Tech Deal of the Day

[Shadowwolf]

Im gonna start a new thread for folks and try to update it regularly depending on what kind of tech deals I can find. Basically these will be some good deals on tech items that you might be interested. Being the holiday season, many might benefit from this sort of info.

[Shadowwolf]

HP Laptop for $399

1 Day Only Online Sale

Use coupon code: RAZ13810 at checkout for $399 price.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6729451&sku=H24-15186&SRCCODE=LINKSHARE&cm_mmc_o=-ddCjC1bELltzywCjC-d2CjCdwwp&AffiliateID=NKa3hZyYoHA-Ukn1kZ9sRqyZ_dIZt_kmfw

Pros:

• This is a good mid-range laptop that is definitely cheap in price but not in parts which is a rare find.
• A good general use laptop with the potential for some moderate "high end" uses. Very good for someone looking to replace an older laptop without paying through the nose.
• Built-in webcam
• Built-in Wireless "N" card.

Cons:

• Doesnt come with 64bit Windows 7. While 64bit isnt a HUGE benefit, being a 64 bit processor in the machine it would have been nice to include a 64bit OS. Regardless though this will still work well and you could always load your own copy of Win7 64bit now or later.
• Only 1 memory upgrade slot. Yes it comes with 2 gigs of RAM already, but it leaves only 1 available upgrade slot for more RAM later which kinda sucks. Doesnt suck "too" bad, but to squeeze the most out of any upgrade you'd have to spend some cash to get the biggest chip available which isnt so pleasant.
• 5400RPM hard drive. This one is probably the largest con of them all but still, not necessarily a make or break on purchase considering what else you get. 5400 is noticeably slower than a 7200 but not by a large amount. One thing with a 5400 tho is that it will lengthen battery time compared to a 7200 so its a trade off. Again though, you could upgrade the drive later if you so desired to a larger and faster one.
• Not a high-resolution large screen. Its not the best of screens out there, but again, $399. ~16" screen isn't too bad though for general usage and the included video card is quite nice so it will do gaming on some level.

Conclusions:

Personally, this is a steal of a deal for cost compared to what you get. HP is a pretty solid brand and you get a 1 year warranty with this as well. Generally laptops only last about 3 years before they become so far obsolete they start to struggle with the latest technology. I could definitely see this lasting at least 3 years for someone looking for either a mid-range laptop for personal or even business use. The only sucky part of this is its a today only sale which doesnt leave a lot of option for folks needing to save a few weeks pay =/