what I had from Dell.
My old Dell was an Inspiron 1525 SE. I wanted to have them fix the hinges, but when I was told I would be without a computer for 2 weeks, and I would not get a loaner to use for those 2 weeks, so I took it apart and fixed it myself, then swore I would never buy another laptop from BB again.
Mine was a 1525 as well... I decided not to get mine fixed and to get another laptop. My laptop was out of warranty and I didn't feel that it was worth my time and money to get it fixed. I do feel slightly bad for mothballing a $500 laptop that was 18 months old when the hinges broke.
My Dell was an Inspiron 1525 as well. Like Jay I was told it would take two weeks to repair the computer but I got mine back in a week. It wasn't that big of a deal to me cause I had another computer in the house to use till I got my laptop back. I've been told the Inspiron 1500 series have a lot of casing and hinge problems and from the sound of it that appears to be true.
When I bought the laptop I packed up the desktop and re claimed my desk. It was pretty much my only computer at that point, as the desktop was running so slowly which is why I replaced it.
Out of necessity, I was forced to get a new computer this week. My old Dell Inspiron 8600's (which I paid a fortune for back in 2004) hard drive failed. I can't complain about the quality of the laptop as I wore it ragged. I'm surprised something didn't go wrong sooner. Apparently I got the Dell when they were still well made. I wouldn't trust a Dell for crap these days. Managed to get an awesome HP Pavilion laptop for a steal of a deal. I too got it at Best Buy and was able to take advantage of their 18-month no interest financing plan as well. Spent $700, but got a laptop worth $100 more. Because of a display mistake, the model I thought I was buying for $699 was not the laptop on display. The price and info card stated a completely different, less expensive model. The one thing I wanted was a FULL keyboard (Alpha-numeric + 10 key). The displayed HP had it, but the one I originally got did not. The model on display had a 17.3 inch screen, whereas the model on the price/info card was 15.6. There was also supposed to be some extra, cool software on the display model version that wasn't on the one I first got. Not until I got home and fiddled with it for a while did I realize something was up. I went back to BB and talked to the rep who sold me the computer. He told me to pack it up and bring it back and I would get the version on display. He talked to his manager and I got the bigger, better laptop for the same price as the lesser one ($100 off). The one I now have is fantastic! It is lightning fast, has a Blu-ray HD drive, 17.3 inch HD screen, a fingerprint reader and so much more. I couldn't be happier with it! This HP is sweet and I hope it lasts me for a while.
Sweet, sounds like a great deal Mike! So far I'm loving my Gateway, it's a lot better computer than my Dell was and honestly the unit just feels more solid as well. I'm not a big fan of store cards but I have to say with the no financing offers that Best Buy has it's one of the best store cards there is. As long as you get it paid off before interest kicks in, it's a very good deal.
The Good Guys used to do the same thing and I always took advantage of it. I managed to buy every major electronic device there and pay it off before any interest was added. It was really nice to pay for it over time (same as cash). I miss Good Guys, but Best Buy has done a good job, IMO, of following GG's lead. If it weren't for this financing deal, I never would have gotten the awesome laptop I did.
Thats a nice laptop! I currently have a Gateway Desktop, but I had a Gateway Laptop before my current Laptop (Acer) and it was pretty good.
