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Buying New Laptop, need advice/recommendations

K

Kenny536

Member
I live in America. My price range is 800-1100. I don't want a Mac, and I don't want overheating to be an issue.

I will not be using it for gaming.
I want it to have great processing power, ram, etc. (so I can multi-task).
I want it to have a fairly high battery life.
I want it to be compatible with Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit.

Size and resolution isn't a great concern, portability would be nice. I also want it to be durable, don't want to replace it in 2-3 years.

Nothing else is really of any importance, at least not that I can think or right now.

Please let me know if you need more info.

I need advice on which laptop to get, and where to get it. Money is an issue, I just want the biggest bang for my buck.

Right now I'm just looking at some on Newegg.
I am looking at a "business" laptop, the HP probook - it has a great battery life, and I don't really care about high quality audio. What do you think of this?
 
Originally posted by: Kenny536
I live in America. My price range is 800-1100. I don't want a Mac, and I don't want overheating to be an issue[...]

I am looking at a "business" laptop, the HP probook - it has a great battery life, and I don't really care about high quality audio. What do you think of this?
Click to expand...
LoL!

I *think* you answered your own question! 😀

I don't own an HP, but I respect them greatly! I see a LOT of business ppl using them, when I'm on the road - at conventions, seminars, workshops, and so forth... and there's a reason for that.

 
I haven't used or even seen a HP Probook in person so I can't comment on how that compares to my suggestion. A ThinkPad. I've had mine for almost 2 years and now that I'm over the whole gaming thing, I don't see myself replacing it for another year or two, and then I'll probably get a new ThinkPad. I'm shocked at how cool this thing runs. I was using it as my primary computer after I had knee surgery and was playing some WoW on it. After 3-4 hours of WoW while sitting on my lap it was barely warm to the touch. I got the larger battery for it, so I get up to 6 hours of life out of it or as little as 4 depending on what I'm doing.
 
so basically you want something amazing but don't want to spend a lot of money. good luck with that
 
Based on your druthers and my biases 🙂)), I would suggest you look at the Lenovo Thinkpad T400 series.

T400
 
Yes, that's funny you say that because I was looking at those right now. Specifically, I was trying to figure out which series is better - the T400 or T500. I concluded that the T500 is a better deal since it is only about a 100$ more and offers better graphics and a higher resolution/bigger screen. Although gaming isn't an importance, I would go with that extra feature if I only play a minimal amount more.

Is that a fair conclusion or do you still recommend the T400 over the T500?
 
I am deciding between the Lenovo Thinkpad T500 and the Lenovo Enhanced Thinkpad T500.

The enhanced is more eXpensive but from what I gather, the only difference is that the enhanced has the business version of Vista, dvd burner, and a different wifi card. The business version of Vista is irrelevant because I am going to get Windows 7 Pro 64 bit from my school. The dvd burner I can live without. And the different wifi card.. I think the Thinkpad Wifi is better even though the Intel one costs more. Therefore I'm going with the the regular T500, which is 160$ cheaper.

Here is a link for the model:

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILib...MD&hide_menu_area=true

It is 939$ - but I am thinking about doing a few upgrades, I put my justifications in parenthesis below, let me know if you think the upgrades are a good deal:

+ hard drive upgrade from 160 5400 RPM > 320 GB 7200 RPM (+50$) (faster and larger HD)

+ 15.4" WSXGA+TFT, w/CCFL Backlight (+75$ - this is so I can get 1680 X 1050 resolution and a better screen)

+ 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM (32.50$) (this is so I can utilize a 64 bit operating system)

+ 9 cell - Li-Ion Battery (70$) (much better battery life)

So after doing all that, the total comes out to:

$1,166.50 cents

After a coupon code (USPSEARCH), I save 175$, so it goes down below 1000$. After tax, it is back up to $1053.50 - that is the total after everything. This coupon code is very nice! It expires in two days though.


Is this a good deal? Any customizations that I included that are not worth it? Any additional customizations that I should consider?


One other concern I have is that in the customization screen, it says the current version of vista for this laptop is not eligible for a Windows 7 Upgrade. I'm pretty sure this means that they will not provide a free upgrade to Windows 7, which is fine because I get one through my school anyway. But I just wanted to make sure that by "not eligible" they do not mean that it is impossible for me to upgrade because of hardware limitations or something. This is not the case right? If I upgrade to Vista premium for 50 more bucks, then I am eligible for a free Windows 7 upgrade.
 
Originally posted by: Kenny536
I concluded that the T500 is a better deal since it is only about a 100$ more and offers better graphics and a higher resolution/bigger screen. Although gaming isn't an importance, I would go with that extra feature if I only play a minimal amount more.

Is that a fair conclusion or do you still recommend the T400 over the T500?
Click to expand...

I will first respond by quoting yourself:

Your Original Post
I will not be using it for gaming.
I want it to have a fairly high battery life.
portability would be nice.
Money is an issue, I just want the biggest bang for my buck.
Click to expand...

Then later you again confirm you won't be gaming and that you are looking for the BEST DEAL. It's a fair comparison, but it tells you exactly why NOT to get a T500 vs a T400. If you aren't going to be gaming, why put money into getting a better gaming laptop? If multitasking is actually important to you, I'd much rather see you put that $100 into more RAM than a dedicated GPU.

I also think more information would help. You want greater processing power for multitasking...will any of your tasks benefit from a dedicated GPU?
Size and resolution isn't important for you, but portability is. Size and portability go hand in hand. And portability and processing power don't work nice with each other. What is "portable enough" and "powerful enough" for you? This W500 and this W500 are around the same price as this T400 and this T400.. The W's are more powerful but less portable.

Yes, Thinkpads are good. A T-, W-, or X-series Thinkpad may work for you. A Dell Latitude E4300/6400/6500 may also be good for you. A more specific recommendation cannot be given, because it doesn't even seem like you are sure exactly what you want. I say either give more information, or choose among the above options.

By the way, the links above are for laptops in the Outlet. If I was paying $800-1100, I'd want a new laptop. The Outlet offers New (and Refurbished) laptops for a cheaper price. If you see a New laptop in the Outlet that you like, jump on it.
 
You're right, there are inconsistencies in what I want. I initially wanted portability, but I have decided that I do not have much school left, so I would rather have a larger screen and just bear with it for bringing it to school.

As for gaming, I have built a gaming desktop back home, so I do not necessarily need a laptop for gaming. However, the fact that the T500 is not too much more expensive, I figured that I may as well get that in case I do decide to game on the laptop at some point in the future. What do I gain by choosing the T400 over the T500 besides portability and a 100 bucks? As for dedicating more RAM, isn't 4 GB RAM more than enough?

Thanks for the links to the Outlet, I didn't know about that site. It looks like the Thinkpad T500s there are being sold for a bargain, the new ones are only $740, however, I would lose out on the customizations that I want, correct?

You're saying the W is more powerful - why is that - can you elaborate on that? Do you think I should go with the W500 over the T500 now that I've established that power is priority over portability?

Thanks for your help so far.
 
I hadn't read your newest post when I wrote the last post. I personally think the T-series is the most balanced Thinkpad. If you think a little more portability would be nice, check out the X-series (no dedicated GPU though). If some more power would be nice, check out the W-series (business GPU and it's costly...you have to go to the Outlet and look for a New W-series laptop).

Just one question: do you really think the Radeon 3650 would be helpful, or not? It will add heat and reduce battery life. If you will game once a year, I'd stick with integrated.
 
The RAM was an example. You said processing power and RAM are things you'd like...I probably should have said a CPU upgrade instead of RAM upgrade.

The T400, as you said, adds portability and saves $100. It seems portability isn't a dealbreaker, but it's something nice to have. As for $100, I got the impression that $100 is very important given your wanting the best bang for buck and wanting to remain within budget. If there really is no hardware you'd like to add, maybe you can put the $100 into a better warranty (assuming you don't want the dedicated GPU). Really, I think you should be asking "what does the T500 offer over the T400 that I can use?" The only thing I see is the GPU.

Idk if I said it eariler or not, but i don't know much about the W-series (it was way out of my price range so no point in looking into it, right?) Lenovo's description of the W-series is "Our most powerful notebooks: advanced graphics, lightning-fast CPUs and cutting-edge technology." I thought they'd have more CPUs options than the T-series...but they don't. The only real difference I found is that they come with dedicated business GPUs and the option for an even higher resolution screen.

I would stick with the T-series, unless you find a killer deal in the outlet.
 
I think the 8700 should be powerful enough.
Like I said, just for the fact that I may want to game occasionally in the future, I'll stick with the T500.

I missed that the WSXGA+ had CCFL backlighting and not the LED. LED screens supposedly improve battery life and offers screen clarity, but the 1680 by 1050 resolution is also great, and only the + has that. I'm not sure which one to get anymore, based on this thread of people analyzing which one is better, there are mixed reviews of either choice. Some people think the LED screen is washed out.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=320218

I am leaning towards sticking with the WSxGA+ just because of the resolution, and I do not think I will be that picky about a CCFL vs LED screen.

For the warranty, I'm considering getting the "Mobile 1Yr Depot to Total 2Yr Depot Warranty" - which adds 69$

The return policy is not great - they charge a 15% restocking fee.

Also, I'm going to add the bluetooth incase I need to sync my contacts or something like that, and the camera in case I ever need that (total of +50$ for both)
 
Most important thing first: whatever laptop/configuration you decide on, get it and do NOT look at anything related to your laptop for at least a month. No need to regret a purchase when you'll be keeping it for 2+ years.

As for the screen, my laptop has the 1280x800 LCD. I've heard the LCDs are more energy efficient, brighter, and "greener" somehow. My biggest reason was for brightness (my previous laptop didn't get too bright, and I do use my laptop outdoors so I need to be able to have good brightness), and partially for battery life (I have no idea how much LCD helps with battery life, but I figure it's not that much).

I find my screen to be pretty even, and it doesn't cause me eye strain. I could just have adjusted to the screen...I don't remember if I had any eye strain initailly. But let me just say that I haven't compared my laptop to any other. Also, when I was doing research prior to purchasing my T400, I came across people saying that one of the shortcomings of Thinkpads are their screens, and it's one of the only real gripes people have with Thinkpads. The screen is definitely functional, but don't expect to get the best screen ever created. If you can, find a B&M with any Thinkpad in stock. I know Micro Center sometimes has them.
 
This laptop is an LCD though:

15.4" WSXGA+ TFT, w/ CCFL Backlight

The TFT is simply a variant of an LCD (it's supposed to better)

By LCD do you mean LED?
 
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