Need recommendation for laptop - Thinkpad Edge 13" ?? or ?

Hi all
I am new here but was attracted by all the advice and information here.

I am looking for a laptop to start my MBA business school program with.
I will use it mainly for surfing, netflix perhaps, word processing, presentations etc. No gaming or photoshop or LR3 intensive work.

I would like it to have a long battery life be light to carry around all day.
I do not want an optical drive as I want it light.

Budget prefer < 800USD but lower the better as I will be very poor in school.

I need it before 1st week of Aug 2010. Cannot wait later unfortunately.

1)
I was doing lots of research on the Asus UL30VT (but heard its now phased out) and the Asus UL30JT (which has an unknown ship date)

They are more expensive but though i could swing it for the better specs

argh

This led me to consider the Thinkpad Edge 13"
After signing in for the IBM SPP program, there is an option to buy the Thinkpad Edge 13" for USD$711.55

This is with the Intel SU7300 and 2GB PC3-8500 1067MHz and 160GB HDD 5400rpm and 6 cell.

My question is,
a) is this a reasonably good price? I know I could potentially do better at the outlet but i am not sure when new units come in
b) is it worth it to buy and self-upgrade the 2GB to 4GB? ( Lenovo charges $80.75) for that
c) is it worth it to buy and self upgrade to 500GB HDD 5400rpm (Lenovo charges 104.50$) ??

2)
What is the maximum memory upgrade the Edge can take?

3)
How long does the Edge last on the 6 cell ? (realistically)

4)
Should I consider a used X300?
Is it safe? How do I go about doing that?


phew thanks guys!!

 

I'd say you can probably score a X200 on eBay or perhaps the outlet in the $600-700 range if you can be a little patient. I think that would best fit your need to be light with long battery life.

 

Is ebay Item number: 140428949019 considered a good deal?

 

does anyone know if the x200/x200s share the same power supply adapter as the thinkpad edge ?

 

It seems like a decent deal if you want the X200s, some of which come with a WXGA+ screen. The one you mentioned does have WXGA+ screen. The pixel density is quite high, right around the same as a 15.4" WUXGA machine. Some people like them, but I would say it's too high for most. The X200s differs from the X200 in that it's about a half a pound lighter and LV CPUs that offer better battery life.

You might want to ask about the warranty. Typically refurbed ThinkPads are knocked down to a one year warranty that cannot be upgraded. Sometimes the warranty look up the seller pointed to is wrong until it's updated. You might want to ask about it so you don't get hosed on the warranty.

It does seem the Edge and the X20x ThinkPads share the adapter.

 

hey ZaZ

i was researching the x200s all night and realized that something is amiss in the ebay deal. (though the person has great reputation)

1)
i searched the exact model number 7470-XF5 and it appeared on lenovo outlet website stating that the screen is the lower resolution screen at 12.1” WXGA (1280 X 800)

Lenovo Outlet - ThinkPad X200s Refurbished

2)
another thing is the outlets only have warranty for up to 1 year
how did this laptop get 3 years? ????

 

oh realized you answered that lenovo takes time to update the system...hmmm

if its the lower screen resolution, then its not that great a deal since the outlet is selling it at 400+ bucks/..

thanks for the insight on the power adapter question.

 

If you plug 7470-XF5 into Lenovo's support it says 7470-XF5 does have a WXGA+ screen. Interestingly, it says it has the dock too, which is not listed in the auction. Perhaps they're selling it separately.

They're a little scatterbrained over at the outlet. My X200 came from the outlet in February when they had a 20% coupon. My order may have not been fulfilled had I not reached out to a few friends over at Lenovo. The X200s was offered with WXGA screens in addition to WXGA+. It is possible the one in the outlet is WXGA and the other WXGA+. My point being I wouldn't necessarily believe what you see on the page at the outlet. Unfortunately, errors are more common that they should be. Also, the machine you linked is not in stock and it doesn't get interesting until it's in stock. Good luck.

 

hi ZaZ
do you mind showing me the link that the XF5 has the WXGA+ screen?
i searched XF5 and vacrious combos of 7470-XF5 and did not get results =(

i know the 7470 points to the X200s but i thought the XF5 which is like a sub model number was specifically for a certain config set up...

if it really has a WXGA+screen, then i suppose its a reasonably good deal?

 

X20x/s all the way...

 

Product: ThinkPad X200s 7470-XF5 [change]

Operating system: All [change]

Original description: Refurb 7470-BZ9: SL9400(1.86GHz), 2GB RAM, 160GB 7200rpm HD, 12.1in 1440x900 LCD, Intel 4500MHD, Intel 802.11agn, Bluetooth, Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, Secure Chip, X200 UltraBase+CDRW/DVDRW, Fingerprint reader, 6c Li-Ion, WinVista Business 32

IBM Personal computing support - ThinkPad X200s 7470-XF5 support

 

oh ok i figured lenovo website out.
searching using the "product number" box yielded the results
i was originally searching with the top right hand corner search box (which oddly doesnt yield the same results ??!!??)

what the heck does

Product: ThinkPad X200s 7470-XF5 followed by

Original description: Refurb 7470-BZ9 mean ???

blah this is so confusing

 

it just means this laptop model 7470-XF5 is an official refurbished model which had the 7470-BZ9 model number.

 

just an update for those facing these same description issues

i did buy the ebay laptop and it has the higher resolution 1440x900 screen!
yeah!
=)))

so back to the original topic about the thinkpad edge 13.
is that a good buy for that kind of specifications?

 

spec wise yes, quality wise i am not so sure.

 

If you've got $800 to spend, I'd go with an X series machine - X200, X201, X201i. You can get one of those for $800 if you can be a bit patient and it will offer you far better quality.

 

thanks guys for your opinions
this time this laptop is for the wife and she wants 13 to 14 inch
she doesnt like the smaller 12 inch screens...

how?