Best Laptop Deals: New Price Low on an Ivy Bridge System, Deals from $380

We've been sitting behind our laptops all day, putting together a roundup of the hottest notebook deals from the past week that are still available for you to compare. This week's top laptops include the new ASUS Intel Ivy Bridge Core i7 2.3GHz 15.6" LED-Backlit Widescreen Notebook, plus best-selling notebooks from Lenovo, Samsung, and Dell. With deals starting at just $380, it's a great time to invest in a new laptop. And don't forget to keep an eye on our daily laptop deals for discounts throughout the week.

1. ASUS Intel Ivy Bridge Core i7 2.3GHz 15.6" LED-Backlit Widescreen Notebook
   Store: BJ's Wholesale Club
   Price: $679.99 with $9.22 s&h
   Lowest By: $81
   Expires: June 10

   Is It Worth It?: Ivy Bridge laptops have been in the market for less than a month, and yet we've already seen some stellar deals on these new systems. Coming in at $679.99, the 5.8-lb. ASUS R500VD-BS71 notebook is the least-expensive Ivy Bridge laptop we've seen and a worthy contender of our dealnews Editors' Choice award. Hardware-wise, this system won't disappoint: in addition to the quad-core Core i7 CPU, it includes 8GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, an NVIDIA GT 610M 2GB video card, and USB 3.0 connectivity (the latter is found on all Ivy Bridge laptops).
   

2. Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 Intel Ivy Bridge Core i7 2.3GHz 14" LED-Backlit Widescreen Notebook
   Store: Lenovo
   Price: $799 via coupon code "USPY4880517" with free shipping
   Lowest By: $800
   Expires: May 24

   Is It Worth It?: Making its second consecutive appearance in our laptop roundup, Lenovo's 14" Y480 packs some serious hardware including a new Core i7 quad-core Ivy Bridge processor. Joining the new CPU are 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M graphics card, making this 4.9-lb. IdeaPad one of the best-equipped 14" notebooks we've seen. However, CNET notes one major caveat: "all this power is paired with a lower-resolution [1366x768] screen, killing the high-end vibe."
   

3. Lenovo IdeaPad G570 Intel Core i5 Dual 2.5GHz 15.6" Notebook
   Store: Lenovo
   Price: $549 via coupon code "USPZ5B60517" with free shipping
   Lowest By: $20
   

   Is It Worth It?: The 5.7-lb. G570 is no stranger to our weekly roundup. However, unlike our last mention in February, this G570 is configured with a beeifier Sandy Bridge Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive.
   

4. Samsung Series 9 Intel Core i5 Dual Core 1.6GHz 13.3" LED-Backlit Widescreen Notebook
   Store: TigerDirect
   Price: $899.99 with $8.96 s&h
   Lowest By: $61
   

   Is It Worth It?: Although it could easily pass for an ultrabook (laptops that are less than 1.5" thick, under 2 lbs., use an Intel CPU, and run Windows), the Samsung Series 9 laptop is actually a well-heeled ultraportable. Known for its head-turning design, CNET calls this laptop "the closest the Windows world will ever come to a MacBook Air." The 2.9-lb. laptop features a Sandy Bridge Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, 128GB SSD drive, and USB 3.0 connectivity.

5. Dell XPS 15z Intel Core i7 Dual-Core 2.8GHz 15.6" Notebook
   Store: Dell Home
   Price: $999.99 with free shipping
   Lowest By: $462
   

   Is It Worth It?: PC Mag claims the XPS 15z is "every bit as luxurious as the Apple MacBook Pro" without the high price tag. Indeed, this 5.5-lb. laptop is tied with last week's mention as the least-expensive XPS 15z we've seen with a Core i7 CPU. Measuring just 0.97"-thick, it packs a Sandy Bridge Core i7 dual-core CPU, 8GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive, and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M 1GB video card. The laptop's strong performance, battery life, and lightweight design also won it a PC Mag Editors' Choice award.
   

6. Toshiba Satellite C655-S5503 Intel Core i3 2.3GHz 15.6" LED-Backlit Widescreen Notebook
   Store: Best Buy
   Price: $379.99 with free shipping
   Lowest By: $99
   

   Is It Worth It?: It used to be that bargain bin laptops were powered by Intel's first generation Core i-series processors. But now with Ivy Bridge in the picture, bargain bin laptops, such as this Toshiba Satellite C655-S5503, are being powered by Intel's still very-capable Sandy Bridge CPUs. (In this case, it's Intel's Sandy Bridge Core i3 CPU powering this notebook.) The 5.3-lb. system also features 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive.
   


An avid gadget lover, Louis Ramirez has covered technology for Gizmodo, CNET, Laptop, and various other publications. Follow him on Twitter at @LouisRamirez.

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