Recommendations for Buying a New Dell Laptop

[jmvoya]

I need to buy a new laptop and the more I look for one the more my head spins.  I'm pretty good at using a computer but not that savvy about hardware or software with all the the factors involved.  Recently I made a really bad decision when I bought a cheap All-In-One from Dell.  It turned out that the processor is not powerful enough to do much other than basic emails, etc.  I enjoy making small videos and using Photoshop for my own projects and I'm very disappointed that I can't do that with my new desktop.

Now, my laptop is on it's last legs and I want to make sure I don't make any huge mistakes again.  I'd like to stick with Dell since my old Dell laptop was quite good while it lasted.  I'd  like to get the best deal I can for roughly $500-$700.  I don't want touch screen.  I'd like a screen that is about 17".

I've looked at the Dell site, Walmart, Costco and Amazon and I just get so confused with all the options.  I'm especially concerned about the processor.

Any recommendations, advice, comments, pointing to other threads or other help would be greatly appreciated. 

Also, I live in Hawaii so most companies won't ship here for free.  That limits my choices.

[Geek-9pm]

This request should not be in this section. The moderator will move it
Bu to answer your request.
This is just an opinion.
I think you should buy a good Dell Desktop and add to it a good Graphics card. You do not need a super CPU, but you do need a good Graphics card.
Having said that, avoid the low end CPUs. Don't let people talk you into getting a cheep AMD thong. Get one of the recent Intel processors. Typically a socket 1150 or better. And stay away from the all in one. Too hard to expand or repair.
Example:
Dell Optiplex 9010 Core i5 3.4GHz
This is in the mid  price range for just the desktop with no monitor.
Or even the Dell Optiplex 7010 Intel Core i5 3.20GHz is a good value.
Do not bu the  small size units. Too hard to expand.
Just my thoughts. 

[jmvoya]

Sorry to be in the wrong section.  I thought recommendations sounded like the right place.  I see now that when it says, "Do not post questions here" it meant in the thread.  I thought it meant in that post.  I'm a little nervous posting on this site at all because I know so little about computers compared to most of the people who post here.   

Thanks for your reply but I'm stuck with the All-In-One for now.   

What I'm shopping for now is a good laptop.  I need to be able to move it from place to place.  I'll keep the points you made in mind, though.

[Geek-9pm]

When buying a laptop you must choose from these five:

A. Long battery life.
B. Lightweight, small size.
C. Touchscreen and keyboard
D. High performance.

You can get 3 or 4 out of five.  But not all five. IMO.

Forgot to mention price.

Dell Inspiron 15 5000 touchscreen laptop for $330

On the inside, this model sports a fourth generation dual-core 1.9GHz Intel Core i3-4030U processor, integrated Intel HD Graphics 4400, 6GB of DDR3L RAM (1600MHz), a 500GB 5400RPM hard drive, Bluetooth 4.0, and 802.11b/g/n/ac WiFi support. As for the 15.6-inch screen, it features LED backlighting, touch sensitivity, and a resolution of 1366×768. It also comes with a built-in 720p webcam, dual microphones, and a pre-installed version of Skype, so chatting with your friends couldn’t be easier.

No, I do NOT work for Dell.   

[jmvoya]

Thanks so much for your advice.  I think I have enough info now to make a decision.

The offer you listed is no longer available but I was able to use the details to help me choose a Dell 5000 series 17.3" laptop  from Amazon that looks pretty good for $405.58.

The reviews are good and, although the processor is only "middle of the road," the price is right.   The only other complaint is that it's heavy which isn't a real problem for me since I will only use it at home.

Thanks again.  Wish me luck!

[Geek-9pm]

... The offer you listed is no longer available but I was able to use the details to help me choose a Dell 5000 series 17.3" laptop  from Amazon that looks pretty good for $405.58. ...

Sorry I didn't catch that earlier.

[camerongray]

Thanks so much for your advice.  I think I have enough info now to make a decision.

The offer you listed is no longer available but I was able to use the details to help me choose a Dell 5000 series 17.3" laptop  from Amazon that looks pretty good for $405.58.

The reviews are good and, although the processor is only "middle of the road," the price is right.   The only other complaint is that it's heavy which isn't a real problem for me since I will only use it at home.

Thanks again.  Wish me luck!

Which specific machine is this on Amazon?  Can you link it?

[Geek-9pm]

It might be this:
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-MaxxAudio-Upgrade-Windows/dp/B00XQXZM7O
But it seems the price has changed.
That model has some options. Lake a 64 GB SSD, which ups the price.

The vendors are changing prices on some  of the popular new convertible laptops. Hard to keep up. The earlier link I had was from Extreme Tech and they did not update it. At one time they said it was $330 after discounts. Not Now!

EDIT: Gartnerr said prices would go up.
PC prices to go up later this year, Gartner warns
That was published back in April. 

[jmvoya]

Sorry, I didn't see this earlier.

This is what I bought and the price has actually gone down slightly. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XQXZLVG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

I have received it and have only updated to Windows 10 so far but it seems to be a good laptop for the price. 

The other one (linked by Geek above) looks like it might be a little better for only a slightly higher price but it's not Amazon Prime so it would have cost a lot to ship it to Hawaii.

I plan to add some more RAM to it soon.  I'd like to buy it from Amazon but I'm not sure how to tell exactly which kind to buy.  Can anyone help me with that, please?