Backlit-keyboard, Ivy Bridge quad-core, 16 GB RAM

If you can live without back-lit keys this is way under your price range and a very good buy

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Looks like my response yesterday did not get posted.

The system you have linked to looks good. Although it has a Sandy Bridge processor it has a discrete GPU. Unfortunately, the most important thing I am looking for is a backlit-keyboard.

I found one system, HP Pavilion dv6-7014nr, but it has received mixed reviews. Wish backlit-keyboards were standard.

what is the purpose?

There is one an hp dv6 7000 but the only problem woul;d be 720p basic resolution price almost 900$

Do you want a good dedicated gpu???

Software development.

Try the 14" chassis from Sager.

http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_cus...

In there you can put an i7 and AFAIK, they all come with backlit keyboards.

Cheers!

Thanks for the suggestion.

Yes, I should have mentioned that as well.

why? for software development?

There is a good deal on the Y580 now - 900$ for the 1080p model:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/84221-35-lenovo-y580-...

Thank you for the suggestion and the link. It looks like it doesn't have an Ethernet port (unless I missed it) for times when only wired internet connectivity is available.

Thanks! That looks like a good deal; it would be even better if the RAM could be upgraded to 16 GB (I know many people think no one needs that). I have also been looking at the Y580 in recent days but probably missed this.

You'd have to ask that, but mine came with one although it didn't say it did.

Also, there's the 11" chassis with the i7: http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_cus...

Cheers!

This laptop meets all your requirements and has pretty good reviews, Im thinking about getting one myself.
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/Len...

The backlit keyboard is very nice, but it has no fancy color changing or anything

Oh sorry didn't realize someone already recommended the y580.
Here's a thread about the ram issue
http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/IdeaPad-Y-U-V-Z-and-P-serie...

Thank you! That's a powerful little machine.

Thanks for sharing that. It was a very good deal but I wasted the whole day and when I tried to place the order at night, by the time I had gone through the customization options (wasn't necessary), I was 5 minutes too late. Entirely my own mistake.

Thanks for sharing that. It was a pretty good deal but due to my own mistake I missed the expiration deadline by a few minutes.

wow, wait, it is still there!

Man, you are good! How do you find all these deals? :-) Also, always a student but not in the traditional sense. Just a freelance one.  
BTW, would Lenovo honor the warranty (it should) even if the product is sold by Sears?

Update: I looked at the Sears page again and it seems to be a "marketplace item". I hope the Lenovo mentioned is the company and not someone who has selected that as his username.

The information regarding the RAM issue is quite interesting. Thanks!

Folks,

I am a novice in these forums and would like your advice regarding forum netiquette. This is a general question and not specific to this thread.

If several people give very useful responses to a question, how does one decide which one to mark as the "best answer"?

Thanks!

Mark the one which solves the problem or which one you r gonna buy in this case!!!.....

Best answer selected by jss2020.

Thanks! It would be nice if one could mark more than one response in some cases.

You can help the other forum members by making a little review of the unit when you get it.

Here's a link to the sticky:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/63513-35-official-lap...

Cheers!

EDIT: Typo

The 900$ one is still available

That's a good idea. I'll try do as you have suggested. It's still over a week before the time I expect to receive the computer.

I am not sure if it's the same system but I went with one for 1049. Today it is listed for 1449 again.

I have cancelled the order with Lenovo. First they said the system would ship on Nov. 17th and yesterday they said it would ship on December 20th. I just couldn't wait that long.

And what are you going to do?

Cheers!

For the next few weeks I have access to a laptop so I can wait a bit before ordering my own computer. I am thinking whether I should save some more and then get something like the W530 with more memory and an SSD. But that would probably cost $1500+. What do you think about the W530 or other similar systems?

http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/thinkpad/w-ser...

Looks like a solid computer, but I don't know... If you need an sturdy computer and something that can handle tough care, do get it. If you're careful with computers/laptops, you could get something less sturdy and get a better components deal. Depending on the warranty (and buying extensions for working lappies) is an excellent idea as well.

That's my impression.

Cheers!

Thanks! I'll keep your suggestions in mind.

I can't believe how unprofessional Lenovo is. The people in customer service in its Indian call-center are totally ignorant and don't even have access to basic info.

In any case, I cancelled the order on Nov. 19th when the Indian guy told me the shipping date had slipped to December 20th. Yesterday, Lenovo charged my credit card, a good 10 days after cancellation. Today they sent an email saying the system had been shipped on Nov. 29th.

I am not going to accept delivery of a system just because they want to force it on me even after I cancelled it. Lenovo has wasted many hours of my time. I don't care how good its computers are. The company itself sucks big time, IMO.

What? Really?

That's horrible. You should really get some answers from them. It's not even a couple of cents we're talking about here... =/

Cheers!

Yes, it's surreal; one doesn't expect something like this to actually happen. I'll contact their North Carolina office in the morning and try to sort things out. I have spent the weekend trying to contact customer service on phone, chat and email without success.