Technology Lenovo experience?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
engineeredout

engineeredout

Full Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
May 11, 2008
Messages
3,450
Reaction score
628
Points
5,166
Location
Pennsylvania
  1. Attending Physician
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I need a new laptop within the next month or two. I've heard some good things about Lenovos, mainly that they don't crap up the computer with as much junk software as HP, and that they have pretty solid construction.

I have a Sony Vaio laptop now, which wasn't cheap when I bought it. Biggest piece of **** in the world. Physical damange to it has had repairs costing thousands of dollars. If I didn't get an extended warrenty (now expired) I would have tossed it out a long time ago. No reason in hell that a laptop that sits on a desk most of the time (never dropped) should have the motherboard replaced 2X, HD replaced, ram replaced, optical drive replaced (and currently dying) etc...


So yeah back to the Lenovo. I'm looking at this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146540

2.13Ghz Core duo
15.4" Widescreen
4gb DDR2
320 GB HD
DVD burner

Seems like a pretty decent machine for 750$, and then I'd probably get their 269$ three-year warrenty on top of it.

Any suggestions? Either feedback on lenovos in general or where else I should be looking would be appreciated. I didn't see any good deals on amazon, and I don't like the selection at best buy.
 
I was advised to go Thinkpad over Ideapad, so I can't really comment on the IdeaPad. I will say that I love my lenovo and that it is one of the best computers I have used. It cost less than 1000 and I have only had it for a couple months but it is reliable, fast, and lenovo as a company was great (the comp shipped 2 weeks early).
 
Seems to be a decent value, definitely enough horsepower/memory there.

I don't have personal experience with Lenovo, but if I've heard good things from friends with 'em. And assuming no big declines since it was IBM then it should be a decent laptop.

I know a lot of people bash Dells but if look there I'd say stick with the more business oriented lines like the Latitude. I'm using my ~4yr latitude every day, and it's been through a lot. Pretty much goes where ever I go in my backpack (including conferences and long trips) so it's seen a lot of abuse. Haven't had a single issue with it.

Whatever you get, if you're fairly computer savy and/or comfortable doing so, you could always just do a format and reinstall windows from scratch for a nice clean install without all the junk most of these computers come with.
 
Caesar said:
I was advised to go Thinkpad over Ideapad, so I can't really comment on the IdeaPad. I will say that I love my lenovo and that it is one of the best computers I have used. It cost less than 1000 and I have only had it for a couple months but it is reliable, fast, and lenovo as a company was great (the comp shipped 2 weeks early).
Click to expand...

So you bought from Lenovo directly?
 
The link you gave for the Ideapad is wrong. The RAM is actually DDR3. It is this model.

I know Lenovo has deals on Thinkpads going right now for a little while longer. Check out coupon codes and other things to try to reduce the price if possible. You have a few options. Buy from the student site 5%, Visa checkout site (5%), or to go to the regular lenovo site and see whether the ecodes are a better deal (probably are right now).

If you buy directly from Lenovo you can get 3% cash back and 2% at Newegg.
 
TMP-SMX said:
The link you gave for the Ideapad is wrong. The RAM is actually DDR3. It is this model.

I know Lenovo has deals on Thinkpads going right now for a little while longer. Check out coupon codes and other things to try to reduce the price if possible. You have a few options. Buy from the student site 5%, Visa checkout site (5%), or to go to the regular lenovo site and see whether the ecodes are a better deal (probably are right now).

If you buy directly from Lenovo you can get 3% cash back and 2% at Newegg.
Click to expand...


Thanks, I didn't realize they had a student site (not that it saves you very much).


I priced a decent Thinkpad R500 for 1020, and then its gonna be more for the extended warranty. NOt too bad but I want to try to get a better deal elsewhere.

Places seem to have a lot more IdeaPads than ThinkPads.
 
Any HP laptop recommendations? The more I look at them the more they seem to have better pricing. I don't like the look of them, the cheap metallic-looking plastic. Does HP have a business-line of laptops?
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
TMP-SMX said:
The link you gave for the Ideapad is wrong. The RAM is actually DDR3. It is this model.

I know Lenovo has deals on Thinkpads going right now for a little while longer. Check out coupon codes and other things to try to reduce the price if possible. You have a few options. Buy from the student site 5%, Visa checkout site (5%), or to go to the regular lenovo site and see whether the ecodes are a better deal (probably are right now).

If you buy directly from Lenovo you can get 3% cash back and 2% at Newegg.
Click to expand...

I found a 10% e-coupon discount for the R and T series thinkpads. I like the T series, though I'm still looking at ~ 1200 for the one I customize even with the discount.

Their docking stations are pricey, ~ 200$. They look worth it though, most other companies a docking station = overpriced USB hub. Theirs actually has the power adapter, DVI port, USB, sound, and it locks the laptop in place.
 
Lenovo is up there with the Mac in terms of reliability and problems reported, and it's much cheaper. They're pretty newer versions of the old IBM laptops, and I still have one of those old IBM laptops and it still works. Definitely give it a try.

I usually hear good reports of Sony VAIOs, but I guess yours just sucked. Just avoid buying from Dell or Gateway. I'm not sure about Acer.
 
Acer drivers suck. It's also a pain finding the correct ones as the US site will have different drivers than the euro site. It took me a while to find the correct driver for the jumpy trackpad on my fiancée's mom's Acer and the first driver from last year didn't help until I updated the bios and tried another driver. I eventually did get it functioning. They are cheap though what do you expect. Though the Acer Aspire One is a pretty good machine though I stripped the very last screw before finally getting to the RAM slots so I had to abort the surgery on it to upgrade the RAM from 1GB to 1.5GB total. The damned screw was just so tight in there.
 
The lenovo R series is cheaper, but only offers integrated graphics cards. I'd prefer an independant graphics card, even if I'm not playing games. That damn independant card will end up costing me 200$ more, as the T series is more expensive.

Thnk its worth it?
 
Keep in mind that a dedicated card reduces battery life and creates more heat. You have to weigh the benefits against the problems. On the other hand, an integrated card shares memory with the system so you have to make sure you have plenty of RAM.
 
Slevin said:
I'll always recommend a mac.
Click to expand...

Ditto that. However, if somebody held a gun to my head and forced me to buy a PC laptop, I'd probably go with Lenovo. They're solid machines, particularly if you're interested in a tablet.
 
TMP-SMX said:
Keep in mind that a dedicated card reduces battery life and creates more heat. You have to weigh the benefits against the problems. On the other hand, an integrated card shares memory with the system so you have to make sure you have plenty of RAM.
Click to expand...

If you have a dedicated graphics card with a lenovo, you have the option of switching between using it and the onboard at will.

No macs for me :nono:
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Hey engineeredout, I'm in the same boat as you. My computer will die any day now and I really need to replace it-- I'm looking at a Thinkpad but it's pushing the expensive end for me.

mdjkim, any particular reason not to buy from the lenovo outlet?
 
I would flock to buy a Mac if you could customize the hardware easily and if the damn thing was cheaper.

You just get much more power for your money on a PC.
 
What would you want to customize? If you want games you should be using a PC anyway. So that takes care of the GPU.

RAM or HDD can be upgraded cheaper on your own. But yes of course the Mac equivalent is more expensive. Though the low end MacBook is good for most uses (other than GPU).
 
TMP-SMX said:
What would you want to customize? If you want games you should be using a PC anyway. So that takes care of the GPU.

RAM or HDD can be upgraded cheaper on your own. But yes of course the Mac equivalent is more expensive. Though the low end MacBook is good for most uses (other than GPU).
Click to expand...
Actually if customizing the RAM or HDD they use the same as win boxes so not sure what the difference there would be. Although I like to remember that you get what you pay for.
 
I was planning on responding to this post a while ago. I forgot to. Anyways, I am a Lenovo Thinkpad owner. I am actually using it as I type this. I have the Thinkpad R61, purchase about a year and half ago after my iBook died.

I would say the Lenovos are probably the best if your looking for a PC. Def beats a Dell and HP in my book. My laptop is not the fastest out there, because I got it on the cheap from Circuit City. So right now, that really annoys me since shutting down is slow as heck and booting up to Vista is slow as well. But since specs doesn't matter since your buying a new one, I would say go for a Thinkpad. It's def more business look than the Ideapad. Its reliable, I just stick it in my back pack and go to school, etc. without a care in the world. Its built exceptionally well. Tough LCD screen.

I have the 14" and its kinda heavy for me now. I don't want to carry it around school because it just gets heavy with a few notebooks there. So a 15.4" is def going to be heavy if your planning on bringing it to school. So make sure you look into that. I was actually looking into getting a T400 for next year to replace this thing, but I'm gonna go the more expensive route and get a really light laptop that is fast. So I'm torn between a Thinkpad x301 and a Macbook Air.

If I were you, don't go cheap on laptops like most people do. I don't understand that because in a year, they hate their laptops for being as slow as molasses. Spend as much money as possible so you don't regret your laptop. I work in my school's IT right now, so I'm a little picky about my technology.
 
TMP-SMX said:
The unibody MB is more powerful than the MBA and not much heavier. (Not to mention a lot cheaper).
Click to expand...

I wasn't very fond of them. For my college IT job, they ordered two unibody Macbooks for the gym at my school (to play music, sad isn't it :laugh:). I asked my boss if I could set them up so I can really check them out for myself. Spent one week with them. I'm going for the Air. Just my experiences though. People who are less technologically inclined would probably care less.
 
rc4ch said:
I wasn't very fond of them. For my college IT job, they ordered two unibody Macbooks for the gym at my school (to play music, sad isn't it :laugh:). I asked my boss if I could set them up so I can really check them out for myself. Spent one week with them. I'm going for the Air. Just my experiences though. People who are less technologically inclined would probably care less.
Click to expand...
yeah, what didn't you like about them?
 
Slevin said:
yeah, what didn't you like about them?
Click to expand...

Yes the screen. The quality is def worse, and I hate hate the super glare on them. The Air's screen is not that bad. Plus the weight of the laptop was similar to my Thinkpad right now. I want to go lower.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Everyone at LMU-DCOM received a lenovo X61 tablet. I've owned a Gateway, Dell, and a couple other laptops previously. This is by far the best laptop. I will be sticking with lenovo on future laptop purchases. The software they add is actually very useful, unlike the bloatware on a Dell or HP. Plus, not many companies make good, sturdy tablets. The second years received a Gateway tablet and you can flap the lcd hinge in the wind. Ours is extremely sturdy and holding up well.
 
I bought the same exact lap top about a month ago an i absolutely love it! i also bought the 2 year warranty.

I highly recommend it!!
 
Update: Just ordered a T500. 2.4Ghz dual core, 4GB ram, vista business 64.

Can't wait for it.
 
I spilled some water on my Lenovo Thinkpad last week. Fortunately, most of the water drained out the bottom (spill-resistant keyboard). However, I had a tiny bit of water that leaked into the system, so I took it apart and dried it. Everything is working fine now.

That spill-resistant keyboard probably saved the system. I'm devoted to Thinkpads (just don't get them from the Outlet).
 
mdjkim said:
I'm devoted to Thinkpads (just don't get them from the Outlet).
Click to expand...

Just curious, since I'm looking into a thinkpad, any particular reason against the outlet?
 
Well I got it, and so far it kicks ass.

I disabled all of the vista crap that comes enabled at first, and run on the "windows classic" theme. The OS doesn't seem too bad once you get rid of all the supurfluous garbage (and theres definitely still more of it to go).

Still, seems like a rock solid machine, and was exactly what I wanted. Very happy right now.
 
We got Lenovo X200 tablets to use with our EMR at the office. I'm pretty impressed so far. I prefer them to the Fujitsu and Motion tablets that we looked at.
 
I bought a T400 direct from Lenovo. Iced it out with all the latest bling. End-result? It sucks. Had to re-install Vista because of all the crapware bogging down the comp. Nowadays my comp still randomly reboots at least once every 2-3 weeks, screen sometimes doesn't turn on after I restart. Miscellaneous BS like that. Also, the casing is poorly put together (random gaps between plastic pieces) and the battery makes a buzzing sound once in a while when I take it off A/C.

I'd recommend a Mac. Wish I could sell my T400 and get one myself, but at this point I'd be losing way too much on the resale.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I usually hear good reports of Sony VAIOs, but I guess yours just sucked. Just avoid buying from Dell or Gateway. I'm not sure about Acer.
Click to expand...

I have absolutely no problems with my Gateway. I don't think Dells are too great, but I can vouch for medium-to-high end Gateway models as being very sturdy and workable. Toshibas are also very solid, reliable computers.

I have heard nothing but bad things about Sony VAIOs from several of my friends who work in the computer industry, and a friend at BestBuy sees VAIOs come in with severe problems constantly only a year or two after purchase. I thought about getting one myself and reconsidered.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Mr.Smile12
Other [Social Science and Medicine] The social experience of stress as premedical students in the United States
Replies
1
Views
505
deleted1192955
D
SDN Rounds
Women Born in “Sexist” U.S. States Are More Likely to Experience Faster Cognitive Decline
Replies
0
Views
419
SDN Rounds
SDN Rounds
SDN Rounds
Study examines how early experiences shape our mental health trajectory
Replies
0
Views
569
SDN Rounds
SDN Rounds
D
Technology Share about your EHR experiences in a community health center?
Replies
1
Views
3K
Updox_Rob
U
BrownianMotion
Cord blood experiences?
Replies
0
Views
1K
BrownianMotion
BrownianMotion
Top Bottom