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Srebrenica Surprise posted:To this day I have no idea as to the differences between the powerful premium durable lightweight vivid SMB Ultrabook™ laptop Ultrabookoptimized for small and medium business T430s, T431s, and T430u are and hope it stops forever with the T440s. It's actually going to get even worse. Do you prefer the T431s or the S431? The Helix or the Twist or the Think Tablet 2 or whatever other dumb non-alphanumeric names they have. They had a big shakeup in their execs in 2012 because their Lenovo brand has been a consistent underperformer, so their solution was to split the Thinkpad group from the rest of the Lenovo group and put the head of Lenovo's product group in charge of the Think division. Because clearly he was doing his job so well before. And lo and behold, retarded poo poo starts happening right afterwards with massively multiplying product lines that all overlap and drastic redesigns to try and "compete with Apple" i.e. copy Apple poorly.
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Jul 10, 2013 22:43
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oneof27 posted:Now I'm worried that if I wait for the Haswell Thinkpad instead of the current T430, I'll end up with some half-assed piece of garbage. Nah I doubt it will get any worse except for some questionable design choices that probably don't matter to most people unless you're a brand fanboy as I am. The actual workmanship (versus the design part of build quality) went down a long time ago and I doubt it's going to get worse. I thought the new clickpad was pretty bad but if you don't use the trackpoint most of the faults are stuff that could be fixed in drivers and are probably not hardware bound, so based on previous experience they will likely improve the performance.
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Jul 10, 2013 23:19
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sports posted:Lenovo is still spending quite a bit of money on R&D for the Yamato Lab, which has torture-tested ThinkPads since forever. The "lack of quality" of newer models is actually just intelligent, conspicuous choices made on Lenovo's part. A current ThinkPad might have thinner plastic and chassis and a bit more flex than a T40, but that flex absorbs shock better while also allowing Lenovo a bit less material spent on each ThinkPad. No their design is still good, though I hate most of their recent choices. I'm talking more stuff like multiple people cutting themselves on the Lenovo logo because it's not mounted properly. As in I personally know two people that actually drew blood, and apparently even on this forum it's happened. I also have a random gut feel that the rate of stuff being DOA or broken on a new machine is higher, but I don't work at that organization to see the real patterns so it might just be a coincidence. I used to work before in an area where they had inexplicably used tons of convertibles and they were almost all x series of some sort with a few places using toughbooks. The IBMs were tanks and I was surprised at the amount of abuse the hinges put up with considering it's like a barely over 1" pivot thing, so the x series tablets are definitely physically dependable, at least. Of course, actually using a convertible is kind of lame and that hasn't changed with Windows 8 but I dunno, I wasn't in charge of buying them. OXBALLS DOT COM fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Jul 11, 2013 |
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Jul 11, 2013 01:11
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I don't think manufacturers 'get' that the reason a lot of people love tablets is because they're cheap and simple and no bullshit. You don't have to sit there fiddling with settings and installing updates and poo poo all the time. You just turn it on and it activates instantly and then you fart around on the internet and throw it back on the couch without anything breaking. You don't have to worry - no fans to cover up or break, no hard drives, no mice or power bricks to pack around.
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Jul 11, 2013 01:43
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SurgicalOntologist posted:I'm setting up my mom's new T430 and had a couple of questions: 1. Display scaling in Windows has always been terrible and buggy. Probably this will not change much even with 8.1. 2. The hard-drive is considered a consumer replaceable part by Lenovo so it doesn't affect your warranty to mess with it and they don't really care.
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Jul 11, 2013 14:13
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lampey posted:Its not a bad laptop, but I dont think it would be best for your use case. Thinkpads have better keyboards, build quality, available replacement parts. If you were using it somewhere the extra durability mattered it would be a great buy. Otherwise I would try for something with a newer cpu. What? It's $150. On used laptops, durability and ease of service is probably priority one. The only competition is a desktop and that's only because of the 24/7 requirement, and good luck finding one along with a monitor for that much.
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Jul 11, 2013 16:40
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15.6" is a pretty standard screen size that meets the "over 15"" requirement without being silly huge. Though I'd actually think twice about screen resolutions depending on your dad and how his eyesight is because most text-heavy games don't scale well to different DPIs.
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Jul 11, 2013 20:57
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Lovely Carnitas posted:So I need to get a laptop for school. My school's IT department recommends the dell latitude 3330 (13 in), E6430 (14 in), and E6530 (15.6 in), but the thread makes dell products sound like cheap plastic crap. I plan to use it for stuff like web browsing, word processing, watching videos and occasionally art programs like Sai painter and photoshop elements with a tablet. I'll be majoring in biology so I don't think I'll have to work with any special programs. The Latitudes are alright computers. All but the E5000 series, which is still plastic and mostly crap. Personally I prefer the Thinkpad line but they are in the same class, along with HP's Elitebooks and all are alright so long as the price is right. Either that or a Mac. I'd check prices on yoru school discount vs. the B&N deal, etc. How much do you think you will be carrying it? Personally I favor a 12-13" laptop with an external monitor for reading at home if have to lug it around. Especially if you want to do arty stuff you can't beat a good desktop monitor for color work.
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Jul 11, 2013 22:29
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CharlesM posted:I'm trying to understand the Lenovo site, what is the lightest laptop they offer? The x230t is a convertible, the extra weight is because of the hinge, digitizer, and extended battery. Why do you want a touch screen?
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Jul 12, 2013 03:34
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Opentarget posted:How are the ThinkPad Edges? Specifically the E430? I'm looking for a laptop for when I'm abroad for school in the coming year and I'd like something that I can (relatively) manhandle and won't look too flashy or anything. I'm not going to be doing anything harder than word processing, Internet, and games from 5 years ago, so I'm not too concerned with power or anything, I just need a reliable computer that hopefully won't attract any undue attention. For $650 you could buy a 'real' Thinkpad off of Lenovo's website with the coupon code in the OP. The Edges are alright but I don't think they're as good as the T or X series, and they're also I believe cheaper with that code anyway.
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Jul 12, 2013 08:18
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DrDork posted:Whatever the gently caress they want. No one really knows--there hasn't been a -p before. I'm hoping for "performance" with a moderate dGPU (or Iris Pro, wouldn't that be nice?) and a screen that doesn't blow. I think there has been a "p" before, it just refers to an option package and isn't actually a separate model per se. I say this because I vaguely recall seeing T420p and T430p on order sheets before but I don't think they're actually badged as such. It would be funny, though, if since s stands for "slim," p stood for "porky".
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Jul 13, 2013 02:19
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Shofixti posted:All the PC manufacturers do this and it drives me nuts. I hate sifting through each model trying to find the differences. And sometimes, there are more subtle unlisted things like build quality differences that you only find if you research each model individually. They used to have a more normal lineup of T for mainline, X for ultraportables, W for workstations (quad-core, extra RAM slots, etc.). There was only 1 or 2 models in each series, usually clearly differentiated by screen size or special features (being a convertible tablet, etc). Then L for budget (I don't think anyone ever bought those) appeared. They then added the Edge for people who love plastic garbage. And then new management vomited a bunch of random extra models in that don't make a ton of sense. It's like killing a brand 101. From what I gather, the new S series is part of their new effort to make Thinkpad a pro-sumer line and compete with Apple, so they come in silver or black aluminum and don't have business-class features like easy repairs, docking stations, extra durability, etc. The Helix is their expensive attempt at making a dockable tablet with business-class features, while the Twist is a prosumer version of the X-series tablet, which is getting killed to try and push people towards the Helix. Not sure what happened to the Think Tablet 2. Also, the "s" version of the T lines now isn't just a CD drive delete but includes stuff like soldered RAM and batteries and generally is designed after the Edge series except with less plastic. This may or may not be a preview of what's going to happen to their mainline laptop designs with the upcoming redesign for Haswell. It's possible the large backlash to their announcement of the "new direction" of design with the T431s sent them back to the drawing board, but I think that's just wishful thinking on my part. OXBALLS DOT COM fucked around with this message at 16:31 on Jul 15, 2013 |
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Jul 15, 2013 16:17
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InstantInfidel posted:The rMBP is .71" thick and has had very minor problems with Ivy Bridge quad cores. Professional-grade laptops are engineered and then overengineered for good measure, I would be shocked if this had thermal issues. Yeah it's doable so long as you don't mind a price tag in the $2ks. It's the cheap crappy ones that run into trouble. Cheap computers have come a long way, but you get what you pay for still applies much of the time.
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Jul 18, 2013 19:16
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mastershakeman posted:My mom is looking for a laptop, and doesn't like my idea of a t430. She visits her sisters a lot and wants to do lots of typing, but also watch movies on it and wants a 20" screen with 1080p, which I don't think even exists. How do I talk her into a Lenovo instead, or is the a brand I'm unaware of that would work for this? Budget of 1k. No such thing exists. Except a Lenovo with a separate external 20" monitor.
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Jul 22, 2013 14:16
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17" laptops are pretty much all terrible. And I'm not sure what you're trying to say about resolution, but 1366x is pretty excessively bad for a 17" screen even by my standards, and I'm not one of those people who makes a big fuss about display dpi, because when you use it as a computer and not a tv, your face is going to be close to the screen.
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Jul 22, 2013 14:23
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mastershakeman posted:Thanks. I reread the OP in a more thorough manner and follow you now. If the 430s screen is subpar, what ThinkPad is recommended for heavy movie watching and typing? The 430 is fine. If not, then the top 1080p screen in the T530 is probably one of the best affordable TN screens available.
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Jul 22, 2013 14:45
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mastershakeman posted:That's the one I'm looking at. I'm a bit leery of going TN instead of IPS based on the advice in the OP, though. You can count the number of options with that feature in your price range on one hand, and all will have large trade-offs in return. It's not that big a deal if you're a general user, since it's unlikely whatever you're replacing had a great screen anyway.
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Jul 22, 2013 16:57
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Doctor rear end in a top hat posted:The T440s (and probably T440) is going to have a 1920x1080 IPS option and I'm going to buy the poo poo out of it. I seriously doubt it will be under $1000 though. That screen is probably a $400-500 option, based on my raw guessing.
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Jul 22, 2013 17:19
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Doctor rear end in a top hat posted:The 1080p (TN) option on the T530 is $250 right now, I'd expect it to be $300 or less on the T440. Even if it's higher, my budget doesn't stop at $1000 I think your price estimates are a bit low, though obviously I have nothing solid to go on. But look at the price jumps in even crappy Acers once you start putting a nicer screen in there - an aspire ultrabook with a 14" ips retails for $1400. Or the $625 Dreamcolor display in HP's pro laptops, though obviously they're 17" and 10 bit color so it's not a direct comparison. A 1080p IPS monitor at that size is going to be pretty pricey. I'd stick to my $400 guess, especially since it's going to be a high-end option and so probably won't have huge volumes plus offers the opportunity for extra profit off of less price-sensitive customers.
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Jul 22, 2013 17:41
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mastershakeman posted:This is getting into forecasting the future territory with respect to the W & T440/540 lines, but is there any indication those laptops will be Windows 8 only? Well neither has even been officially previewed or confirmed, but them being Windows 8 only is extremely unlikely considering their mainline is still aimed at big corporate IT departments and basically all of those everywhere are just barely finishing the switch to Vista/7. I expect they'll sell 7 licenses until Microsoft forces them to stop.
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Jul 23, 2013 23:29
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Bob Morales posted:Just because you're licensed doesn't mean you get the drivers! I think even the latest Thinkpads still get XP drivers, at least for now. Also: 
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Jul 24, 2013 14:13
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Meltycat posted:My Sony Vaio Z finally gave up the ghost, and so I'm looking for another laptop, new or used. The stuff you've just listed definitely sounds like a T530 with the 95% 1080p screen option (except maybe for non-weird keyboard layout). The inevitable Haswell refresh hasn't been announced yet, though obviously it's coming, but may not fill as many of your requirements like no clickpad. As for old computers, I have an old T61 and if you can get a good one and put in an ssd they are still fine for basic computing. But they're now quite old so I'm not sure how easy it is to find decent ones on craigslist or ebay or whatever.
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Jul 25, 2013 13:16
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You left off the Thinkpad X230t, which certainly has the longest track record and includes digitizer support.
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Jul 27, 2013 19:19
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Revol posted:That also has the singular, central hinge that I would want to avoid. (I could be wrong, maybe it's ultra-durable.) The hinge design has been around forever and it's surprisingly durable - I've seen some major abuse of them and they hold up just fine. I'd consider it presumptively superior to all the designs that don't have 8 years of history with essentially the same design.
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Jul 27, 2013 20:04
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Mu Zeta posted:Remember when we all thought there would be a flurry of Haswell laptops in June? What the gently caress happened? If I were to guess, probably massive overstocks of Ivy Bridges due to the significant drop in PC sales in the last few quarters.
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Aug 13, 2013 01:30
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Doghouse posted:My wife is looking for a laptop and doesn't want to spend very much money at all. I know everyone is just going to say "just spend more and buy (a thinkpad, or whatever is recommended now)" - I agree, but my wife doesn't, and insists that I not do this, so I am looking for something around Chromebook price range, like under $300. I'd look into buying a used computer off of craigslist or something - laptop or desktop. Then you'll be in your price range and also don't have to deal with windows 8. Otherwise, look for refurbs on the dell and lenovo outlets as well as newegg, etc. Stuff like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100017489%2040000032%204016&IsNodeId=1&name=Laptops%20%2f%20Notebooks http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100019095+40000010+4016&IsNodeId=1&name=All+Desktop+PCs&Page=1 OXBALLS DOT COM fucked around with this message at 02:12 on Aug 14, 2013 |
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Aug 14, 2013 02:05
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Goodpancakes posted:Well I got my T530, and first impressions are really positive. The only downside so far has been my inability to uninstall Norton Internet Security. God what a piece of poo poo that software is. You basically need a malware tool to get rid of it. Speaking of does anyone know of one? The Think OOBE used to give you an option to not install Norton during the initial setup. Has this changed recently? A friend has asked me to set up a laptop for them once it arrives and I'm curious if it's changed.
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Aug 14, 2013 04:32
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etcetc posted:Yea... I'm just worried about the build quality, battery life, and weight. I heard that Think Pads are built much nicer, what do you think of the S431 I posted? Nobody knows because they just came out but my guess is that they might not be 'real' thinkpads. Also, isn't the 8670M really pretty bad? For the money, if you're buying an Ivy Bridge anyway, you might as well get a T-series like the T430s which is cheaper, has a proven track record, and better discrete GPU options.
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Aug 15, 2013 18:10
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etcetc posted:The weight and battery life do seem pretty shoddy though, I will be using this for college. In retrospect ergonomics are more important to me. Of what? Even the aging T430s weighs exactly the same amount as the S431 and has a 6-cell battery instead of the 4-cell in the S431. And you can also add another bay battery.
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Aug 15, 2013 19:51
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Trying to get your job to pay for a laptop so you can play computer games on it at home does sound kind of weird to me, though.
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Aug 16, 2013 07:18
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AxeManiac posted:Hey guys, can you help me out? I'm looking for a new laptop. I really like the Yoga 13 and the idea of a windows 8 tablet/pc thingy that I can install steam on. I'd like a touch screen and if possible (and not insane), some kind of pressure sensitive pen system for drawing. The Thinkpad X230t has a wacom pen and just barely squeaks in at $960 with the B&N Gold discount. It's thicker but weighs almost the same amount (slightly more due to a bigger battery). I have the previous gen and had to use the direct predecessors for years at work, and they are quite durable and the pen is good. I think it's worth cross-shopping if you're interested in drawing, especially if you're going to travel a lot. The only downsides are the lower-res screen (both have IPS screens), and that it doesn't come with SSDs standard like the yoga seems to. OXBALLS DOT COM fucked around with this message at 15:35 on Aug 18, 2013 |
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Aug 18, 2013 15:27
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signalnoise posted:What are the functions I should care about when considering a convertible? From what I understand the stylus input in tablet mode still isn't great on most if not all convertibles, is it just for shits and giggles? What are the legit reasons to want a convertible over something that is not convertible? I used to use convertibles for a long time due to work and such, and still own one. Personally, I don't think there's any real reason to get one unless you really want to use a stylus to draw. The whole point of a tablet is that it's simple, cheap, and portable. A convertible is honestly not very good at any of these things. You might as well get a laptop and a separate tablet, especially now that internet connectivity and cloud storage makes it easier to share data between two separate devices. Dunno, that's my take on it.
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Aug 18, 2013 20:11
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AxeManiac posted:That sounds good, I could upgrade the HD later if I really like it. What is the B&N Gold Discount? You go here and register an account: http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/na/StdAffinityPortal/en_US/Lenovo:EnterStdAffinity?affinity=barnesnoblegold And hope the website likes you because Lenovo's website is weird and buggy.
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Aug 18, 2013 20:45
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Infinite Monkeys posted:How's the Lenovo Z500? It looks pretty good and it's in the right price range, might be a bit flimsier than a T430 but it has a way better screen and looks nicer. I just looked it up. How is a 15.6" 1366x768 screen "way better"? I'd also be wary of the weird offset keyboard, 5400 rpm hard drive, and 4-cell battery.
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Aug 18, 2013 21:43
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Brannock posted:My budget max is $1000, looking for something around the $600-$750 range. Nobody pays the quoted price from Lenovo's site, they're just something that's set so corporate buyers can say they're getting 15% off of MSRP when they make a contract. Check the link in the OP for the discount code and they should run you about $750-800 or so loaded out.
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Aug 19, 2013 03:24
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Yeah buying aftermarket SSDs and memory is always a better deal. For Thinkpads they're considered consumer replaceable so they don't even void the warranty or anything. I'd consider dropping the RAM to 4 gb and buying another stick along with your SSD. Usually on that generation thinkpad you can also get an mSATA SSD and keep the stock hard drive, I think (I can't guarantee on that particular model). OXBALLS DOT COM fucked around with this message at 05:00 on Aug 19, 2013 |
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Aug 19, 2013 04:58
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What kind of work are you goign to use it for? Because a fast processor doesn't really matter for most things these days and even the cheapest i5 is faster than most previous gen chips.
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Aug 21, 2013 17:23
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Knyteguy posted:I'm trying to find my wife a laptop. It's use will mainly be business applications. She will be working with probably Office 365, heavily in Illustrator, probably some browser flash games or something, and HTML/CSS work. Buy a Thinkpad (X series or T530 with the screen upgrade) or whatever size refurb Mac you like, depending on your software licenses and OS preferences. Should run you about $700-800 for new (less if it's refurb or used) but that's kind of the minimum for a decent computer that won't crap out on you after just a few years of heavy use. OXBALLS DOT COM fucked around with this message at 02:25 on Aug 23, 2013 |
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Aug 23, 2013 02:21
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Lord Hawking posted:I am a high school science teacher and am thinking of getting a laptop for work, especially since not having one is ridiculously handicapping when it comes to integrating A/V stuff for my students and makes it a complete pain in the rear end for syncing content between work and home, even with Google Drive and Chrome. Here's what I'm looking for: Standard advice is Thinkpad or Mac, and of the two I'd lean Thinkpad in your case because they still have VGA outputs and they are less attractive theft targets than Macs. Depending on when you need it, something like the T430 is pretty much designed for your use case and is in your budget. But Haswell is just around the corner and obviously the longer you wait the more computer you'll get for your dollar.
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Aug 23, 2013 05:59
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Seamonster posted:So the most anticipated product of the Laptop Megathread is...dGPU only? The T440 is probably different from the T440s, though even the existence of a T440 hasn't actually been confirmed yet.
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Aug 23, 2013 20:33
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