Looking for a office lenovo for as little money as possible

I think I post that the best here instead of the "what to buy area" because that is a specific Lenovo question.

I am looking for something really simple. I just want to run Office and surf with it.

Decent screen and good battery life would be decent but it is not a KO criteria. Price is. The cheaper the better.

What do you think would be fitting?

Thanks for your help.

 

Some of the Edge series ThinkPads are around 400-500$, you can surf web with them and have some good battery life, nothing spectacular like X220/T420, but still good. And only model with decent screen is X220 with optional IPS screen, the rest are average or mediocre at best
How big you want it to be, whats the weight limit, are you going to carry around with you you laptop or is it going to reside at desk, will you use it as primary monitor or hook it to external monitor etc?
Where are you from - where are you going to be buy it? Prices and models differ by country.

 

which country are you in?

 

Thinkpad Edge E320 if it's available in your country.

 

For office work and browsing, if you're really on a tight budget you could consider refurbished or second hand ThinkPad models. Systems equipped with a Core 2 Duo (i.e. T61 Intel GPU models, R400, T400) are more than adequate to handle those tasks easily. I probably plump for a T400 with LED screen option if I was on a market for an inexpensive but well built ThinkPad.

 

Hi,

even 500 USD too much money for me. I want to buy a notebook when the new Ivy Bridge technology will be available. Till then just the random stuff. I am located in the US.

A friend of mine has the following offers (he works for IBM):

Get our T61 ThinkPad & receive free docking station! ibmepp eCoupon price only $227!

Intel® Core 2 Duo T7300 2.00GHz, 3GB memory, 80GB hard drive, CDRW-DVD, 802.11a/g WiFi, bluetooth, 14" vibrant view LCD, Windows XP Pro., fingerprint reader security feature.



Our T500 ThinkPad is the ultimate work horse! Just $422 with ibmepp eCoupon!

Intel® Core 2 Duo T9400 2.53GHz, 4GB memory, 160GB hard drive, DVD recordable, 802.11a/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, 15" widescreen LCD, Windows XP Pro., fingerprint reader security feature.


Lenovo G570 laptop w/ Windows 7! Great for fun family entertainment. Only $358 with ibmepp eCoupon!

Intel® Pentium Dual Core B940 2.00GHz, 4GB memory, 500GB hard drive, DVD Recordable, WiFi, 15.5" LED display with integrated web camera, Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit). 1 year mfr. warranty


Our T60 ThinkPad delivers excellent value &docking station is free! ibmepp eCoupon price $214!

Intel® Core 2 Duo T5600 1.83GHz, 2GB memory, 80GB hard drive, DVD Recordable, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, 14" LCD, Windows XP Pro., fingerprint reader security feature.


Or he offered me his old T60 (pretty good shape for 150 USD. But without a OS.

I have a question. Those screens are mostly in a very low resolution. Could I attach a 1080p screen on the laptop. WOuld that work?

Thanks for your help! Have a nice Sunday!

 

Yes you should be able to attach it to an external monitor and output 1080 without problems. I just did it with my 3 year old ThinkPad R61e with Intel graphics and it output such resolution fine using VGA connection.

 

FreeLancer, I understand that from those laptops that you mentioned only G570 is brand new, the rest are refurbished?
Whats the warranty on all these laptops?
If its 1 year both on new and on refurbished then Id go for cheapest possible, but then again, G570 should offer better battery life at the cost of somewhat worse build quality.
Are you going to carry your laptop around with you and used it from battery?
Or is it going to be on your desk all the time?
Gives us more information on your computer usage habits so we could give you better advice as to which system to choose

 

I am looking for something very simple. I had the T61P before and was super satisfied with the build quality and the keyboard. Only the screen was a bit too dark (I had the 1200p one).

What I want to do with this laptop. Actually just office stuff and surfing. I recently graduated from Business School and do not have a job yet. Thats why I want to keep my expenses low as possible. (I do not have the M6600 in my signature anymore).

So battery life is something that is not thaaat important. 2-3 hours should be enough.

As soon as I have a job and there are new laptops with Ivy Bridge out then I am gonna buy something decent. But till then just something sturdy that works and does the job.

I think I will carry it around in my room but nothing too far from a charger.

Thanks for your decent help!!!

 

Well, since youve had good experience with t61p before, perhaps t61 is logical choice+youd get free docking station for it which is imo neat addition. Tho its screen might not the brightest one given that its ccfl backlighting has lost some of its brightness.
G570 on the other hand has Intels latest tech, thus decent battery life even for such no frills budget laptop and led backlight that should be way brighter than t61/500/60.
I wouldnt choose t500 since its too expensive for what it is, t61 or g570 are IMO much better bang for your buck.

 

If you want a Lenovo laptop for less than $500, you have two choices:

1) Get a low-end IdeaPad or equivalent. This means you miss out on all the things that make a ThinkPad special -- and at that point, why bother with Lenovo?

2) Go for a used ThinkPad.

You should do #2.

 

Hi,

thanks everyone for their suggestions.

I really would like to get an Thinkpad. If I get one of those Ideapads I could go with any other brand...

So Thinkpad it should be.

 

Avoid IdeaPad for office use, I would go with a used ThinkPad.

I would avoid anything Nvidia for _61 generation. T60 makes a good machine if you get a Merom Core 2 Duo, or get a T61 with Penryn Core 2 Duo.

 

Take a look at IBM Certified Pre-owned PCs - United States

They often have some nice deals, and during the holidays they offer extended warranties and other deals on refurbished/used machines.

 

I would definitely go a used ThinkPad, especially if you're looking to stay under $500. Some of my personal picks would be the T60, T61(I just found my g/f one on my local Craigslist for $150USD, Intel graphics), T400 if you can find one in that price range, or possibly an X60, X61, or X200 if you would like one in an ultraportable form factor.

I would, as mentioned before, stay away from the Nvidia GPUs on the T61 series. They are notorious for failing. The ATI graphics solutions on the T60 and the T400/500 are pretty robust, though I have heard of a few GPU failures on the T500(hasn't happened to mine yet).

 

get on ebay, buy an used thinkpad T60 or T61
you can get a decent one around 200 to 300 USD

 

Check Thinkpads Forum. The members are honest and thorough in the descriptions. Usually, the ThinkPads for sale are their personal laptops that are handled with care. Asking prices tend to be reasonable.

 

I just got a G570 to play around with and it is a great basic laptop.