Never bought a laptop before. But my wife wants one for Christmas. So I need to start looking. The most this will be used for is Youtube, Skype (video chatting), some internet java/flash games from her 7 yr old son, Facebook and email. If I want to play games I'll either use my desktop or PS3.

So I'm thinking an i3 with integrated graphics would work fine. If I'm wrong, let me know.

Price, I'd prefer to keep it under $600.00.

This is what I've found so far that I like:
Dell Inspiron 15R-2nd Gen.
$549.99
i3-2330M (2.20 GHz)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 (is this integrated or an actual GPU?)
6GB DDR3 (dual channel)
640GB HD
Integrated Webcam
15.6" Display
48 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=fndov72h&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&model_id=inspiron-15r-n5110&

I don't think it really needs 6GB or RAM. But to lower it to 4GB it looses dual channel. And it doesn't really need a lot of HD space. But to lower it to the 500GB model it actually costs a little bit more with the sale that's currently going on.

I can upgrade the graphics card to an AMD Radeonâ„¢ HD 6470M 512MB for an extra $75.00. But that puts me over $600.00 and I'm not sure if it would be worth it.

Also I have no idea when it comes to laptop batteries. How will the battery included hold up?

I'm not set on Dell or Intel. If anybody had any other suggestions, please post links.

 

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There's also this one:

lenovo IdeaPad Z570
$579.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834246213

Basically the same specs except the graphics card:
NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M (1GB)

It has a 500GB HD compared to the 640GB of the Dell. But that isn't an issue.

Also it only has a 0.3 mega pixel webcam, where the dell has a 1.0 mega pixel webcam. Not sure what that translates to when using Skype. Might or might not be an issue.

 

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keep an eye on woot.com
they have some pretty nice laptops from time to time on the cheap

 

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i'd stick with lenovo or dell. i know someone with an acer that's been pretty solid for a few years now too. cant help with specifics sry

 

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