Top 15 Holiday Deals on Notebooks, Netbooks, and Desktops

Black Friday is gone, Cyber Monday is history, and Cyber Week is over, but the deals are still around–if you know where to look. The holiday shopping season is in full swing, and retailers are offering great computer discounts to fit everyone’s budget. Take a look inside to find netbooks for $300, desktops with widescreen monitors for under $600, and 15-inch laptops starting at $400. Check it out.

Model: p6644y

Specs: 4GB DDR2 RAM, 1TB hard drive, 2.8GHz Intel Pentium processor, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), 20-inch widescreen TFT-LCD monitor with 1600-by-900 resolution

Availability: Deal ends December 11

Thoughts: If you’re searching for a solid home computer this holiday season, give this desktop a look.

(Pictured: HP Pavilion p6670t)

Model: A665-S6086

Specs: 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB hard drive (7200 rpm), 2.4GHz Intel Core i3-370M processor, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), 16-inch LED-backlit TFT-LCD screen with 1366-by-768 resolution, 4G WiMax modem

Availability: Deal ends December 11

Thoughts: This laptop sold for $680 in mid-November, so Best Buy’s deal gives you about $80 in real savings. The retailer is also offering this laptop for $500 in select areas–if you’re willing to sign up for a two-year WiMax data agreement from Clear or Time Warner Cable.

Model: L655-S5096

Specs: 3GB DDR3 RAM, 320GB hard drive (5400 rpm), 2.0GHz Intel Pentium P6100 processor, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), 15.6-inch LED backlit TFT widescreen display with 1366-by-768 resolution

Availability: Deal ends December 11

Thoughts: Here’s another inexpensive Toshiba laptop that Best Buy is discounting by $80, compared with prices in mid-November.

Model: M11x

Specs: 2GB DDR3 RAM, 160GB hard drive (5400 rpm), 1.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor, 1024 MB Nvidia GeForce GT335M graphics card, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), 11.6-inch WLED with 1366-by-768 resolution

Availability: Deal ends December 9 at 6 a.m. Central Time

Thoughts: PCWorld’s review of the Alienware M11x gave this ultraportable laptop 4.5 stars out of 5 and called it a “salvation” for gamers tired of “lugging around an 8- to 10-pound monster with awful battery life just to play games.” If you’re looking for a gift for the gamer in your life, you can save $200 off the regular price until December 9. The shipping is free.

Model: Inspiron 15r

Specs: 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB hard drive (5400 rpm), 2.4GHz Intel Core i3 370M processor, 15.6-inch LED display (720p), Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

Availability: Deal ends December 9 at 6 a.m. Central Time

Thoughts: This is a solid Dell laptop available for under $500, but the deal will be over soon. Keep your eyes on Dell’s deals page, as the computer maker is offering two special bargains per day until December 13. Free shipping.

Model: ST2420L

Specs: 24-inch LED widescreen display, 1920-by-1080 (1080p) resolution at 60Hz; one VGA, one HDMI, and one DVI-D port

Availability: Deal ends December 9 at 6 a.m. Central Time

Thoughts: Your family’s holiday videos will look great on this high-definition (1080p) display. You save $80 and get free shipping, too.

Model: MC374LL/A

Specs: 4GB DDR3 RAM, 250GB hard drive, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 13.3-inch LED-backlit display with 1280-by-800 resolution, Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics processor

Availability: Ongoing

Thoughts: Finding a good deal for a MacBook beyond the refurbished bin is tough. Sure, if you want to buy a Mac, you’re going to buy a Mac, regardless of bargains. But if you’re getting a Mac anyway, why not save yourself $60?

Model: 40253GU

Specs: 1GB DDR2 RAM, 250GB hard drive (5400 rpm), 1.66GHz Intel Atom D510 processor, 18.5-inch TFT display with 1366-by-768 resolution, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

Availability: Ongoing

Thoughts: This system originally sold for $500 but has since dropped down to about $450 on average. So the savings aren’t huge here, but the value for what you get at $427 makes this computer worth a look.

Model: AS5742

Specs: 4GB DDR3 RAM, 320 GB hard drive, 2.4GHz Intel Core i3 -370M processor, 15.6-inch LCD widescreen display, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), three USB ports, one HDMI connection, one VGA port

Availability: While supplies last

Thoughts: This laptop was selling for $550 a few weeks ago, but now you get a $50 eGift card to use at Walmart.com or Samsclub.com. Not a bad deal.

Model: p6653w

Specs: 5GB DDR2 RAM, 1TB hard drive, 3.0GHz AMD Athlon II dual-core processor, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 19-inch widescreen LCD monitor

Availability: While supplies last

Thoughts: A holdover from Walmart’s Cyber Week sale, this offer remains a great deal for a PC with a monitor, tons of RAM, a good processor, and a huge amount of storage.

Model: G72-B63NR

Specs: 3GB DDR3 RAM, 250GB hard drive, 2.0GHz Intel Pentium processor, 17-inch LED display with 1600-by-900 resolution, operating system not specified

Availability: In stores until December 11

Thoughts: At the time of this writing, this HP laptop was out of stock online but still available in most stores. It’s a good deal, and $100 off RadioShack’s mid-November price.

(Pictured: HP G72-B60US)

Model: NB255N245

Specs: 1GB DDR2 RAM, 160GB hard drive (5400 rpm), 10.1-inch LCD screen with 1024-by-600 resolution, Windows 7 Starter

Availability: Ongoing

Thoughts: With the advent of tablets such as the iPad, it’s not clear what the fate of the netbook will be. But road warriors looking for a low-priced travel computer should check out this netbook.

Model: G560

Specs: 4GB DDR3 RAM, 320GB hard drive, 2.0GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core P6100 processor, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), 15.6-inch LED-backlit screen with 1366-by-768 resolution

Availability: Deal ends December 11

Thoughts: For $400 you get a serviceable computer with a decent amount of RAM, a reasonable hard-drive size, and a good processor.

Model: G62-340US

Specs: 3GB DDR3 RAM, 320GB hard drive, 2.2GHz AMD Athlon II Dual-Core P340 processor, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), 15.6-inch LED display with 1366-by-768 resolution

Availability: In stores only, until December 11

Thoughts: The biggest drawback of this laptop is that you have to pay an extra $50 for it up front, but Staples’ online Easy Rebate system makes this deal a bit more palatable than a mail-in rebate.

Model: AS5736Z-4790

Specs: 4GB DDR3 RAM, 320GB hard drive (5400 rpm), 2.3GHz Intel Pentium T4500 processor, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), 15.6-inch LCD screen

Availability: While supplies last

Thoughts: A close cousin of the Walmart Acer laptop shown earlier, this notebook has a wimpier processor; everything else, however, is pretty much the same. If you can deal with a slower computer, save yourself another $150 with this deal from Office Max.

(Pictured: 15.6-inch Acer Aspire AS5741Z)