Laptops & Computing

Laptop prices move with two calendars: the chip launch cycle, when last year's models are cleared, and the retail calendar of back-to-school in August, Black Friday and the post-holiday clearance in January. Business-line laptops from Dell, Lenovo and HP are discounted on the manufacturers' own sites far more often than consumer models, and coupon codes there are common.

For components and peripherals, Newegg, Micro Center and Amazon compete closely; promo codes and combo deals are normal, and mail-in rebates should be treated as a bonus rather than part of the price. Monitors and storage drop steadily over a product's life, so a price that looks good in spring is often beaten by autumn.

Read the specification line, not the model name: the same laptop name is sold in several memory, storage and processor configurations at very different prices.