Toshiba Satellite Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 1.67GHz Laptop (U300-NS6) for $1,099.99

Special offer from Futureshop.ca. $400 off the regular price. Currently on sale for $1,099. A great laptop for mobile performance. Features a 13.3" wxga screen, 160 gb hard drive, 2 gb DDR2 ram (expandable to 4 gb), 358 mb shared video memory, integrated webcam, wi-fi a/g/n, ethernet, 56 k modem, 2.5 hours battery life, DL DVD writer and windows vista home premium os.

Excellent deal for mobile professionals. Offer expires on October 25, 2007.

HP AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core TL-58 Laptop (DV9612CA) for $999

Futureshop.ca is giving $350 off on this 17" HP laptop. This laptop is loaded with 200 gb hard drive, 2 gb ram, a huge 17" wxga high definition screen, 559 mb shared video memory, 8 cell battery, bluetooth, ethernet, wi-fi a/b/g/n, built in webcam + microphone and windows vista home premium operating system.

This is a good deal for those of you who are looking for a large screen laptop. It has enough features to last you for years to come. Sale will expire on October 25, 2007.

HP Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 1.5GHz Laptop (DV6629CA) for $1,099

Excellent deal on this entertainment laptop from futureshop.ca. Currently it's $400 off the regular price. Features a gigantic 250 gb hard drive, 2 gb RAM, 8X Lightscribe DVD writer, 15.4" screen, 384 mb shared video memory, fingerprint reader, 12 cell lithium ion battery, Ethernet, bluetooth, wi-fi (a/b/g/n), webcam, microphone, remote and windows vista home premium.

This is a powerful laptop containing most of the modern technologies. A great deal for power users. Sale ends on October 25, 2007.

Sony VAIO N365EB 15.4" Intel Core Duo T2450 2.0GHz Laptop for $749

Bestbuy.ca is giving this laptop for only $749. It's $450 off the regular price. Comes with the following features: 120 GB harddrive, 1 GB DDR2 RAM, 15.4" XBRITE WXGA screen, 128 mb video memory, 8X DL DVD writer, Wi-fi, ethernet and windows vista premium operating system.

Sale expires on October 25, 2007.

Acer Aspire AS5570-4315 14.1" Intel Core Duo T2450 2.0GHz Laptop for $599

Bestbuy.ca is offering this laptop for only $599. It's $300 off the regular price. This one is a good buy for students. The laptop comes with the following features: 160 GB hard drive, 1 GB RAM, DVD writer, Wi-fi, 128 mb video memory, built in microphone + webcam and windows vista premium operating system. The battery offers a 2.5 hours of run time.

This deal will expire on October 27, 2007.

HP Pavilion AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual Core TL-58 1.9GHz Laptop (DV6622CA) for $799

Futureshop.ca is currently offering some great deals on its HP laptops. This HP Pavilion AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual Core TL-58 1.9GHz Laptop (DV6622CA) for $799 is one of a deal. Currently, it's $400 off the regular price.

The laptop has the following features: 160 GB hard drive, 2 GB RAM, 8X DL Lighscribe DVD writer, 15.4" Screen, 559 MB shared video memory, Ethernet, wifi, built in microphone + webcam and windows vista premium operating system.

This laptop won't last long. For more information, visit Futureshop.ca. Sale ends October 25, 2007.

Laptop buying tips for new buyers

Many people often ask me "I am planning to buy a laptop. What features should it have?". If you are a new buyer, it's very important to ask this question. I have listed below a few must have features that will keep your laptop going for years to come.

Processor: If you are planning to buy a laptop soon, go for Intel Centrino Core 2 Duo. It's faster than most other processors. Other options include AMD Turion X2 TL-56 or higher. Both of these processors provide excellent performance while preserving battery power.

Memory: Get one with atleast 2 GB of RAM. Or if you want to buy one with 1 GB, make sure it is upgradable to atleast 2 GB.

Hard Drive: Depends on your needs. However, a 120 GB or up would be great.

CD/DVD Drive: Most laptops now come with DVD burners. 8X Double Layer or higher is good.

Video Memory: Try to get one that has dedicated video memory. If not, than get one that will provide a fast shared memory of a minimum of 128 mb.

Screen Size: 15.4" is ideal. Smaller screen size is better for mobility.

Wireless Connection: This feature is available on most new laptops. Buy one that can pick up a/b/g signals. The latest "n" is 600% faster than the above ones, but costs more.

Ethernet Connection: Your laptop should have this built in. This allows the laptop to be connected to the modem using an ethernet cable. Often required for high speed internet.

Warranty: Unlike desktops, laptops are not that easy to fix. Also, the parts costs way more. It is a good idea to get extended warranty on laptops. Don't buy any that only offers 30 days or 90 days warranty. You should get atleast 2 to 3 years of warranty.

Finally the Price: For all of the above features, excluding taxes and warranty, you are looking at a laptop that is between $600 to $1000. If you are not in a rush to buy one, wait for some good sale to come on.

Should you buy a laptop with Windows XP or Vista?

Microsoft's Windows Vista is a beautiful piece of operating system. It's filled with tons of visual effects to keep your eyes cooled. However, it does come with a lot of headaches.

First of all, there are many softwares that are not yet compatible with Vista. My computer with Vista premium crashed after I installed McAfee antivirus. This antivirus used to work fine on XP professional. Moreover, many essential softwares needed for my job stopped working on vista. To add to the problem, some of my computer accessories stopped working as well since the correct drivers were not available for Vista.

In conclusion, Vista would be a good choice for you if you don't do too much computing and don't need to use a wide variety of softwares. However, Windows XP Professional SP2 is a much better choice for the rest of the people.

As for laptops, Windows XP will run superb with just 1 GIG of RAM. However, Vista Premium requires a good 2 GB of RAM for fast performance. Since laptops with 1 GB is cheaper than 2 GB, by about $100, it's a good choice to switch to windows xp rather than vista.

Dell Vostro 1500 Core 2 Duo T5470 laptop for $849

Dell is offering a good deal on its business class Vostro laptops. Vostro is classified as a high-end laptop. For only $849, you can purchase a Vostro 1500 Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5470 laptop with the following features: 160 GB Hard drive, 2 GB RAM, 15.4" screen, 8X DVD burner, wifi, High Definition audio and Windows XP home edition operating system.

Also, for $749, you can pick up one with 1 GB RAM and for $1,099, you can get one with Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 at 2.0 GHz.

These prices will expire on October 18, 2007. Try coupon code NMWHGG8X2NMDVF to see if you qualify for more discounts.

Laptops at Craigslist.org

Craigslist.org is one of the most popular classified ads websites in the world. I have often got very good deals on laptops and other computer accessories through local sellers advertising on Craigslist. It is true that some of the sellers can be risky, but, there are plenty of trustworthy sellers available as well. If you can find one of those good sellers, you will probably end up buying a brand new laptop that is 40%-50% less than the retail stores. There are also individuals who just don't need a laptop anymore and just get it sold through craigslist. Plus, unlike stores, you can burgain with the sellers. So, keep an eye on craigslist for some good deals. PS. Be sure to read Craigslist's warnings and scam alerts before dealing with any seller. Good luck!

HP Pavilion DV6648SE 15.4" Intel Centrino Core 2 Duo T5250 Laptop for $1099

Bestbuy.ca is currently offering this laptop for only $1099, $500 off its regular price. Not a bad deal as this laptop is a powerful piece of machine. Features include: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.5 GHz processor, 2 GB RAM, 200 GB harddrive, 15.4" screen, 384 MB video memory, wireless, LAN, 12 cell battery, integrated microphone + webcam and windows vista home premium operating system.

If you need a laptop quickly, this will be a nice deal!

This offer has expired.

Toshiba Satellite Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 1.5GHz Laptop (A200-06V) for $699

Futureshop.ca is currently offering Toshiba Satellite Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 1.5GHz Laptop (A200-06V) for only $699. That's $500 off its regular price.

Here are the laptop features: Core 2 Duo at 1.5 GHz speed, 3 hours battery life, 120 GB hard drive, 8x DVD writer, 1 GB RAM, 15.4" screen, 256 mb shared video memory, wireless, integrated webcam and microphone and windows Vista premium operating system.

Besides the 1 gig RAM, it's an excellent deal! Won't last for long. To read more, visit Futureshop.

This offer has expired.

Should you buy a 17" or 15.4" Laptop?

I am a web designer. Dealing with graphics and video editing is my daily routine. A large screen size is a demanding part of my job. I usually use a desktop to do all the graphics design. My LCD monitor's screen size is 20.1". So, if you ask me whether I would buy a 17" laptop or a 15.4", I would prefer 17" but there are some limitations to that choice.

First of all, 17" laptops are huge! If you are going to travel around with your laptop, then 17" is not recommended. A 15.4" isn't that small either, but in my opinion, it's an ideal size for day to day work and provides just the right screen resolution. Most 17" screens will allow you to reach resolutions upto 1440x900 pixels. 15.4" let you go upto 1280x800 pixels. As per statistics, the most popular resolution nowadays is 1024 x 768. So, it's not a bad choice to buy just a 15.4".

Unless you are a graphic designer, video editor, etc, a 15.4" is good enough. Specially for students, a smaller laptop will provide greater mobility and more cost effectiveness.

Refurbished HP Core 2 Duo laptop for only $729

Futureshop.ca is offering a refurbished HP Intel Centrino Core 2 Duo T5200 Laptop (DV6131) for only $729. The laptop is loaded with 120gb hard drive, 2 gb of RAM, 3 hours battery life, wireless and 128 mb of shared video memory. This laptop is Vista capable, though it's preloaded with windows XP media centre operating system. 90 days warranty is included with purchase.

Not a high-end machine, but, if you are looking for a low cost core 2 duo laptop, this would be a good buy.

Which one to choose: Intel's Pentium M, D, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo or AMD's Sempron, Athlon and X2?

You have probably noticed a huge price drop on all the Pentium M, D, AMD's Athlon and Sempron processors after the release of Dual Core processors by both the brands. For newbies, the attractive prices of Pentium M or D could easily lure them to buying one. However, the performance of a dual core processor beats all those of the previous types. But, even between the dual core processors, one has to decide whether to go with Intel's original Core Duo processors, AMD's X2 processors or the new Intel's Core 2 Duo processors. The short answer is that Intel's Core 2 Duo processors out run all the others. As a result, for a laptop, core 2 duo would be the best choice. It's even better if you can get hold of a Core 2 Duo Centrino processor. That's because, centrino processors are designed to provide more battery life than a regular core 2 duo processor. AMD's Turion brand provides the same feature. The good news is that the prices for core 2 duo laptops are going down. You should be able to purchase one for under $900.