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choosing between 2 small laptops

D

Doffle

Junior Member
Hi all,

I'm choosing between 2 laptops and would appreciate any feedback from people who have experience with either. Both are fairly new. The first is a Toshiba Satellite model:

http://tinyurl.com/kcech

The second is a Lenovo 3000 V100:

http://tinyurl.com/hpnuc

Both are configured with an Intel Core Duo (there's a difference in GHz but it's immaterial), 1 gig of RAM, a 1280 x 800 display, and Intel integrated graphics (a plus for me, since I won't be doing any 3D rendering/gaming and don't want a separate piece of silicon pulling extra watts). I've messed around with both in-store a bit and noticed that the Toshiba has a somewhat cramped touchpad and the lid clicks closed (which seems like a bit of a plus to me--the Lenovo doesn't really close--unless the clasp will wear out).

What I'd love to hear your thoughts on are battery life, general ergonomics over time (both seem fine apart from the Toshiba's slightly cramped touchpad), durability over time (things like the display hinges), customer service with either company if you've had any experience there, and also maybe (I doubt this is an issue) whether you've had any problems with your RAM.. it's always annoying to me that companies don't tell you what they put in their notebooks and what speed/timings it runs at.

Also, if anyone looking at those two models absolutely loves another laptop that's fairly similar in size/weight/specs/price (Lenovo is absolute upper limit, heh), please let me know.

Thanks so much!
 
Thanks for the reply. The 710m has only 512 MB of RAM, which is inadequate for me. I looked at the XPS M1210 on the Dell website and it looks like a good alternative, but I don't have access to one to play around with.. do you have any experience with it, or know of a store that displays them? My experience with Dell has also been that they're the first to skimp on RAM by slapping in some 333 MHz rated crud that bottlenecks the FSB.. do you know whether they'd do that on that model?
 
Yeah, Dell pairs 533MHz RAM with 667MHz CPUs. Lenovo does not. I have only compared the e1405 to the M1210...and the M1210 was far superior. It feels quite solid, but the 12.1" widescreen was a little unusal. I think for a screen that small widescreen may not be the way to go, but I only got to look at it for about three minutes with a Dell employee telling me how I can get it cheapest from their kiosk (ha).

Where can I try out a Lenovo? I haven't seen those in any stores, but I think I'm going to have to go with the N100 over the e1405.

To the OP, I really didn't care for the U205. It felt cheap and I hated the keyboard. I'd spend the extra money and go with the Lenovo.
 
The N100 is nice, just doesn't come with enough RAM for me. I live in New York City, and J&R Computer World (which also does a huge volume online) has a big display area of about 30 laptops you can play around with. I know CompUSA always has some set up as well, at least in NY. Beyond that, I have a vague memory of Circuit City having some, but not too sure about the other chains.

Basically I agree that the Lenovo feels nicer, but it's tough to justify $400 extra just for that. =/
 
What are the exact configurations & prices of these models?

Toshiba is okay, but personally I don't think they offer anything special as far as features or value.

One plus for the Lenovo is that you get the same support as Thinkpads get; all U.S. based tech support. I don't know if the basic warranty includes it, but most of Lenovo's warranties are next-business-day mail-in service. They send you a box, you mail off the laptop, they do everything possible to mail it back out the same day they get it. You can also probably extend/upgrade your warranty directly through Lenovo, a worthwhile investment on any notebook you plan on keeping for a few years.
 
fbrdphreak,

Both come with:

Intel Core Duo (not Core 2 Duo), 1.67 GHz on the Toshiba, 2 GHz on the Lenovo
1 gig of RAM (Lenovo I know is 667 MHz; I hope/assume the Toshiba is as well)
Intel 945 integrated graphics
Integrated sound, wireless, speakers (have no idea on the relative speaker quality)
100 gig 5.4k HDs
12.1" LCDs, 1200x800 resolution (didn't notice any difference looking at the two screens)
fingerprint readers
dual layer DVD reader/burner

They're each around 4 pounds. The Toshiba is $1,200 and the Lenovo is $1,600.

So basically the only differences are the price tag and the actual physical case. Like I said, what I don't know about are things like customer service, battery life, durability, etc. It sound like you've had a good customer service experience with Lenovo; I'll look and see if they offer the warranty deal you mention on this particular model.
 
For that price, it is hard to say. The price increase is due to the CPU and brand. The basic warranty support will be better on the Lenovo, that I can guarantee you. You're calling the same group that Thinkpad-users get. I checked Lenovo's site and the V100 comes with 1 year Depot Service as the base warranty. Depot service is defined as:
Depot repair: A courier will pick up your equipment and deliver it to our depot repair center. Our objective is to repair it within 12 hours of arrival, though this repair time cannot be guaranteed. Notebook machines arriving at the depot in the morning are generally scheduled to be repaired and shipped back to you on the same day.
Click to expand...
That's the same service I have on my Thinkpad T42 and it is extremely convenient & efficient.
 
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