Are there any cheap 13" and smaller non-netbook notebooks?

marcusicp

Limp Gawd
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Mar 20, 2003
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I need a notebook that is small but more power and screen resolution than a netbook. I need at least 1280 x 800 resolution, 2 gigs+ of RAM (or easy to upgrade to 2 gigs) and I would like a dual core processor (Intel preferred). No real set in stone budget but it needs to be as cheap as possible. Would spend as much as $700.00 but would like to stay around $500.00. I have my own OS so if it doesn't come with one that's fine too if it saves some cash. I am using this to run tuning software for my car and my netbooks just can't do it. Is what I am looking for even possible? Thanks!
 
You could get a refurbished DELL M1330 XPS system within your price range.

I got one last year and it's been a wonderful system to work with. Runs Windows 7 very well at the moment.

As I type this the cheapest one on the Dell Outlet is $589.
 
I have been looking on the outlet for a while now and always seem to miss any good deals. The cheapest XPS M1330 I see now is $689.00 and the cheapest I have seen on there so far is $639.00. It falls within my budget but it is still more than I would like to spend. Any other ideas?
 
Keep an eye out on the Dell Outlet.

I pickedup an Inspiron 1318 w/ 3 GB RAM and 160 GB HD, Core 2 Duo 2 GHz for $450 shipped after a coupon and taxes.
 
Were do you get coupons for dells? I always see people talk about them but I never come across any. Thanks!
 
Were do you get coupons for dells? I always see people talk about them but I never come across any. Thanks!

Do a Google for "Dell Coupons" and you'll find some sites that list them regularly.

http://www.techbargains.com/dellcoupons.cfm

http://www.logicbuy.com/searchresults.aspx?searchterms=dell

Also try keeping an eye on Dealnews.com for specials on laptops. I had a coupon code from here that gave me 15% off my refurb M1330 when I bought it.

The Dell Outlet is a great place to score a deal, but people snap them up as quick as they appear, so you need to have the time to sit there and refresh the screen for maybe an hour or so looking.

It was around 40 mins or so for me when I snagged my M1330 before, but time well spent I think.
 
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I need a notebook that is small but more power and screen resolution than a netbook. I need at least 1280 x 800 resolution, 2 gigs+ of RAM (or easy to upgrade to 2 gigs) and I would like a dual core processor (Intel preferred). No real set in stone budget but it needs to be as cheap as possible. Would spend as much as $700.00 but would like to stay around $500.00. I have my own OS so if it doesn't come with one that's fine too if it saves some cash. I am using this to run tuning software for my car and my netbooks just can't do it. Is what I am looking for even possible? Thanks!

Asus offers 13,3 and 12,1 inch laptops, MSI offers 12,1 inch laptops, HP offers 12,1 and 13,3 inch laptops...

i would suggest checking out what MSI has on offer, their laptops tend to be a tad cheaper then what Asus and HP offer.
 
Thanks for the help. I'm still looking so if anyone else has anything to add please feel free to do so.
 
Thanks for that link. I didn't know Lenovo had an outlet like dell. In general how do people feel about refurb notbook? I have picked up a refurb desktop before and had good luck with it but I am a little bit uneasy about a notebook for some reason. Also, what does everyone think about the SL400 think pads? I may step up to a 14" because it seems like the best bang for the buck is in the 14" size.
 
I got a 14.1" T61 from the outlet last October. It's a great no-nonsense laptop. It's built like a tank as one would expect of the Thinkpad line. Personally I still think 14.1" is still too big. I had a 12" dell before and I really liked the portability of it. Otherwise it's a great laptop. Here's another one that I'm looking at getting to replace my T61 http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4538464&CatId=2508, I don't think it would have the same build quality as my current thinkpad but that's a little trade off I'm willing to take.
 
Well, I just found a XPS M1330 on the outlet for $579 plus tax. I went ahead and jumped on it. It has a T6400, 3 gigs of RAM, and a 250 gig hard drive. I figured it was a good deal at that price. Thanks for all help everyone.
 
ha its funny you bought that one. I was looking at it and was about to add it to my cart then it told me it had been reserved by someone else. Ended up being you. Let us know how you like it
 
yeah a refurb 1330 or a refurb latitude e4300 would work. Stretching the budget, but $500 and ultraportable don't mix very well.
 
It's funny that you guys were looking at the same one! What are the odds? Let's hope this thing works out well for my needs.
 
May or may not go over your budget depending on your sales tax. I just got a Studio XPS 13 from the dell outlet for $704.51 after CA sales tax. The 15% off coupon that has been available for a while is still valid(they seem to keep on extending it)

Code:
[SIZE=2]-- Studio XPS 13 (1340) Laptop: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (3MB cache/2.4GHz/1066Mhz FSB)

-- Certified Refurbished

-- Processor Label

-- 65W AC Adapter

-- Dell WebCam Central 1.0 software

-- Shipping Material

-- Operating System Label

-- Power DVD Software

-- Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module

-- Software

-- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M G

-- Shipping

-- Operating System CD

-- Software

-- 125V Power Cord

-- Software

-- PowerDVD Software

-- 160 GB Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive (7200RPM)

-- Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium

-- Service Software

-- Facial Recognition Version 2.3

-- 6 Cell Primary Battery

-- 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz (2 DIMMs)

-- Microsoft Works 9.0

-- Roxio Creator 10.2 DE

-- Notebook Keyboard

-- 64BIT Operating System DVD

-- Dell Wireless 1515 802.11a/g/n WLAN half Mini Card

-- 13.3 inch HD WXGA Edge-to-Edge Laptop screen with 2.0 Megapixel Camera

-- Resource DVD

-- Obsidian Black with Leather Accent

-- 8X DVD ± RW w/dbl layer write capability

-- Image Restore Software[/SIZE]
 
Alright, just asking around since the thread is here...

What about 13" and smaller non-netbooks with multi-touch capability? Has stuff like that even become part of the more mainstream lines yet?

I'm using a 1000he and I found multi touch to be a blessing, but it's just too slow and 1024x768 is a pain for surfing depending on websites.
 
Well, I got the M1330 in and I must say I am impressed! Good size and plenty of power for the price! I may end up upgrading to a 7200 RPM HDD but other than that it's perfect!
 
hey just curious, how's the battery life on the six cell? I mean, since we were both looking at the same laptop I figured your opinion would be good for the other two of us who were looking to nab up something similar.
 
Dont know about the 6 Cell but for me with a 9 Cell I could get 4+ hours easy with proper power saving.

That's just watching movies, chat and web surfing for those 4 hours.

Loved that little machine, but now I've got a 15.4" Sager enroute that I hope I love even more. :D
 
Hey just wanted to add my $0.02. I got a scratch/dent M1330 off the outlet about 2 weeks ago and have been extremely happy with it. Spent a little more than the rest ($800) but the perks included were worth it for me. I'm running windows 7 right now and haven't had any trouble with drivers, including the fingerprint reader, nvidia card, wireless card, ect. ect. This is my first laptop so I don't have any perspective... but I've been very happy with my purchase so far.
 
P.S. - Like I said this is my first laptop so I was a little worried about the transition to touchpad. I have to say I love the synaptics software. The scrolling works perfect and I really like how you can set the corner taps to do whatever you want. Peace.
 
hey just curious, how's the battery life on the six cell? I mean, since we were both looking at the same laptop I figured your opinion would be good for the other two of us who were looking to nab up something similar.

I get around 3 hours with internet surfing on the 6 cell with the screen at full brightness.
 
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