Lenovo Thinkpad E430, or HP Pavilion?

[und3rscor3]

Hi, I'm a student and I'm going to buy a laptop. The most important factors are battery life, portability, quiet operation, and speed of course. I will use it for writing papers, taking notes, etc. which will also involve research using internet databases and many many pdf files open at a time.

I have two laptops in mind that I think would be good: the Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E430, and the HP Pavilion dm4.

The features I would like in a laptop are: at least 6GB of RAM, at least 320 GB hard drive, hard drive speed of probably 5400 RPM rather than 7200, an Intel Core i5-2450, and the longest battery life I can get.

The following information is optional:

I like the HP dm4 because it is only $630 at Best Buy, but it has 8 GB of RAM, 640 GB HDD space, and the Intel i5. It also supposedly has 7 hours of battery life. HP laptops also have "CoolSense" technology or something, which is nice.

I like the Thinkpad Edge because I can get it with all the features I want for around $700 I think, which isn't bad, and Lenovo laptops are known to be high-quality (right?). They are also available with an anti-glare screen. I'm a little worried battery life won't be as good as the Pavilion though.

 

[akugami]

Battery Life: Never trust a company's battery life rating. There are always caveats. A lot of the times, the battery life rating is sitting at idle or dimming the screen to unacceptable levels.

Portability: Unless you're getting an Ultrabook class laptop (these cost a lot more), you're going to have to lug a heavier machine. For your usage, you can probably get away with a refurbished Ultrabook which would lighten the load and be more economically priced.

Quiet Operation: Most laptops are designed to not be too noisy. The other thing is one person's level of acceptable noise might be driving another person up the wall. For the most part, don't buy a "gamer's" laptop if you want quieter operation.

Speed: Sorry my friend, but I don't think you're after speed. From everything you're saying, your usage is moderate. A lower end i3 or i5 dual core laptop is about all you need. More RAM does help with opening a lot of files. Especially many large PDF's.

With the "back to school" buying period right around the corner as well as Intel and AMD releasing new processors recently there is a lot of change in laptop models. I'm actually in the market for a laptop myself and speed and reliability are my top factors. Be careful on the Lenovo's. The T and W series Thinkpads are still of high quality but all the rest using the Thinkpad name may not be as well built. From what I've read, they're roughly on par with similarly priced Dell's, HP's, and the like.

You might want to take a look at Lenovo's used Thinkpad T420 from their outlet web site. Not the lightest laptops but built for durability. Not the best battery life using the lowest capacity batter but they can also come with larger battery options (which you have to pay for of course) for longer life and has an option for a higher resolution screen unlike most laptops in the sub $700 range.

 

[und3rscor3]

Thank for the feedback, but really, I think you're making things too complicated to be honest... Sure, you might as well subtract two hours from any battery life rating, but even so, if laptop A is rated for 7 hours and laptop B is rated for 5, even if those ratings are innacurate, they are still likely to be proportional. As far as speed, I understand what you mean, but that doesn't mean I'm not after speed. I want my laptop to demonstrate very fast performance with my usage. Also, I don't really think it's useful to assume Lenovo's lower-end machines are cheaply built. It's a quality brand from what I've read.

Thanks for the suggestion too, but if it's not light (less than 5 pounds) and it has dismal battery life (rated at less than ~6 hours), then I'm not interested.

Though waiting a month to get my laptop might not be a bad idea now that you mention it. Any word on what models are going to be updated with the new Intel processors? And how much more expensive will they be? (And how many minutes until they are rendered obsolete by something else?...)

And one more thing: for a student, would it be worth it to get Windows 7 Professional over the Home version?

 

[akugami]

Some of the laptop battery lives are cut in half with any type of usage. It's not just 2 hours off of a 7 hour battery life rating. Still a "buyer beware" situation as far as battery life is concerned.

Most 14-15" laptops are under 5lb's so I think you're good if that's what you're expecting. I thought you wanted something sub 4lb's which really brings up the cost. Just keep in mind that these weight ratings don't usually include the laptop's power brick.

Can't really say on price, too many laptop models and too many configurations involved. Waiting might be worth it because older laptops are usually only USB 2.0 and the newer laptops have at least one USB 3.0 port which can really speed up transferring files from USB devices such as thumb drives. I don't think you'll gain much from a processor speed or battery life perspective. I actually do a lot of transferring of files to an external HD and plan to get a USB 3.0 capable external HD. Not to mention getting a new card reader for the RAW files off my DSLR camera.

As a student, you likely won't gain anything from Windows 7 Pro vs Home. On the plus side, if you do find you need something down the line, you can always buy an upgrade license from Microsoft to convert from Home to Pro.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

On a note related to build quality:

Thinkpads now (have had) internal magnesium roll cages that act somewhat like a skeleton to the internals. The only Thinkpads to not have this are the L series, the Edges, and probably the X130. I'm sure the build quality will still be better than the HP, though. And the battery life on a T420 (and probably 430) isn't anything to scoff at. If I play the right settings, I can get 8-11 hours on my X220.

As a student who more often than not tosses his laptop into his backpack when running between classes, I went with the Thinkpad for obvious reasons. None of the three I've done this with show any significant wear. I'd peruse the outlet and find a good T/X series. Oftentimes they start at around $550-600 if you check at the right time. And don't worry about RAM for now... upgrade that on your own. Sorry for the long post.

 

[simplynluv]

Just my own experience within my 2 previous HP laptop and even this current one
- HP DV6 Pavillion - goes very hot, hit 50 - 54 degree Celsius on idle, hit 78 - 93 Degree Celcius on peak << current
- the other two, I cant remember what is the type, but same thing happen, hit 46 - 53 degree Celcius

I send my new DV6 to the HP service in singapore and they return it to me, same thing goes again, even they give me a new laptop, same problem is still exist.. ggezzzzz

I did contact the customer service
oh yeah... dont trust them, they treat us like we know nothing about Computer, asking us to clean up the vent (I already mention that I bought it brand new dude, first day I'm using and it goes hot crazy)

I personally not sure about Lenovo laptops, but I own them once before and it is really nice

Good Luck finding them 😀

 

[und3rscor3]

The T series is more power than I need I think, and too expensive for that reason. The T420 is good, but $50 more than the E430 even with many lower specs... not sure why. I'm not too concerned about an internal roll cage as long as the PC is high quality otherwise, chubbyfatazn, but thanks for the info. The X130 is nice for my needs, but only worth it if I get a SSD, at which point it would be more than I want to pay.

Thanks for the info as well, simplynluv. I don't know if the HP dm4 would be better or worse. I didn't notice excessive heat when I checked it out at Best Buy, but the DV6 is even a newer model, so IDK.

I'm really leaning towards the Lenovo E430. A X-series ultrabook would be nice, but there's a reason I'm not looking at ultrabooks in the first place. One more question for now: How much should RAM cost? Cuz on the Lenovo site, it is about $40 per extra GB. Is this a normal price for the type of RAM in Lenovo laptops? (I know it's DDR3 but idk about speed of the memory & w/e else)

 

[jihe]

The T series is more power than I need I think, and too expensive for that reason. The T420 is good, but $50 more than the E430 even with many lower specs... not sure why. I'm not too concerned about an internal roll cage as long as the PC is high quality otherwise, chubbyfatazn, but thanks for the info. The X130 is nice for my needs, but only worth it if I get a SSD, at which point it would be more than I want to pay.

Thanks for the info as well, simplynluv. I don't know if the HP dm4 would be better or worse. I didn't notice excessive heat when I checked it out at Best Buy, but the DV6 is even a newer model, so IDK.

I'm really leaning towards the Lenovo E430. A X-series ultrabook would be nice, but there's a reason I'm not looking at ultrabooks in the first place. One more question for now: How much should RAM cost? Cuz on the Lenovo site, it is about $40 per extra GB. Is this a normal price for the type of RAM in Lenovo laptops? (I know it's DDR3 but idk about speed of the memory & w/e else)

you can add ram yourself for much less

 

[chubbyfatazn]

I'm really leaning towards the Lenovo E430. A X-series ultrabook would be nice, but there's a reason I'm not looking at ultrabooks in the first place. One more question for now: How much should RAM cost? Cuz on the Lenovo site, it is about $40 per extra GB. Is this a normal price for the type of RAM in Lenovo laptops? (I know it's DDR3 but idk about speed of the memory & w/e else)

Just a heads up, the only thing that could be considered an ultrabook in the X series is the X1 Carbon. The rest of the X series is ultraportable.

Never buy RAM through any manufacturer's site. Just go here and pick out any set. As long as it's a DDR3 SODIMM (make sure it's a SODIMM) rated at 1333mhz you're fine. Ballparking it, it's around $40 for an 8GB set. If you check SD you might find a deal for $25 or so after MIR.

Honestly, of the two laptops you listed, I'd pick the TP. They're reliable and easy to do self-maintenance on. If battery life is important consider the 13" Edge. I'm pretty sure none of the Edges have extended batteries though, so that's a point in favor to the T/X series.

-> used or owned at least 11 TPs over the last 13 years

 

[weovpac]

Go with a Thinkpad[T or X series], from Lenovo's outlet store. For the reasons others have said already.

 

[und3rscor3]

OK, I'll go with a ThinkPad and install extra RAM myself.

As for battery life, Lenovo gives you the option of paying an extra $10 for a battery rated for 72 watt hours (Whr), rather than the standard 48 (for the E430). Does this mean extra battery life? Seems like it should, but I just want to ask here. Anyone know?

Also, would a 7200 RPM HDD reduce battery life significantly over a 5400 RPM one?