Going off to college? Where to get the best laptop deals this week.
This week's best laptop deals feature three notebooks with better-than-average displays. To start, there's the new Acer Aspire S7 complete with its 13" WQHD display for $849. For an even better LCD, we've found a killer deal on the IdeaPad Y50, which packs a 4K display that Laptop Mag highly recommends. Finally, we've got a 15" Dell Inspiron with a 1080p display that's perfect for everyday use.
Acer Aspire Intel Haswell Core i5 1.6GHz 13.3" Touchscreen Ultrabook
Store: Microsoft Store
Price: $849 with free shipping
Lowest By: $161
Is It Worth It?: "If you want a laptop that packs both beauty and brawn, Acer's new Aspire S7-392-6807 is a strong contender," says Laptop. A refresh of last year's model, the new 2014 S7 packs a 13" WQHD 2560x1440 touchscreen, an Intel Core i5-4200U Haswell 1.6GHz dual-core processor, 8GB RAM, and a 128GB SSD. At 2.9-lbs., it keeps its predecessor's barely-there profile and it's also the cheapest price we could find for this Editors' Choice deal by $161.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 Intel Haswell Core i7 2.5GHz 15.6" 4K Ultra HD Laptop
Store: Lenovo
Price: $1,299.99 with free shipping
Lowest By: $200
Is It Worth It?: 4K displays aren't just for the living room anymore. A successor to the popular Y510p, the IdeaPad Y50 packs an eye-opening 3840x2160 LED-backlit 4K UHD LCD. Proving brains and beauty aren't mutually exclusive, the 5.3-lb. machine also features an Intel Core i7-4710HQ 2.5GHz Haswell quad-core processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB hard drive with 8GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M 2GB graphics, and 802.11ac wireless. Not sure you need the 4K screen? Laptop reviewed a 1080p version of this machine and recommends opting for the 4K display.
ASUS X551MAV-UB01 Intel Celeron 2.16GHz 15.6" Laptop
Store: Microsoft Store
Price: $249 with free shipping
Lowest By: $16
Is It Worth It?: There's nothing glamorous about the ASUS X551MAV-UB01. This 4.3-lb. laptop is a budget-minded machine, so in place of a fancy display or ultra-fast CPU you get an Intel Celeron N2830 2.16GHz dual-core processor, 15.6" 1366x768 LED-backlit LCD, 4GB RAM, and a 500GB hard drive. It may not outperform the other machines in our roundup, but at $249 this bargain bin laptop easily undercuts all of our systems.
HP ENVY Touchsmart 17t Intel Haswell Core i7 2.5GHz 17.3" Touchscreen Laptop
Store: HP Home & Home Office
Price: $799.99 via coupon code "HPBTS20" with free shipping
Lowest By: $200
Expires: August 27
Is It Worth It?: Proving that desktop replacements aren't dead, HP stuffs the ENVY Touchsmart 17t with all the latest tech you could want. The 7-lb. laptop features an Intel Core i7-4710HQ 2.5GHz Haswell quad-core processor, 17.3" 1600x900 touchscreen LCD, a whopping 12GB RAM, and a 1TB hard drive.
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Series Haswell Core i7 2GHz 15.6" Touchscreen Laptop
Store: Dell Home
Price: $779.99 via coupon code "75BM2J$K4T749D" with free shipping
Lowest By: $530
Expires: October 1
Is It Worth It?: "The Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Series offers impressively long battery life and solid performance in an elegant aluminum chassis," says Laptop. Even better, activate coupon code "75BM2J$K4T749D" to cut $530 off this mainstream machine. The 5.7-lb. notebook features above-average hardware including a Core i7-4510U 2GHz Haswell dual-core processor, 15.6" 1080p LED-backlit touchscreen LCD, 8GB of RAM, and a 1TB hard drive.
Lenovo Z40 Intel Haswell Core i7 3GHz 14" Laptop
Store: Lenovo
Price: $709 with free shipping
Lowest By: $290
Is It Worth It?: Released in May, the Lenovo Z40 is an entertainment-focused laptop complete with dedicated graphics and a screaming CPU. The 14" powerhouse packs a Haswell Core i7-4500U 3GHz dual-core processor, 14" 1366x768 LED-backlit LCD, 8GB RAM, 1TB hard drive with 8GB SSD, and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 820M 2GB graphics card.
Louis Ramirez is a senior features writer for DealNews, where this article first appeared: http://dealnews.com/features/best-laptop-deals/
