The lowest price on a new m90 is that I have seen (and I look regularly) is around $2200. I have seen slightly used models with the older processors (dual core, not the dual core 2) sell for under $2K, and they had the 1500 Quadro card.
As of right now, there is a scratch & dent M90 for $1729 and several certified refurbs for well under $2000. All have 2GB RAM and an nVidia Quadro FX1500 256MB dedicated video card.
In general, what is the experience with the notebooks bought at the Dell Outlet? I know they offer the 3-year, on-site warranty. For those of you who have purchased, how good is their service?
The reason I ask: I looked this morning in Best Buy at the equivalent, latest-model HP dv9260nr. It costs $2,249 with only 1-year warranty. And the extended, 3-year warranty is an additional $450 !!! I think that this rules out the latest of the HP machines.
So, back to the Dell Outlet. Please share your service experience, if you have ever needed it. Thanks!
A short update, and BIG thanks to everyone for your help in buying a new laptop.
Best Buy would NOT sell me their HP dv9260nr, unless eCabinets is certified to run under Vista. I believe they are now gun-shy, due to a wave of returns - programs just not running properly, etc.
So, went back to the Dell Outlet, and bought an M90, Intel Core 2 Duo 2000, 80GB HDD,512MB NVIDIA Quadro FX 2500M, 8X DVD +/-RW, all for less than the HP system. AND the total cost includes three-year accidental coverage, purchased separately, in addition to their standard 3-year, next-day on-site support included with the laptop.