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How do you guys feel about Lenovo?
- Thread starter Jb07
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Isn't that an IdeaPad?
I personally have never owned a Lenovo- but from what I hear they seem to be excellent.
According to this poll I made, Lenovo is a much favored brand.
My friend had one and it was pretty good. Didn't look amazing, but did the job well.
Avoid HP like the plague unless you like your laptop filled to the brim with crapware.
Avoid HP like the plague unless you like your laptop filled to the brim with crapware.
Yuck. Lenovo.
If I were you I'd look at getting another Dell as for me, they've been the most reliable PC's I've used.
As cambookpro said, STAY AWAY FROM HP. Also steer away from Packard Bell. Eww. Of course, if you like 50 1 hour game demos and software demos then they're the way to go
If I were you I'd look at getting another Dell as for me, they've been the most reliable PC's I've used.
As cambookpro said, STAY AWAY FROM HP. Also steer away from Packard Bell. Eww. Of course, if you like 50 1 hour game demos and software demos then they're the way to go
I've been a fan of Thinkpads for many years now. I think Lenovo has done an ok job keeping up IBM standards but definitely no more than that. They managed to cheapen out the Thinkpads a bit. This is especially true with current T-series screens. I have a T420s (latest) and while an excellent machine in many aspects I think the crappy 16x9 screen detracts quite a bit. Considering it was as much as a Macbook Pro I think they could do better.
With that said, Thinkpads are still a mile ahead of pretty much any PC laptop manufacturer. I would purchase either a Thinkpad or Apple. Wouldn't consider anything else. Oh, and stay away from Dell. I love their screens but their laptops are generally quite bad. Ditto for the desktops too.
I had an old T30 that i got 10.4 running, it had some display acceleration so it worked fine for the most part, got me started on osx.
If i really needed a windows box i would probably have gotten a Thinkpad again , but for the little time i have to use Visual Studio i use VMWare on the iMac or Air
If i really needed a windows box i would probably have gotten a Thinkpad again , but for the little time i have to use Visual Studio i use VMWare on the iMac or Air
My cousin bought a nice gaming laptop from Lenovo for a pretty good price. I'd say they're reliable as they also manufactures IBM PCs.
The IdeaPad U-series design does have me wanting one. In some ways, I think it is prettier than a MacBook Pro. If it ran OS X, it would be a dream.
If I'm buying a non-Mac laptop, it's a Lenovo ThinkPad. Emphasis mine, because their cheap stuff isn't anything special. However, if you get a T/W/X-series ThinkPad, you'll have a machine that's over-engineered, overbuilt, and will last for many years. Fantastic stuff. I'd skip the IdeaPad/Essential line though...they're ok for standard PC fare, but the high-end ThinkPads are where it's at. Shop carefully and you can get a nice T420 for well less than $1k.
For reference, I've had an R51, T60, T60p, and T520. Loved them all.
For reference, I've had an R51, T60, T60p, and T520. Loved them all.
With Asus I've read more complaints about their warranty service at the times it is actually needed. The complaints are usually that they're quite solid, but if on the off chance you do have problems, that the support is quite weak. I read a bit on this stuff in case I ever do need to migrate away from
. By cheapen out did you mean price or quality? I've heard both statements. The prices are definitely lower than when IBM owned the line.
I'd go with the Thinkpad line, not to be confused with the Thinkpad Edge or other Thinkpad consumer lineups.
Thinkpads are some of the best built notebooks on the market for the past two decades.
Thinkpads are some of the best built notebooks on the market for the past two decades.
The switch to 16:10, then 16:9 screens is disappointing, and it's true that Lenovo could have bucked the trend...but it would have come at a high cost, as a lower-volume panel (keeping 4:3, or 16:10) would have a higher component cost, which would have to be passed on to the buyer. Don't get me wrong, I wish they would, but given that most people don't care (at least not enough to pay extra for it), I can understand Lenovo's viewpoint. That said, I despise the 16:9 aspect ratio, and dropped my T520 because a 16:9 15" machine is just too big to carry around.
IBM ThinkPads were exclusively 4:3, and offered either standard-grade TN panels (unimpressive) or high-end IPS (branded as "Flexview") panels on their high-end machines (T-series, R50/51)_. Unfortunately, Lenovo decided to kill this option as soon as they could; the only Lenovo-branded ThinkPad with this option was the T60, which was really an IBM carryover with a new logo. As the last 4:3 IPS ThinkPad, the 15" T60(p) with Flexview (either SXGA+ or UXGA) still carries a loyal following.
I dearly wish that one could still buy a 14" SXGA+ (4:3) machine still; I loved my T60 with that screen, both for size and pixel density. Unfortunately, most manufacturers are putting the cheapest crappy screens they can find in computers, rather than offering a choice for something decent. Apple's the exception to the rule, as they typically use mid-quality TN panels (and at least still offer some 16:10 panels), but they could easily do better, too.
I meant in price and quality... and service.
My most recent Thinkpad just isn't the equal of my previous units. Cracking plastic bezel issues, backlight issues, etc. Still better than any Dell than I've seen, but not quite the tanks they used to be.
Service isn't quite as good either. I have always paid for on-site service. The quality and responsiveness of the techs has diminished, and things like the cracking bezel have been denied coverage.
I know they could easily do better. I find it puzzling how many people believe nothing else could match Apple in many regards. I've seen their laptop screens. They're an enormous step up from what they were a few years ago. I don't mean the glossy vs matte thing. I mean that some machines like the old white macbook had awful displays. Display technology has become much cheaper in the past few years. I've wondered if they would implement some of this stuff in the macbook lineup, but it's a larger display with a lower shipping volume. It may take more interest than just Apple to influence development of appropriate IPS displays that match the current resolution of the TNs used. LG has sort of kicked out its competition in this regard. I haven't seen much ship in the way of
That makes me sad. The two are probably related as well. IBM thinkpads were quite expensive by current standards relative to other laptops, even though you were obviously paying for quality. Lenovo is usually the one where I hear the fewest complaints, but bezel cracks are pretty bad.
I've got a loaded new Lenovo T420 for work. Nice machine, minus that whole part about Windows 7 with Outlook crashing 50% of the time and necessitating a restart to solve the problem, and Windows Explorer crashing endlessly.
Hardware-wise, it's decent though the screen could be better IMO...not nearly as nice, clear, or bright as my MBP.
Hardware-wise, it's decent though the screen could be better IMO...not nearly as nice, clear, or bright as my MBP.
Check out the Lenovo Ultrabook U300s. It looks pretty good.
http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/ideapad/u-series/u300s/
http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/ideapad/u-series/u300s/
Do you have anywhere near you where you can check out the U400 and see what you think in person? I've never owned a Lenovo, but the ones I have used had great keyboards and you'll see many reviewers who feel they have the best keyboards in the business.
Yes, there is an Office Depot that actually carries the U400 in their store. It was a very nice computer in person.