Lenovo Notebook Computers: Feedback?

[Aristotle]

Does anyone have experience with this company? I have heard good things about them off and on for a couple of years now. I seem to remember they were the company that made ThinkPads for IBM for a long time and then struck out on their own.

Their notebook computers look extremely affordable:

Lenovo Notebooks

[Rosuav]

Lenovo took over the Thinkpad line, and changed it slightly for the worse, but overall the Lenovos are still the top-end laptops - the ones you get when someone else is buying it for you. Get a Lenovo when you want reliability, features, an excellent warranty (I don't know how the service is under Lenovo, but IBM warranty service has always been well-regarded), and high resale value when you decide to upgrade. Don't get a Lenovo if you're on a tight budget... although it can be argued that buying any other laptop is false economy. I'm a Thinkpad person all the way, I will never buy any other brand - that's partly because of reliability, and partly because of features such as the ThinkLight (brilliant if you work in the dark), and middle-button scrolling (the best scroll wheel feels crude and clumsy once you've gotten to know Thinkpad scrolling).

The C-series in that listing looks like a good option. It has all the usual ports (and I include its 802.11a/b/g/n in that, even though it's not technically a port), enough memory to run XP (though if you're going to take the Vista option, definitely also take a RAM upgrade), not sure what you'll be doing and therefore whether or not the graphics card is sufficient, but more than likely it is. And price-wise... it's really not too bad. Unfortunately I can't give you a recommendation based on how they appear secondhand (as I'm sure you can guess, there is a lot of brand difference, and some model difference too, between the ones that survive three years and the ones that don't), but based on specs alone, that looks pretty good.

Be aware, though, regarding any IBM/Lenovo laptop: If you're accustomed to a Dell, Compaq, or Acer (probably others too but I haven't checked), you'll find the keyboard takes a little getting used to: the Ctrl and Fn keys are the other way around. I personally prefer the Fn key to be on the outside, but others don't, and it sometimes leads to a laptop getting a bad review. Largely a matter of opinion, really.

[Aristotle]

Bleh, func key on the outside sucks. I rarely ever use function keys, but I use control a good bit for various text editor functions.

I was surprised that you seemed to feel Lenovo's are high priced. Have notebooks come down in price that much?

Are ThinkPads cheaper?

My own notebook use is generally about 80% work and 20% gaming (when traveling usually) so RAM and video card do matter a bit.

I'm not even sure if I want to replace my current laptop (its a pretty old Dell Inspiron 8500) since it isn't a major necessity. But I was looking up laptop stuff for someone today and thought i'd ask what people knew about Lenovo.

[Rosuav]

Originally posted by Aristotle
Bleh, func key on the outside sucks. I rarely ever use function keys, but I use control a good bit for various text editor functions.

To quote Jack Point, use is everything - whatever you're used to, stick with it.

I was surprised that you seemed to feel Lenovo's are high priced. Have notebooks come down in price that much?

Are ThinkPads cheaper?

ThinkPads are the top end too. When we're selling laptops, Richard says he can put a bit more on the price of _any_ ThinkPad than he can put on any other laptop, and they still sell faster than other brands.

My own notebook use is generally about 80% work and 20% gaming (when traveling usually) so RAM and video card do matter a bit.

I'm not even sure if I want to replace my current laptop (its a pretty old Dell Inspiron 8500) since it isn't a major necessity. But I was looking up laptop stuff for someone today and thought i'd ask what people knew about Lenovo.

Right. Well, Lenovo have obviously learned something from Dell, as they're now offering a host of upgrade options, right there on the web site. One of the great things about computing is that you really can "get what you pay for" - that is, upgrade components without having to pick an entirely new model. Other industries need to catch up here... when you're buying a car, you don't get offered the chance to "upgrade to 6 seats for $xxx, or double your HP for $xxxxx", do you?

[asgoth]

I've been using thinkpads for the last couple of years. And i am overall very happy with them.

Compared to coworkers who had a dell, i've had surprisingly few issues with stability, considering how i treat it. (yes, it has dropped in its bag several time, it is moved on a daily basis, and i pretty much take it with me wherever i go)

On the downside is that the battery does not seem to last all that long. 2 hours, a little above if i am careful with calculations.

About the keyboards - i personally very much like that the FN key is as far away from the rest of the keys as possible - that means i wont accidently hit it - its one of the keys which i never want to use while typing or working, just to change general settings.

Price wise, i have found that Dell will give you "the bigger bang for the same buck", but for me, that has always been outbalanced by the better overall performance of the Thinkpads.

I cannot speak of the lenovo designs though, no experience there.

That said, i am fighting myself to get me a macbook and install XP on it beside OS X, so i might not be entirely unbiased.