Dell and HP for under $500: the week's best laptop deals

This week's roundup of the best laptop deals includes a selection of mainstream machines for under $500, as well as a gaming/multimedia IdeaPad for more than $300 off.

An Acer Aspire laptop, left, and a Lenovo IdeaPad U310 Touch are seen at a demo table at a Microsoft event in San Francisco.

Jeff Chiu/AP/File

August 13, 2016

This week's roundup of the best laptop deals includes a selection of mainstream machines for under $500, as well as a gaming/multimedia IdeaPad for more than $300 off. Read on to save hundreds!

Dell Latitude 15 Skylake Core i3 3.7GHz 15.6" Laptop
Store: Dell Small Business
Price: $479 via code "DOTW$50"
Shipping: Free shipping
Lowest By: $362
Expires: August 15

At under $500 and sporting a current generation processor, this deal on the Dell Latitude 15 3000 Series 3570 Intel Skylake Core i3 3.7GHz 15.6" Laptop gives you a lot of bang for your buck. Plus, it's more than $360 off list price. It features an Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Skylake dual-core processor, 15.6" 1366x768 LCD, 4GB RAM, 500GB 7200 rpm hard drive, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, 4-cell battery, and Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (includes Windows 10 Pro license).

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Lenovo IdeaPad 700 Skylake Core i7 2.6GHz 15.6" Laptop
Store: Adorama
Price: $799.99
Shipping: Free shipping
Lowest By: $308

With an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M graphics card and Dolby Home Theater sound, the Lenovo IdeaPad 700 Intel Skylake Core i7 2.6GHz 15.6" 1080p Laptop can handle all your gaming and multimedia demands. Plus, it's a current low by more than $300. It features an Intel Core i7-6700HQ Skylake 2.6GHz quad-core processor, 15.6" 1920x1080 (1080p) LED-backlit LCD, 16GB RAM, 1TB hard drive with 256GB SSD, Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M 4GB graphics, 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, 3-cell battery, and Windows 10 Home.

Alienware Skylake Core i7 2.7GHz 15.6" 4K Laptop
Store: Dell Home
Price: $2,133.55 via code "10OFFAWXPS"
Shipping: Free shipping
Lowest By: $485
Expires: August 18

Called "a unicorn in a field of thoroughbreds" by Laptop Magazine, the Alienware 15 R2 Intel Skylake Core i7 2.7GHz 15.6" 4K UHD Laptop is a high-end gaming machine. Plus, it's nearly $500 off list price. It features an Intel Core i7-6820HK 2.7GHz Skylake quad-core processor, 15.6" 3840x2160 (4K) IPS LCD display, 8GB RAM, 1TB 7200 rpm hard drive with 256GB SSD, Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M 8GB graphics, Killer 1535 802.11ac wireless, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.1, webcam, backlit keyboard, Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.0, HDMI, 8-cell battery, and Windows 10 Home 64-bit.

HP Pavilion AMD A9 2.9GHz 15.6" Laptop
Store: HP
Price: $309.99 via code "EMRY9599"
Shipping: Free shipping
Lowest By: $270

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Another economical mainstream machine, the HP Pavilion AMD A9 2.9GHz 15.6" Laptop is a good option for those who want something versatile that won't break the bank. At $270 off list price, this is the lowest price we've seen for it. Features include an AMD A9-9410 2.9GHz dual-core processor, 15.6" 1366x768 (720p) LED-backlit LCD, 8GB RAM, 1TB hard drive, DVD burner, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI, USB 3.0, media card reader, HD webcam, 2-cell battery, and Windows 10 Home 64-bit.

HP 15-ay011nr Skylake Core i5 2.3GHz 15.6" Laptop
Store: Amazon
Price: $449.99
Shipping: Free shipping
Lowest By: $110

Another mainstream option, the HP 15-ay011nr Intel Skylake Core i5 2.3GHz 15.6" 1080p Laptop boasts a current-generation Skylake processor and a high-def display. Even better, it's more than $100 off list price. It features an Intel Core i5-6200U 2.3GHz Skylake dual-core processor, 15.6" 1920x1080 (1080p) LED-backlit LCD, 8GB RAM, 1TB hard drive, 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, DVD burner, and Windows 10 Home 64-bit.

This article first appeared in DealNews.