If you don’t need expansion card slots and memory that only goes to 2GB (EASILY upgraded this myself), then Best Buy has the laptop we bought last month back on sale for $449. This is an Internet only deal - no in store pickup. Unfortunately shipping this time around is $ 19.95 (if you’re patient you may see them throw in free shipping). But it met my two main criteria for a home laptop - (a) big enough hard drive (120 GB) and useable O/S (Windows Vista Home Premium). Last night we installed Office Professional off my Technet subscription (you did read about my Technet deal, right?). Ordinarily I’d say this is a middle of the road laptop…except…every time I use it I’m saying “you know this isn’t a bad laptop for the money” - and my main machine these days is a MacBook Pro. Take a look at this deal and if it suits your needs, I recommend it. UPDATE 4-6-2008 2:20pm : Just noticed this Dell on sale at Best Buy for $499 (has the same $16 shipping) - but 2GB of RAM and 160 GB HDD - memory on the Dell can go to 4GB max while the HP tops out at 2GB. Update: 4-18-2008:Check Fatwallet.com before making any purchases -  this laptop goes on and off sale all the time - I recently spied it at Best Buy in-store for $429.

Link: Best Buy Online - Commpaq Presario T2330 for $449 plus $ 19.95 shipping