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    To buy or not to buy now, that is the question

    Discussion in 'HP' started by alwaysfaithful, Jan 2, 2009.

  1. alwaysfaithful

    alwaysfaithful Notebook Enthusiast

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    I am thinking of purchasing a HP Pavilion dv5t. I am fairly certain that it will meet all of my requirements and it seems to be the most popular choice here based on concensus. The deal on the hp website at this moment is also pretty attractive, at least so before January 5. My concern is if this is the right time to buy a hp or any laptop in general.

    My current laptop is a 3 and half year old dell inspiron. It is showing its age already. It has given me some trouble, mainly missing keys on the keyboard, power problem (battery), clustered hard drive, slowness even with web browsing but nothing serious, everything still functions, albeit lacklusterly. I havn't done any optimization, clean up on it. If I so desire, I can probably use it for another half a year until this summer.

    My understanding is that HP dv5t came out in July 2008. It's been almost six months. Is this laptop still pretty much in the very front of current technology, in terms of its specifications, at least among its class? Will something much newer and advanced come out between now and this summer (such as a more powerful class of intel cpu)? If I wait and buy a new laptop this summer instead of now, will the one I purchase in the summer be signficantly superior in terms of its specs or will the difference be minimal? There is no doubt there will be new models rolling out between now and the summer. But if I buy one now, will I be so dazzled by the newer choices available by the summer that I will regret a great deal that I bought too early?
     
    alwaysfaithful, Jan 2, 2009
    #1
  2. atbnet

    atbnet Notebook Prophet

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    The next Intel generation is supposed to arrive around Q3 2009 so notebooks featuring them should show up late Q3 or Q4.
     
    atbnet, Jan 2, 2009
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  3. foxnews

    foxnews Notebook Consultant

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    don't buy so that more available for others.
     
    foxnews, Jan 2, 2009
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  4. MidnightSun

    MidnightSun Emodicon

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    Computer prices only ever go down - the general rule is, if you don't need a computer, don't buy it.

    That said, functionality of laptops by summer of '09 likely will not be much better than the functionality in a moderately well-specced dv5t. Prices, however, will almost certainly be lower. So, my advice is if you do not currently have an urgent need for a new laptop, wait until the summer before buying.
     
    MidnightSun, Jan 3, 2009
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