The Cheapest 4th Gen Haswell Core i7 Laptops (Updated)

The Acer Aspire 5 Laptop is one of our top picks for budget laptops. Below we give you the cheapest 4th Gen Haswell Core i7s.

Update 12/12: The HP Envy 15 with Core i7 got even cheaper during HP’s flash sale! Now for the same $629.99 price on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you get a GeForce GT 740M plus free two-day shipping. Not too shabby.  Here are other top picks during the flash sale:

• $624.99: Envy 17 Touch Core i7 (was $710 on BF, use coupon BUY175)
• $624.99: Envy 15 Touch Core i7 (was $710 on CM, use coupon BUy175)
• $629.99: Envy 15 Core i7 + 740M (was $702 on BF, use coupon BUy175)

In early June 2013 Intel’s 4th generation “Haswell” Core i7 processor made its appearance in most mainline laptop manufacturers. The weaker Core i5 launched soon after and the Core i3 haswell laptop processors are scheduled to release in September. Since the Core i7 and Core i5 are higher-end Intel processors, it’s going to be tricky finding a “cheap” Haswell equipped laptop.

Read: Best Laptops Under $500

After analyzing the top retailers for the last few weeks (Sony, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus, Acer) we’ve come up with the cheapest Haswell equipped laptops so far. Barring in mind it’s nearly impossible to find a non-refurbished Intel 3rd generation Core i7 equipped laptop under $600, the cheapest 4th gen machines aren’t overpriced at all. (Example, HP’s Envy 15 Core i7 is only $660).

Updated on 9/19/2013: The Y410p received a GPU upgrade to a GT 755M.

The table below will break down the major components that we think matters for these laptops. If you want to read more about each laptop, scroll down to find more information along with price and current coupon. Note: We’ve added in the Dell Core i5 Haswell as a comparison barometer for the pricing of the faster and more powerful Core i7 choices.

[box_light]15.6-inch Dell Inspiron 15R Haswell Core i5-4200U
for $549.99[/box_light]

In the Core i5 department, the cheapest Intel “Haswell” is the Dell Insprion 15R. This redesigned model is 17% thinner than its 2011 model predecessor and sports 3 USB 3.0 ports on the left side with one extra USB 2.0 on the right (prior model had 2 USB 2.0 on each side). This model came out of the gates with a $719.99 price tag, but now is significantly cheaper after coupon. Upgrading to a Touchscreen is possible, though the price bumps up to $799.99. The cheapest Core i7 Inspiron 15R will run $899.99.[box_light]15.6-inch HP Envy 15t Quad Edition Haswell Core i7-4700MQ
for $778.99 with free shipping after coupon SVD8492 (expires soon)[/box_light]

The winner so far for Core i7 is the 15.6-inch Envy 15t Quad Edition – this is most likely the cheapest Haswell laptop you’ll find. This laptop is essentially a thinner and lighter refresh of the old Envy 15 that HP discontinued back in October 2012. Beyond the Haswell Quad Core i7-4700MQ processor with integrated Intel HD 4600 GPU (decent enough as a light gaming laptop) this base model Envy 15t includes a 8GB RAM, 1TB hard drive, Beats Audio software. It’s a customizable laptop too, with an option for a great Haswell Core i7 processor, up to 16GB RAM, a 24GB SSD cache, GeForce GT 740M discrete graphics. (If you want the 1080p and the discrete GeForce GPU upgrade, it’ll set you back $827.99 – not too bad for only $68 more).

[box_light]14-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Y410p Haswell Core i7-4700MQ
for $769 after coupon code GETGIFTS (expires 10/30)[/box_light]

The 14-inch winner is the Lenovo Y-series a gaming laptop. The 14-inch Y410p comes in at a modest $769 after coupon. Notable specs include a GeForce GT 750M 2GB graphics card, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, and Ultrabay drive which allows one to swap out the DVD drive for an extra GPU or cooling unit. The best part of this laptop? For only a bit more more than the base version. If you want a bit more of a performance, for another $50 you can get the 24GB mSSD for faster program loading and boot-up time – making this a performance-for-the-buck machine.

[box_light]15-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p Haswell Core i7-4700MQ
for $809 after coupon code GETGIFTS (expires 10/30)[/box_light]

The similarly spec’d big brother, the 15-inch Y510p, runs $809 after coupon 4FALL (expires 10/16/13). The base model is nothing more than a bump up in size from the Y410p, but what’s notable about the Y510p is the no-brainer upgrade to a 1080p display for $899 after coupon USPY5051010 – which is $90 more. Considering the gaming-capable specs on these two machines a 1080p upgrade just makes sense.

[box_light]17.3-inch HP Envy 17t Quad Edition Haswell Core i7-4700MQ
for $854.99 with free shipping after coupon code SVD8492 (expires soon) [/box_light]

A larger version of the HP Envy 15 is only about $95 more but also sports a few higher-end specs. HP’s latest coupon code is a 5% off and stacks with instant savings. Specs are similar to the Envy 15 except there is a higher 900p display for the larger 17.3-inch screen, plus a Blu-ray drive comes standard (whereas there’s no internal drive on the Envy 15). Add in more configs such as a discrete GPU and 1080p will bring the price up to $1,016.49. That’s only At only $188.50 more for Full HD plus a mid-range GPU, and definitely well worth considering (use coupon SVD8492).

Related Articles:

• The Cheapest 4th Gen Haswell Core i7 Laptops (Updated)
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• The Cheapest Intel 6th Gen Core i7 Laptop Deals
• Laptop Buying Guide: How to Choose a Laptop