Step 1:  Visit a deal website such as dealnews.com or slickdeals.net

Step 2:  Remove any laptop that does not have Windows 7 64-bit unless you know what you are doing.

Step 3:  Decide if you want a laptop with a decent video card or not (I recommend a decent video card as you never know when you’ll miss the multimedia benefits of having one).

Anything in the “1. High End Graphics Cards” or “2. Midrange Graphics Cards” at the following website: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html should be suitable for most users.

Step 4: If the price is over 400 dollars (or 700 dollars for one with a decent video card) then remove it as its not likely a good deal.

*Take note that some laptops have other features that I do not take into consideration when searching for a “good deal.”  For example I do not look at weight, appearance, and battery life.

Step 5: If you are searching for a laptop with a decent video card it probably means you want something with a powerful processor to handle multimedia applications.  Try to avoid any laptops that aren’t Intel (yes I realize AMD has some good ones but i’m keeping it simple) if the intel processor says Celeron then try to avoid it.  Look for Intel’s that say one of the following:  i7, i5, i3, Core 2 Quad,  Core 2 Duo

Step 6:  Aim for a laptop with at least 4GB of ram.

Step 7:  I try to avoid rebate deals but if its too good to pass up make sure you have a copy of the rebate form prior to making your purchase.
That about sums up my quick list of steps to take when searching for a good deal on a laptop.  Don’t forget to take things into consideration that you might be interested in.   For example screen size, battery life, weight, dvd burner, etc.