Students, have you had your eye on a new PC lately, however you wanted to save up for a new Xbox 360 as well? Microsoft has you covered. For a limited amount of time starting May 22nd, you can buy a brand new Windows 7 PC and get a free Xbox 360! Of course, there are some limitations and not all retailers are doing it, so make sure you check first. Microsoft is attempting to appeal to students who are about to head to college in the Fall, and I have to admit – that is a fantastic deal. Read on to find out the limitations and the details, as well as some of my suggestions for a new computer.
In order to get a free Xbox 360, you must buy a Windows 7 based PC (new) that costs $699 or more, and you must have a .edu e-mail address (if ordering online) or show a student ID in store. You also will have to deal with getting the 4 GB console, not the 250 GB. However, a new 250 GB hard drive can be purchased at Newegg for $119.99 or it is currently on sale on Amazon for a whopping $84.99. A new 250 GB Xbox 360 Slim for $85 is a pretty fantastic deal.
Now all you have to do is figure out which computer you would like to purchase. I currently work at an electronics retailer and I get to see which ones are returned or get serviced on the most often, and I also get to see the best deals out there. Here are a few of my personal suggestions:
Note: before you begin complaining, every one of these computers come from either Best Buy or the Microsoft store. They haven’t announced all of the participating retailers, or else they would have all come from Newegg and other stores (except for my beloved Samsung). They have, however; mentioned Microsoft and Best Buy, as well as Dell.com and HP.com (but you won’t catch me going onto their sites).
Laptops
Specs: Intel i5 Processor 2.66 GHz, 4 GB DDR3 RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 310M Graphics card with 512 MB dedicated, 640 GB hard drive.
Price: $779 + tax
There is really no other way to put this laptop other than it is simply the sexiest laptop out there. With a fantastic island keyboard and an aluminum body, it is incredibly light, stays cool, and it is an extremely powerful little thing. I personally own the previous generation of this laptop and I absolutely adore it. I recommend it to anyone who is looking in this price range. It is a great value and a sturdy machine. Even my tech guys say that it is probably our best machine out there. Want to go a little bit cheaper and don’t need the processing power? You can go with the Samsung SF510 for $699.99. The only difference is the processor is an Intel i3 and it looks a little bit different.
Specs: Intel i5 Processor, 4 GB RAM, ATI Radeon HD 5450, 500 GB hard drive.
Price: $899 + tax
Are you going to school for graphic design or simply like to have a touch screen? The HP Touchsmart laptop converts into a tablet for easy use and drawing. I’ll admit, it hurt a little to put an HP laptop up here.
Specs: Intel i5 Processor, 4 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 310M, 500 GB hard drive.
Price: $999 + tax
You may be wondering why I put what looks like a worse computer than the Samsung that costs over $100 more. This computer does have one thing that the Samsung doesn’t: up to 9 hours of battery life. With an impressive battery life like that, it may be enough to waver some people into spending a little more. As an added bonus, it is also very light, coming in under 4 lb: a perfect school laptop.
Specs: Intel i5 Processor, 6 GB DDR3 RAM, Intel Integrated HD Graphics, 640 GB hard drive.
Price: $799 + tax
I am usually not a big fan of Dell, generally they are over priced, however if you aren’t concerned about having a great graphics card, then (dare I say it?) this really isn’t a bad deal. It has a larger screen than the rest of the laptops up here with 17.3″ and with that is a bit heavier at over 6 lb, but with 6 GB of ram and a large hard drive, you have plenty of power packed in it as well. It’s a laptop that I like to call a “portable desktop.” Too heavy and large to take with you everywhere, but if you plan on leaving it at home the majority of the time and just enjoy the option of being able to move it, this may be the laptop for you.
Of course, there are many fantastic laptops out there – many much more expensive than this, but if you are anything like me, I go for the best deals.
Desktops
Honestly, normally I would simply tell you to build one in order to get the best value. Since this deal doesn’t allow for that, I’ve scrounged up a couple of good deals on desktops as well.
Specs: Intel i7 Processor 3.4 GHz, 8 GB DDR3 RAM, UMA (essentially integrated) graphics, 1 TB hard drive.
Price: $899 + tax
I wish this computer came with a dedicated graphics card, but admittedly, that’s something I would want to pick out for myself anyways. Otherwise, it’s a powerful little machine, and I am a fan of Asus. Note: Price does not include monitor.
Specs: Intel i5 Processor 3.2 GHz, 8 GB DDR3 RAM, ATI Radeon HD 5570 1 GB dedicated, 1 TB hard drive.
Price: $1,099 + tax
A bit more expensive, but has the graphics card the Asus is missing. Either way though, I would go with one of the laptops above and save up to build a desktop instead. Note: Price does not include a monitor.
For more details and the offical announcement, click here.
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