Can't decide between a Thinkpad Edge E420s and a Dell Vostro 3550. Anyone got any recommendations?
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Depends on your personal habits/needs
Depends in part on your personal preferences and what you're going to be using it for. If you want a few alternative suggestions, have a look at Jon Wilcox's guide to summer bargain laptops.
A similar thread popped up over on UK Business Forums. To narrow down the selection, "LicencedToTrade" asked the following questions:
What tasks will be doing on a day to day basis (always), and what are the most demanding tasks you will be doing infrequentlyDo you have an idea of how much RAM you need? 2GB, 4GB, 8GB?Do you have an idea of what processor speed you need? <2.0GHz/ >2.0GHz/ >3.0GHz?Do you need a single core processor (for high demand individual applications) or dual/quad core processor (for mid-high demand applications running in tandem)?Do you need a separate Graphics Card (ie do you want to run games or design/photography software )?Is weight an issue? Will you be travelling with it much? What about battery life?
Their recommendation was for a Samsung RV511 - at £500, a bit more expensive than Jon's selections, but also more powerful with a 15.6in LED screen, 6GB RAM, 2.53 GHz Intel Core i3 processor, nVidia graphics unit and 640GB hard drive. More than capable for most accounting tasks, I would suggest.
The Dell Vostro 3550 you mention is the same size, but looks like it won't spec up to the same level of RAM and hard drive as the Samsung. The 14in Lenovo is smaller and more expensive, weighing 1.9kg as opposed to 2.5kg for the Dell. I've been using Dell laptops for more than a decade, but dare I say it have grown a bit tired of the brick-like form of my Inspiron 6100 and less than perfect reliability. Our IT people have noted this too and wonder if it's a result of Dell shifting production to China... Coincidentally, that's where Lenovo Thinkpads come from.
It all comes down to personal preference. I'd like a light, small and fast laptop with a good keyboard - perhaps like one of Toshiba's Portégé R700 machines (starting price £725 - or perhaps one with solid state hard drive, which would cost even more). But then you might like a bigger machine, perhaps with an integrated numeric keypad for accounting work. A couple of years ago, I spent an afternoon with a Lenovo Edge 13 and was very impressed. If I was choosing a machine for myself based on your original suggestions, I would veer towards the Lenovo - but there will always be better/faster/cheaper machines out there... that's one of the joys of dealing with modern technology.
Don't forget
That i5 processors are affordable now and i7 is already out. I would ALWAYS go for the most up-to-date versions available if affordable.
Which model & why?
Interested to know which one grabbed your heart, chatman - and why? And, dare I ask, how much did you pay?
Would you laptop shopping experience confirm our suspicion that there's a bit of a laptop glut, and that retailers and manufacturers are discounting prices to shift inventory?
Lenovo Thinkpad
the thinkpad was built on IBM technology. IBM sold its PC division to Chinese company LENOVO back in 2005. the Laptops were built in China before then anyway and the thinkpad was already the Laptop existing brand. so probably no major difference from being IBM to LENOVO. I worked for IBM for a while when the sale was going through.
most of the manufacturers get things made in the far east or in the likes of Hungary by sub contractors.