Lenovo Lappys

blaze_zero

So, what's the buzz about Lenovo's laptops?
My desktop just died last night and I need a replacement, so I was thinking about getting a decently powerful lappy to take it's place (I'm not PC gaming anymore, so I don't think I need a desktop).

I looked at maybe getting one of their thinkpads. Does anyone else have one and have some thoughts? Pros or cons?

I'm looking to spend under $1000 (although I'll probably have to pay it off over time...)

Xenogears of Bore

well built and over priced is the very brief synopsis.

blackranger3d

My last 3 lappys have been Thinkpads. All have been handed down to family members and are all still working.


Pros
- well built
- easy to find coupons
- lots of options for customization

Cons
- overpriced unless you buy with a coupon
- Basic boring (to some people) black, no other options for visuals

Neutral Points
- Not sure how well they game, as I used it for productivity stuff

Djeet

Last two laptops were Tpads, and I keep about 2 dozen various Lenovos in service at work.

Chassis build is excellent on Tpads. Hinge is solid, keyboard deck is usually pretty firm, and chassis flex (raise lid/screen, grasp the sides of the chassis on either side of keyboard and twist) is minimal. These statements are regarding the fullsize models (T43, T60, T61, T500).

But overall service record is only average. The left trackpad button tends to get mushy after a year or so. I stripped out a hole in the chassis (magnesium) where the HDD cover attaches; they initially baulked at fixing that but I made my case for why they should cover it. And I have sent mine back 5 times in past 2 years to deal with the ultrabay ejector tab failing; a design flaw IMO, but one that will only affect those who make use of multiple ultrabay devices. I do swap out the HDD and use various ultrabay devices a lot.

Does have a lot of nice accessories for ultrabay if you need that kind of thing (battery, sata hdd adapter, etc.).

The consumer line is pretty average overall for a PC.

The ThinkVantage software package is largely crap. Rescue and Recovery has serious issues and doesn't play nce with System Restore, and System Update is just shit.

Smurph

I own a Lenovo Ideapad Y530 as my second computer.

Pros:
It's well built, super stable, and has had zero problems for the 10 months or so I've had it.
Good specs for the price (about $600, same as most consumer laptops at that level)

Cons:
Its kind of Bulky compared to other 15.6" laptops
The keyboard is terrible: first off all Lenovo keyboards have an Fn (function) key where the left Ctrl key usually is, and the Ctrl key will be to the right of that Fn key. So your Ctrl key is no longer the bottom left. I imagine this wouldn't be a big deal if it were my only computer as I would get used to it, but because I use normal keyboards most of the time it drives me nuts. Not good if you like to use keyboard shortcuts a lot. Also they keyboard isn't very sensitive. If I don't hit a key hard and in the center, it will sometimes not register the keystroke. This may just be a defect on my machine though.

japan

I have a G550, previously I had a Thinkpad T41 (badged as IBM, but manufactured by Lenovo).

The G550 feels kind of flimsy relative to the thinkpad, but practically everything does. In terms of solidity it feels similar to my girlfriend's MacBook. Spec-wise it's as good or better than anything else I could find for the price. I'll second the thing about the keyboard, I find that if I'm trying to do Ctrl-F with my right hand or similar it frequently takes a couple of attempts because it doesn't always pick it up if you're hitting the keys a little off centre.

Customer service doesn't appear to be great. I sent them three emails after ordering the machine and never got a reply to any of them. Can't really comment on the software because I used it to burn the restore DVDs and then wiped the machine to install Ubuntu.

blaze_zero

At this point I'm kind of debating between a Y550 and a T400. I suppose the T400 would be better...

Sarksus

I'm not too sure where the "overpriced" thing comes from. ThinkPads are fairly expensive when they are first released but they usually rapidly come down in price. They cost about the same as a Dell business notebook and they're much cheaper than a MacBook Pro. They're more expensive than a mainstream consumer notebook but each type markets to a different audience. Business notebooks provide durability and longevity. You get what you pay for.

The newest ThinkPads were just released using the Intel Arrandale mobile processors, with the 14 inch and 15 inch flagship models being released today. The new 14 inch, the T410 starts at $999 which is much less than what the T400 started at when it was first released, around $1,300. With the new models you might see the older T400 models (which are still quite good and have the advantage of being a known quantity with all the bugs worked out) dip down even lower in price.

If I were you I would wait a few weeks and see how the new models review before doing anything. In the mean time prices for the old models might come down too.

Edit: Also keep in mind that Lenovo's launches are kind of chaotic and if you ordered a new model right now it might be awhile before you get it. And a T410 with a dedicated video card will be more money than a T400 with a dedicated video card so you have to compare costs and benefits.