Best laptop suggestion for around $600?

[Bongos]

My laptop, a Dell Inspiron 1525 has started to turn off unexpectedly. Earlier, it was running extremely slow and turns on by itself, I took the battery out and that solved most of the problems. I just run it with the AC plug, now it shuts off by itself, I think it's time to get another one.
Requirements:
DVD Player
15"
any suggestions? looking at the i3 and i5 processors

[ACIDKOOL]

Hey i was going through fry's website and i saw this

http://www.frys.com/product/6237310

comes with a I5 processor. for $599.99


hope this helps.

[Mute]

Check out Tiger Direct and search by price range. If you search around you should be able to find a free shipping code, and no CA tax, because they're out of state. Stick with a major brand and you should be good for the most part. Just find the one that meets your need. There should be a few I5 or Athlon processors in your price range. Let me know if you need any help.

[base64]

TigerDirect for the win. Toshiba and IBM are definitely my top picks.

[Turbinator]

Just a comment about Dells. I'm on my 3rd Dell here at work. My brother also managed to burn up a Dell, too. They're decent computers, but for some reason I've seen a lot of them not hold up to business use. You know - being transported everywhere, on 24 / 7, opened and closed many times. The hinges on the older Latitude D600 series were pretty weak. I've also managed to doof up an LCD or two, just from normal use. I'm not hard on my equipment, but I'd expect a notebook PC to last a little more than a few years. Luckily I get free replacements through work, so I've never sweated it, but I don't think I'd get one for personal use if all of the warranty work had to be done at my own time and cost expense.

Turby

[Can'thavenuthingood]

You might check out the IBM laptops. I picked up a refurbished T30 WIN XP SP2 for $125 about 5 years ago and it's still going strong with daily business use, Facebook and other surfing.

Vick

[Pyrodyne]

Consider what you use it for and look for one that will cover those features. Avoid excess junk you don't need. The faster the hardware, the quicker it burns out. Ones to look for: business - lenovo, toughbook; gaming - asus; basic use - acer.

If all you plan to do is basic internet, lenovo has some really smoking deals. Acer also puts out some pretty cheap units that are decent. If you haul it everywhere, look to toughbook. If you want to play games, asus makes some really decent ones in the sub-$600 range.

And.. avoid HP like the plague. They skimp, cut corners, and their customer/RMA service is a complete nightmare. Toshiba isn't as bad, but is heading in the same direction.

[sholling]

If you can find one, these Acer Blue 15.6" AS5740-6491 Intel i5 notebooks were selling for $618 at Walmart. Unfortunately they no longer sell them online however I'd see if you an find one locally. But if worse comes to worse Tiger Direct and J&R both sell it for $670 with free shipping which is practically a wash by the time you pay sales tax locally. I came really close to buying this one myself before deciding that I wanted an i7 (Lenovo Y560). I think you'll be hard pressed to find a better or more feature packed notebook for this price.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acer-AS5740-6491/13968928?sourceid=17896013563156688162

http://www.jr.com/acer-computer/pe/ACE_AS57406491/

Enjoy multimedia brilliance with the Acer Aspire AS5740-6491 Notebook showcasing a vivid 15.6" HD widescreen CineCrystal LCD display, Intel Core i5 performance and Dolby Home Theater cinema-style Surround sound. Add to that Digital media features, Bluetooth Technology, convenient quick keys and unprecedented Connectivity making it easy to multitask, get creative and enjoy your favorite entertainment at home or on the road. Box Contents: Acer Aspire AS5740-6491 Notebook, 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (up to 4 hours), AC power adapter; Software Bundle: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, Microsoft Works 9 with Office Home and Student 2007 60-day Trial, MacAfee Internet Security Suite 2009 60-day Trial, 1-Year International Travelers Limited Warranty

[JDay]

And.. avoid HP like the plague. They skimp, cut corners, and their customer/RMA service is a complete nightmare. Toshiba isn't as bad, but is heading in the same direction.

I have noticed none of this in the 8 years I've been buying HP notebooks. The one time I've had to use my warranty they sent the part to me overnight. If the system ever needs a warranty repair they even overnight a shipping box that has prepaid shipping. I seriously wonder how many people who talk bad about HP are just repeating what they've heard from others who had a bad experience. Unless you're buying a business class machine all the OEMs treat you about the same and have close to the same build quality (i.e. built as cheap as possible). How do you think they can afford to sell those notebooks for so cheap? A business class notebook is going to cost you a bit more but look at the build quality compared to a consumer grade.

[JDay]

If you can find one, these Acer Blue 15.6" AS5740-6491 Intel i5 notebooks were selling for $618 at Walmart. Unfortunately they no longer sell them online however I'd see if you an find one locally. But if worse comes to worse Tiger Direct and J&R both sell it for $670 with free shipping which is practically a wash by the time you pay sales tax locally. I came really close to buying this one myself before deciding that I wanted an i7 (Lenovo Y560). I think you'll be hard pressed to find a better or more feature packed notebook for this price.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acer-AS5740-6491/13968928?sourceid=17896013563156688162

http://www.jr.com/acer-computer/pe/ACE_AS57406491/

# Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD with 128MB of Dedicated system memory

That i5 paired with an Intel GMA video card is such a waste.

[sholling]

That i5 paired with an Intel GMA video card is such a waste.

Only if you're looking for a gaming notebook and you're not going to find an i5 gaming notebook for $600. But a nice dual core like that i5 for $600-700 is sweet deal for an average non-gaming user.

I game a bit so I went with a Lenovo (formerly IBM) Y560 with a Core i7-720qm and an ATI 5730. But it's about double the OP's budget.

[badandy]

Don't know where the "gaming" req'mnt came from... but for what your requesting... I've been looking seriously at the ACER Timeline Series... wayyyy long runtimes on batt and sweet portable package. My wife has an ACER that has been great. I personally like to abuse used Thinkpad's off eBay... and they don't fail, but new price is out of the ballpark. I like ACER.

[Rekrab]

Take a look at Dell's Vostro line. They're essentially normals Dells but with reinforced frames and no bloatware installed. You can get fairly modern ones with everything you could possibly need through their refurb offers. I've been rocking a Vostro 1400 refurbished for about 3 years now, it's been a real trooper and has withstood every bit of abuse I could throw at it being a student.

[gn3hz3ku1*]

deals2buy.com

[HotRails]

Toshiba Satellite has been going strong for four years now. Had a Compaq Presario before that that conked out in less than two years. :\