Current 25% Studio XPS discount: rare or not?

I'm trying to get a sense of whether or not Dell's current 25% instant rebate on all Studio XPS models is a great discount, or merely a good one. I know that Dell is known for always/usually having a lot of great coupon codes, but 25% does seem outstanding. So for those of you who keep a closer eye on Dell than I do - is this degree of discount normal or unusual for Dell? In fact, is there any time of year that tends to be the "best" to get a Dell?

I'm probably not going to take advantage of this discount, but I'm still curious for future purposes. I'm trying to hold out on getting a new machine as long as possible - ideally, until Windows 7 comes preinstalled and perhaps until the new Intel chips/platforms come out.

Thanks!

 

i think it's not really usual, i've seen it last time like months ago, and it was only 20%. it's a pretty nice deal, it would cost me like $100 less with it, but when i ordered, RGBLED wasn't an option for it..

 

25% discount doesn't matter if they raise the base config prices by 30%

you have to keep monitoring the prices for some time, and buy when it feels right... do also keep in mind that prices will always fall, so don't wait forever...

 

Patience is a virtue. Dell will probably lower price in quarter 3 and will hae coupons around thanksgiving / christmas time.

 

I think its a good deal...I priced the 1340 and nearly *bit*..but had something else come up that kept me from purchasing at that time

The way I look at it is, if you see something you like now...and have been looking around for a while..you may as well get it...It all really depends on how long you can wait on the next *when's the next best deal going to come out from Dell, waiting game*

It depends on how bad you want your lappy' today? Tomorrow?...or a few weeks to a month?, etc...down the road.

Cin...

 

Actually, patience is a virtue that I rock pretty well when it comes to laptops. I'm currently running my five-year-old Dell Latitude D600 into the ground despite the fact that recent performance benchmarks against my friend's netbook resulted in a ROUSING win for the netbook....ha!

One interesting note is that, even given the current 25% discount on Studio XPSes at Dell.com, they still can't beat Best Buy - at least on the 13 inch model. In particular, Best Buy is selling a Studio XPS 13 for $900. I forget the exact number, but I configured an identical model at Dell.com, and even considering the current 25% discount, it would cost at least $200 more to get it from Dell.com directly. Crazy, huh? Granted, you can't customize the Best Buy model, but it's actually basically exactly the same model that I would get if I were to customize a machine - except it doesn't have an LED screen (kind of a downer).

 

Patience is an extreme virtue..practiced it with my 2 Dells...

On the 1340..I configured mine thru Home (great price)..saved it to m Cart, and called a EPP Rep, and they were able to beat the 25% price I had saved, and give me the additional 7% savings, plus 3% DPA, and a $100 GC on top of that (EPP was offering that at the time of purchase)....but darn...my luck was not working with me for my own *personal* purchase, at that time

It always narrows down to: how soon you need it, and how much are you willing to spend at that time!

Cin....

 

IIRC the Bestbuy model is essentially a base model (with leather and the 500GB hard drive) that also lacks the on-site warranty found when you purchase it from Dell directly. Overall it's still one of Bestbuy's better offers probably (and hence the reason it was featured in one of Microsoft's "Laptop Hunters" commercials).

 

When I ordered mine about two weeks ago, the discounts off the retail were over $500.00, so it's a constantly changing variable. One thing that's a killer now is the 9 cell battery, at the time $100.00 and now $180.00. They raise one price, lower another and when you get all done it's the same as two weeks ago. You can wait forever for that great deal coming down the road, but it's an endless road. Sooner or later you got to jump.

 

If you want pure value, watch the outlet combined with an outlet coupon. (I got my coupon from a member on NBR)

My XPS 16 was ~$800-810 shipped to me (not including the extra 9-cell), and that's with the 4670. And it was previously ordered new.

To put that in perspective: 5 years ago I bought an Inspiron 8600 15.4" laptop which was mid-grade in pretty much all respects. I dropped around $1000-1100 on it.

5 years later, I spent 20-30% less on a much higher-end laptop (comparatively).

I'm either smarter or stuff is getting cheaper

Or I found NBR!

Joe