Best Laptop Deals: Apple MacBook Air for $849, 3 HP Laptops from $399, more

By Louis Ramirez, dealnews Senior Feature Writer

We’ve been sitting behind our laptops all day, putting together a roundup of the hottest notebook deals from the past week that are still available for you to compare. This week, we’ve got three HPs suited for any price range (starting at just $399.99) and a previous-generation Apple MacBook Air for $849. Prices are subject to change, so please be sure to check before you buy. And don’t forget to keep an eye on our best daily laptop deals for discounts throughout the week.

1. Apple MacBook Air Intel Core 2 Duo 1.86GHz 13.3″ Notebook
   Store: Springboard Media
   Price: $849 with $20 sh
   Lowest By: $71
   Expires: February 10

   Is It Worth It?: It’s a generation old, but at $849, this 13″ Core 2 Duo-powered MacBook Air is still one of the best ultraportables around. It’s also $30 under our December mention and the lowest price we’ve ever seen for this laptop. It features 2GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD drive, and Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

2. Dell XPS 15 Intel Core i7 2.2GHz 15.6″ 3G LED-backlit Widescreen Notebook
   Store: Dell Home
   Price: $899.99 via coupon code “932N$0ZCCHWZB9″ with free shipping
   Lowest By: $100

   Is It Worth It?: Although it features a 15″ display, the 6.7-lb. XPS 15 is a desktop replacement in disguise. The tank-like system packs a Sandy Bridge Core i7 quad-core CPU, 8GB of RAM, a roomy 750GB hard drive, Blu-ray / DVD combo drive, NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M 2GB graphics card, and a Dell NetReady 3G mobile broadband card. This week marks its third consecutive entry in our laptop roundup.

3. ASUS Intel Core i5 Dual-Core 2.66GHz 13.3″ LED-Backlit Widescreen Notebook
   Store: JR
   Price: $629 with free shipping
   Lowest By: $21

   Is It Worth It?: Stylish and compact, the 3.7-lb. ASUS U36JC-NYC2 defines “luxury laptop.” Though it measures less than an inch thick, it packs a previous-generation Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, an NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M 512MB video card, and USB 3.0 connectivity.

4. HP Pavilion G7-310us Core i3 Dual-Core 2.3GHz 17.3″ LED-Backlit Notebook
   Store: Office Depot
   Price: $449.99 via $50 mail-in rebate with free shipping
   Lowest By: $80
   Expires: June 9

   Is It Worth It?: Deals on desktop replacements have been getting more aggressive, and the HP Pavilion G7 is living proof. This 6-lb. system is currently the least-expensive HP 17″ laptop we’ve seen with a Sandy Bridge Core i3 processor. The laptop also packs a generous 6GB of RAM, a 640GB hard drive, HDMI port, and built-in Bluetooth.

5. HP EliteBook 2540p Core i5 2.66GHz 12.1″ LED-Backlit Widescreen Notebook
   Store: TigerDirect
   Price: $599.99 with free shipping
   Lowest By: $146

   Is It Worth It?: At 3.4 lbs., this business ultraportable was designed for the road. However, power users should take note as this laptop does cut some corners. For starters, it packs a previous-generation Core i5 CPU, and although it features the standard 4GB of RAM, it skimps out on storage and includes just a 320GB hard drive. On the plus side, a PC Mag review shows that it boasts an 8-hour battery, which should be a welcome feature for on-the-go business users.

6. HP Pavilion g6-1d73us Core i3 2.3GHz 15.6″ LED-Backlit Widescreen Notebook
   Store: Office Depot
   Price: $399.99 via $50 mail-in rebate with free shipping
   Lowest By: $180
   Expires: February 11

   Is It Worth It?: Despite being part of HP’s budget line, this 5.2-lb. laptop packs everything you’d want from an everyday laptop. It features a Sandy Bridge Core i3 CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and an HDMI port for quick connections to your HDTV. The laptop has little else going for it, but at $400 it’s hard to complain.

Front page photo credit: Surviving College

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