It may be a short month, but starting President’s day weekend, we actually have some pretty good deals on our shopping site (2/19 thru 2/25, to be precise). That’s the short version. The slightly longer version: I wanted to quickly point out some key deals going on and give you some extra perspective on what these particular machines would be good for and who could use them.
The Specs: Intel Core i7-3820, 2TB HDD, 10GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 7570 1GB, Norton Internet Security (NIS) 15 mos, 2-year warranty
The Price: $999 (Everyday price is $1099)
Who It’s For: This is a capable multimedia machine that can grow with you. The CPU, RAM and GPU also have more than enough horse power to muscle though day-to-day work tasks…and play games (or movies) at night.
Awards: Editors’ Choice (4 out of 5 stars) from PC Mag; Editors’ Choice from Hot Hardware
The Slick All-in-One PC: Omni 220xt
The Specs: Intel Core i5-2400S (Quad core, 2nd gen), 1TB HDD, 6GB RAM, Wireless N, 2 yr warranty
The Price: $699 (Everyday price is $799)
Who It’s For: Want a good, simple all-around, all-in-one machine to slip into a kid’s room? Maybe a useful computer that won’t stick out like a sore thumb in the living room? That’s where an Omni 220xt could work for you. Also, with built-in WiFi and a crisp 22-inch screen, think of this as a great way to have a computer – and streaming screen (for Netflix / Hulu / whatever) for any room.
Awards: Editors’ Choice (4.5 out of 5 stars) from PC Mag
The Mid-Range PC: Pavilion P7qe
The Specs: Intel Core i5-2320 quad core, 1TB HDD, 6GB RAM, 512MB Graphics (AMD 6450 or Nvidia GeForce 405 while supplies last), 2-year warranty
The Price: $549 (Everyday price is $599)
Who It’s For: This is the sort of machine for those that “just want a machine that’ll last me a while, handle most everyday tasks and I can upgrade parts as I need to down the road.” In other words, a lot of people you might know. I know for a fact that Darren Gladstone has a machine along these lines that he’s upgraded over time and now uses it as a media center computer at home.
The Sexy TouchSmart 610 quad
The Specs: Intel Core i7-2600 (Quad core, 2nd gen), 2TB HDD, 8GB RAM, Free BD writer, 1GB (AMD Radeon HD 6450A; HDMI-in, TV Tuner, Wireless N w/ Bluetooth; 2-year warranty
The Price: $1249 (Everyday price is $1349)
Who It’s For: The TouchSmart 610 is actually a pretty powerful, flexible PC in its own right. It can handle chores, play games and with the HDMI input and TV tuner, it’s a neat little all-in-one media hub in any room. And that’s saying nothing of the huge touchscreen interface and tilting base. If you’ve ever wanted to illustrate on a screen (whether it’s in MS Paint or Adobe Photoshop), this is the computer for you.
Awards: Editors’ Choice (5 out of 5 stars) from PC Mag, “Best Products of 2011” by Digital Trends; “Staff Favorites of 2011” by PC World; “Best TouchScreen Desktop of 2011” by Desktop Review
But it’s not just desktops that you can score deals on during the sale. I was chatting with Sheila Watson and she told me about a couple laptops that you should consider checking out as well….
The Specs: Intel Core i5-2430M, 8GB RAM, Integrated HD Graphics 3000, 750GB 5400rpm HDD and DVDRW drive
The Price: $599 (Everyday price is $699)
Who It’s For: This laptop is actually a pretty interesting deal. For under $600, you get a laptop that can cruise though most everyday tasks that you could imagine. I checked with Darren on this particular deal and if there was anything to consider upgrading, it’d be the graphics. With all the savings you’re getting during the President’s Day sales, you can put a few extra dollars into a better graphics chip. (or maybe upgrade the speed of the hard drive to a 7200rpm unit…or upgrade to a Blu-ray drive. You get the idea.)
Awards: Editor’s Choice (4 out of 5 stars) from LAPTOP; (4 out of 5 stars) “Top 10 All-Purpose Laptops” from PC World
The Mid-Range Laptop: Pavilion dv6z Quad
The Specs: AMD Quad-Core A6 3420M, 6GB RAM, Integrated AMD graphics, 640GB 5400rpm HDD and DVDRW drive
The Price: $499 (Everyday price is $549)
Who It’s For: This AMD-based laptop is for folks that have everyday needs ranging from multimedia consumption to maybe putting together a slide show for friends (or a PowerPoint presentation for work). Also, AMD’s integrated graphics is surprisingly effective for how little you’re spending on a 16-inch laptop.
Hope that these tips helped!
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