Dude! Gotta Get a Dell!

If you've been thinking of replacing your laptop, now's the time! Dell has a coupon good for 30% off an Inspiron priced at $1299 or more.

Once upon a time, I would've said, "What's so great about this deal? I can get a $399 laptop anytime between Thanksgiving and Christmas!" But then I realized I've been buying those el-cheapo future doorstops every other year for 6 years now, because 2 years is the max the darned things last. They have so little RAM that animated banner ads slow the machine down to a crawl. They overheat, which for some reason causes the video to go out. And you'd know they were pieces of junk if you could get adequate reviews of them ahead of time, but you can't, because they're usually custom-made models only sold to BestBuy, CompUSA, or CircuitCity.

(Can you sense my frustration with how quickly I run through laptops?)

SO! I'm gettin' a Dell. Last week hubby spec'd out a nice Dell E1505. The major features:
- Intel Core 2 Duo processor T5500 (2MB cache/1.66GHz)
- 15.4" Wide Screen XGA Display with TrueLife
- 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM
- 80GB 5400 rpm HD
- 128MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON video card

The price he came up with was $1,183.

Seemed a little high, but...it is a nice machine.

Then, I found out about the 30% off coupon. So last night, I ordered this:
- Intel Core 2 Duo processor T5600 (2MB cache/1.83GHz) -- faster processor
- 15.4" Wide Screen WSXGA+ Display with TrueLife -- two steps up from his
- 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (same)
- 100GB 7200 rpm HD -- bigger HD and faster than he spec'd
- 256 ATI MOBILITY RADEON video card -- twice what he spec'd
- Mediterranean Blue custom cover (he had the standard one but I NEED a blue computer, hehe)

My price after the coupon and after tax was added on (shipping was free) was $1134... 50 bucks cheaper for a much nicer computer, AND I went through FatWallet's FatCash program for a 3% rebate (the highest offered by any rewards program for HP Home purchases), so I'll get another $34 back, bringing it down to an even $1100. I could've applied for Dell's credit card and that would've brought it down a little more, but I didn't want to fool with that.

Now maybe this is more computer than you need. Some folks on the deal forums have come up with other configurations that are still very nice but come out to around $900 after the coupon. Just go to dell, customize an E1505, and try to get it as close to $1299 (but no less) as you can.

How do you get the code? I think each rewards program has its own coupon. As I said, I went through FatWallet's FatCash link and used this code for the 30% off: GL0HJJPMNS0M9Z

Hope this helps someone!