GO to fatwallet.com and slickdeals.net hourly and keep your eye out for laptop deals.
If you are willing to sign up for certain rebate programs, you can now buy an equivalent laptop for under $450 all inclusive shipped to your door.
Also, check out the lenovo factory outlet, (horrible customer service, incredible prices)
the dell refurbished outlet,
if you have a microcenter retail store near you, check out the microcenter.com open box laptop section,
check out the newegg.com open box/return section
sign up for the buy.com daily email (though buying a laptop from buy.com is a frightful experience if anything is defective)
I have always notied that when I buy something where the box has been retaped shut, it is something that was returned and put back on the shelve to resell. Walmart and other big stores do it because manypeople wont bother to return it after they sell it again.
Sooo am i just going to get someone elses problems by purchasing a return, or will it be fixed?