ThinkPad x220 vs MacBook Pro 13

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I used the Lenovo requirements matcher and it recommended the ThinkPad T420s as a good, fast light student 14" laptop. It has really good reviews. Price is $809.10 for a 2.5 ghz i5, 2G ram, 320G Hard drive, 55 hours of battery life. Coupon is USPTXSAVINGS until July 13. So the cost of an Apple is about $200 more for comparable specs (though the processor is 10% slower).

Personally I like having a PC. There is ample used software to save money, 95% of users have a PC and you have more choices. Apple is more cookie cutter and I don't like Steve Jobs dictating what you can do with a pc. For example, he did like flash so he decided to not allow Iphones and Ipads to play it. They also get a premium for their equipment but only give it a basic warranty. I don't like being chained to Apple.

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/mac-vs-pc-myth-busting-consumer-guide/
 
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I skipped through all of this thread because I figured 95% of it would be based solely on people who love their choice and therefore hate the other option. I'm just going to say if you want a 13" MacBook Pro...you can get the basic version for $999 at Micro Center. I'm not sure how long the deal lasts, but I know I'd prefer an extra $100 in cash rather than a $100 iTunes gift card when you do the student discount deal through Apple.
 
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Lift weights and eat some protein LOL. It's actually just half a pound and you're getting a 14" screen instead of a 13" and double the graphics memory.

Macbook pro 4.5 lbs
Samsung 4.98 lbs

Huge savings aside, I'd rather have the larger screen than lose half a pound of weight.

At least look at that PC. Your local Best Buy probably has it on display. I've seen it and would buy it in a second over the Thinkpad. It gives you so much more for the money that you could consider it a bargain.

Granted, a backlit keyboard and magnetic detachable a/c power connector are useful features but they aren't worth $600 more. You can just buy a $10 USB flashlight, be a little careful when its plugged in and pocket the rest.

BestBuy has this as a refurbished unit with I presume a 1 yr standard warranty for $650 nearly $1000 below a comparable Apple.


By the way, I also recommend getting a Stop Plate and Prey (free) for security.

A great way to extend the warranty to 3 years is to purchase a 1 yr warranty extension from Samsung and use a credit card with a warranty extension program to pay for both the pc and the extension. This is much cheaper than any aftermarket store warranty or even squaretrade warranties. Accident protection would probably also be a good idea.
 
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Rocher said:
Haha I used to read Maddox all of the time. His older stuff is hilarious.

Back to the discussion; I know it's only 1 lb heavier but 5 lbs sure seems like a lot to lug around on a daily basis.
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Lol yeah he used to be really funny. Then he became more famous and wasn't as funny anymore.
 
Thing1 said:
So I'm an entering med student, and my med school recommends the following minimum specs:

i5
2 gb ram

I'm looking at an x220 that is now coming out to $951, with it customized to what I want (i5, 4 GB ram, 320 gb hdd).

Pros: superlight, durable, cheaper

I'm also looking at a MBP (i5, 4 GB, 320 gb hdd), at $1,128.

Pros: Mac OS (I've heard good things), slightly bigger screen, $100 gift card to mac app store +iTunes, cool stuff like mouse gestures

Cons: doesn't come with Office


I've also heard good things about solid state drives. The x220 with 128 gb ssd is $1231. The MBP with 128 gb ssd is $1353.

If someone could help me out with my decision, that would be great. Thanks!

PS Why would you need an i5 for med school?
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You don't need a good computer lol. All you will use it for is looking on facebook, watching podcasts, going on SDN, and downloading stuff "legally". Also...100000 free computers on campus
 
Neither an Apple nor a PC comes with Office though if you are really cheap you could get OpenOffice free for the PC. A student Office version costs about $150. Any Windows 7 PC uses gestures.
 
I routinely lol @ my classmates who have MPBs while I enjoy the obscene battery life on my x201. Durability, portability, all-around awesome design and if you instinctively understand how a computer works, you have no problems with windows. Plus you can actually run programs you need and not have to deal with stupid mac BS. There is virtually nothing great about owning a mac, it is just a bunch of people enjoying a contrived computer experience. plus thinkpads have some of the best integrated security and hard drive protection systems you could come up with. They use thinkpads on the international space station FFS. If I were you, I'd look into getting a thinkpad x1 - they modernized the look a bit and it's more portable than the x220. i'm still super happy with my x201. thing is built like a tank.
 
cdmguy said:
Neither an Apple nor a PC comes with Office though if you are really cheap you could get OpenOffice free for the PC. A student Office version costs about $150. Any Windows 7 PC uses gestures.
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chances are your school has a licensing agreement with microsoft where you can probably get office for a ridiculously low price. I just picked it up from the school bookstore for about 15$ and all I had to do was fill out some paperwork.
 
FYI, the newest integrated graphics chip from Intel is actually just as good as the Nvidia chip (310m) in that Samsung computer. So no real advantage there.
 
qwerty89 said:
FYI, the newest integrated graphics chip from Intel is actually just as good as the Nvidia chip (310m) in that Samsung computer. So no real advantage there.
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Qwert, the catches are that it's a turbo mode feature for the new i5 so it's limited by how hot the laptop gets and small 14" laptops can get hot if vents aren't well designed but Lenovo says its not a problem. And graphics are a little worse than the Samsung's card in shading but only die hard gamers would care. My two concerns would be battery life vs price. Personally I'd spend the money on the Thinkpad and get 30 hour battery life vs the Samsung's 7 hours and you can go longer with a 9 cell battery to 55 hours. That's a smarter choice given the erratic schedules you students have to deal with. Think of it like getting four extra batteries that never need charging.

weight 6-cell: from 4.79 lb (2.17kg); 9-cell: from 5.17 lb (2.35kg)

Oh another thing, MPCs only have a 90 day warranty for technical support otherwise you have to drive to their Apple store or buy a longer period. You get 1 year from Lenovo or Samsung. "AppleCare" isn't cheap-for three years total you'll pay $249 more and there's no accident protection. A three year warranty purchased from Lenovo is only $99 and for $259 you can get three years with accident protection. Using a credit card I bought an extra year for my Lenovo for $50 and the card extended that to three years for free. MPCs are not price competitive at all.

Get an i5. Here's the best deal I found online:
Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Intel Core i5-2410M Laptop
$759.00
i5 2g ram, internal graphics. At Lenovo's store this PC is $899.
If you need 4g memory it's about $100 more.
 
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I'm not sure if anyone's mentioned this, but it's definitely worth considering: you can get the Thinkpad with an IPS screen! Significantly better viewing angles (colors won't shift if you move the screen), much richer colors, better looking text.

You'll be spending lots of quality time with your computer screen in med school. Your eyes will thank you if you get the matte IPS screen on the Thinkpad, versus the glossy TN Macbook display.

I like both Macs and PCs, but the superiority of the Thinkpad display would get my dollars.
 
bomgd3 said:
I'm not sure if anyone's mentioned this, but it's definitely worth considering: you can get the Thinkpad with an IPS screen! Significantly better viewing angles (colors won't shift if you move the screen), much richer colors, better looking text.

You'll be spending lots of quality time with your computer screen in med school. Your eyes will thank you if you get the matte IPS screen on the Thinkpad, versus the glossy TN Macbook display.

I like both Macs and PCs, but the superiority of the Thinkpad display would get my dollars.
Click to expand...

that's another good point. the thinkpad screens are good for viewing in just about every lighting in existence. You could walk around in broad daylight and read what is on your screen even when it is on the lowest brightness.
 
bomgd3 said:
I'm not sure if anyone's mentioned this, but it's definitely worth considering: you can get the Thinkpad with an IPS screen! Significantly better viewing angles (colors won't shift if you move the screen), much richer colors, better looking text.

You'll be spending lots of quality time with your computer screen in med school. Your eyes will thank you if you get the matte IPS screen on the Thinkpad, versus the glossy TN Macbook display.

I like both Macs and PCs, but the superiority of the Thinkpad display would get my dollars.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately there's been issues with backlight bleeding and ghosting with the IPS on the x220.
 
cdmguy said:
I checked with Lenovo. This appears to be a false rumor or a defective unit.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/574678-thinkpad-t420s-owners-thread-50.html
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I was referring to the x220 screen. Supposedly not all of them have it, but enough do that it's an issue. It's probably because Lenovo uses different panel manufacturers for the same model, and certain panels just don't have as good of quality.

I looked at that Samsung btw. Seemed to be a very sturdy computer, and I was impressed with the touchpad. It did seem to have bad viewing angles and sort of washed out colors, however. Definitely a good buy for the money, though.
 
I thought the recommendation was for a 14 inch screen. 12 inches is really tiny.
 
cdmguy said:
I thought the recommendation was for a 14 inch screen. 12 inches is really tiny.
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The t420 doesn't have an IPS, the only Lenovo with an IPS is the x220. With an IPS the t420 would be phenomenal. I thought about buying one but so many people on thenotebookreview complained about how bad the screen was. (not ghosting, just image quality).
 
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What's all this about the x220 having an IPS screen? On the website it says it has an LED screen.
 
FunnyCurrent said:
http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/X-Serie...hosting-on-X220-IPS-screen/td-p/435201/page/4

Lenovo IPS Screens on the X220 have Ghosting/image retention issues. Just Sayin'

See the above 22 page thread on the lenovo forum with customers complaining.
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Bought myself the X220... have had no problems whatsoever with it.

It's fast, light, and typing on it is AWESOME. I'm also really not into chiclet keyboards, so that's my bias. The screen is beautiful, and the resolution is the same as any 13" (and some 14") notebooks out there. I'm getting 6-7 hours of battery life with the standard battery. Does not get hot. And best of all, I'm not worried about toting this thing around and possibly damaging it -- it's built like a tank.
 
I just got an x220 2 days ago. I was a little worried about some of the complaints about backlight bleed and ghosting, but I haven't had any problems at all. Overall it's an awesome computer and I'd highly recommend it.
(this is coming from a guy who has been using MacBook pro for 5 years).
 
I recently purchased a x220 also. Very solid computer. Battery life is amazing (I opted for the 9 cell). Also, I opted for the i5 with a solid state hard drive thinking I don't need cutting-edge computing power and wanted faster start-up times. It's a super-fast, very lightweight computer. The keyboard is very comfortable and I've used the red mouse nub thingie in the center of the keyboard for years (previously had a thinkpad) and prefer it to the touchpad. The touchpad is rather small compared to the mbp and other laptops, fyi.

Also, I opted for a 3x3 Intel antenna (which eliminates the option of camera/video), but is supposedly better and faster for wifi connections.

I read about the ghosting/backlight bleeding issues and did order the IPS screen (a $50 upgrade). I have noticed no issues and it is a low-gloss display that is easy on the eyes. Maybe if you are into graphics or something you may get the display to misbehave, but I haven't noticed any problems at all.

Never really used a mac, so I have no way to compare. My school highly suggests a PC for testing, webcasting of lectures, but many in our class own macs and make it work.

Very happy with the purchase.
 
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