# Recommendations on site to buy a laptop this weekend **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 21, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-on-site-to-buy-a-laptop-this-weekend/641726 "2012-11-21T16:10:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-on-site-to-buy-a-laptop-this-weekend/641726/1 "2012-11-21T16:10:45Z")
Much as I hate to participate in the gluttonous orgy of shopping this weekend, my stepson is going to college soon, and we need to get him a laptop. Our finances being what they are, we need to get the most bang for our buck that we can, and I’m hoping that we can find a good deal that’s actually available over the next few days. I know there are lots of little sites out there that are less well-known than, say, Amazon or Dell or whatever, and I’ve seen people recommend them for good deal, but I don’t know what they are. That’s why I’m turning to the Dopers. We’re looking for a basic laptop that can handle internet and basic college student-type stuff. Not gaming. Our budget is basically “as little as possible”. I don’t think I’ll go above $500. It doesn’t need to be top of the line, but it would be nice if it weren’t a piece of crap that is going to die in six months. Advice? Thanks. I forgot to state explicitly that this is online only. We live in the middle of nowhere, and even if we didn’t, wild horses couldn’t drag me into a physical store while all this nonsense is going on. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-on-site-to-buy-a-laptop-this-weekend/641726/2 "2012-11-21T19:01:33Z")
I have found [Newegg.com](http://Newegg.com) to be a good site to buy computers and hardware from. You should be able to get a decent laptop for under $500. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-on-site-to-buy-a-laptop-this-weekend/641726/3 "2012-11-21T19:13:51Z")
Amazon undersells almost everybody. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-on-site-to-buy-a-laptop-this-weekend/641726/4 "2012-11-21T22:37:00Z")
Do **not** buy from Best Buy. I’ve also found [newegg.com](http://newegg.com) is fine. So is [tigerdirect.com](http://tigerdirect.com). Also consider Dell and Lenovo, especially their outlet sites. ---
**Author:** ![jacobsta811](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jacobsta811/32/2893_2.png) [@jacobsta811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacobsta811)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-on-site-to-buy-a-laptop-this-weekend/641726/5 "2012-11-22T00:00:52Z")
You don’t want to buy from a particular site - you want a good deal ! Check [slickdeals.net](http://slickdeals.net) and search for laptop, anything that makes the front page is usually a pretty good deal. ---
**Author:** ![Kalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/df705f/32.png) [@Kalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalypso)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-on-site-to-buy-a-laptop-this-weekend/641726/6 "2012-11-22T00:01:32Z")
I have bought quite a bit of stuff from [tigerdirect.com](http://tigerdirect.com) for home and work and have been quite happy with them. One trick I often employ wherever I’m shopping is to also look up the item on [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) to compare the price and read the reviews. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-on-site-to-buy-a-laptop-this-weekend/641726/7 "2012-11-22T00:06:54Z")
> [@jacobsta811](#): > > You don’t want to buy from a particular site - you want a good deal ! Check [slickdeals.net](http://slickdeals.net) and search for laptop, anything that makes the front page is usually a pretty good deal. Also, [pricegrabber.com](http://pricegrabber.com) searches the internet for the best deals for you. I got a great deal on a tv a couple of years ago with it.