Is this a good deal, or can I do better?

I bought an 17.3" Inspiron from QVC with the following features:

Dell Inspiron 17R notebook. 2.4GHz Intel Core i3-370M processor, 17.3" diagonal HD WLED glossy TrueLife display with 1600x900 resolution, 500GB 5400 RPM SATA hard drive, 6GB dual-channel DDR3 memory, 8X DVD+/-RW optical drive with dual-layer DVD+R write capability, Dell 1501 802.11g/n wireless card, Intel HD Graphics, Integrated audio, Two 2W HD 2.0 speakers,
SRS Audio Enhancement, 3W sub woofer, Built-in 1.3 megapixel Web cam with facial recognition, Dedicated numeric keyboard, 10/100 Ethernet, 7-in-1 memory card reader: SD, SDHC, MMC, MMC+, MS, MS Pro, xD, Three USB 2.0 ports, HDMI; Combo eSATA/USB 2.0; VGA; RJ-45 ports, Headphone/line-out, mcrophone/line-in jacks, Half mini card slot, Security lock slot, AC adapter connector, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010, preinstalled, Measures approximately 16-5/8"L x 11-1/4"D x 1-3/8"H; weighs 6.76 lbs, UL listed adapter; 1-year Limited Manufacturer's Warranty

I paid $950 for this, with shipping included. It also comes with a free 4-year subscription to McAfee and a "Software Treasures" package that includes Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 as one I'd be most likely to use.

So did I get a good price, or can I do better elsewhere -- either through Dell or a reseller?

 

Dell has an almost identical configuration of the 17R priced at only $599 right now- LINK

The only difference is 4GB of RAM instead of 6GB and the one from Dell has Bluetooth, 1-year of LoJack for Laptops included and a shorter 15-month McAfee subscription. I can assure you that 4GB of RAM is all you'll need for any task you could perform on that system, any more is overkill! You also don't want to be stuck with McAfee for four years and unable to change to another, superior security product that could hit the market in the meantime.

I was also surprised and very pleased to see that Dell has mad their extended warranties much more affordable. A 1-year warranty is standard, but extending it to 2-years is only $59 or just $119 for 3-years of coverage. The 3-year upgrade also includes a $30 Dell promo gift card that you can use on the site later to buy some accessories. I would never recommend buying any type of warranty enhancement or extension from a third party provider, ONLY from the manufacturer and even then only if it's priced reasonably.

If you want Microsoft Office Home & Student 2010 like the one from QVC, Dell offers it as a $119 option that you can check while configuring your laptop. Adobe Photoshop Elements 9.0 is $60 from Dell's software library, so both of these would still makee the price around $780! Plenty of room to add a year or two more warranty coverage and still come out less expensive than QVC!

Besides saving money and hopefully getting longer warranty coverage, there's another important reason I would encourage you to order one from directly from Dell- better support and customer service over the life of your laptop. Customer service and tech support both treat customers very differently depending on whether they purchased from the Dell site or from a reseller. They almost seem to look at anything they didn't sell directly to a customer isn't their problem to fix or something. If you ever were to need a brand new laptop replacement under warranty, it will happen if you bought from Dell.com. Otherwise, they'll keep attempting to repair it until your warranty runs out....it's not right or fair, but that's the lay of the land, my friend!