Ok, I saw a laptop at Circuit City today and I am considering it...

I have been planning on buying a thinkpad for 1,600 for about a week now. It seemed like a great choice but very expensive. I don't have a great paying job at the moment.

Today I was at Circuit City, and I was looking at the laptops just out of curiosity for what they had, and I saw the Lenovo N100. It was configured at 120 GB memory, and I gb hard drive (maybe its the other way around, I'm not good with comp information), but it looked very nice. It had a webcam and finger print scanner, and it was only $800.

There is so much infor mation and so many reviews out there that I don't know where to start. I thought I would ask some of you guys what you think about this notebook. Will it last me a while? Is it good quality? Thanks, this would help me considerably because of the lower price tag, but I dont want a huge fall in quality either. Thanks.

 

I would look at reviews before doing anything else. Here's a link.

The N100 is a nice computer, better than many consumer notebooks, but not a Thinkpad. I have a T60 and love it, but if you don't have the finances to support a more expensive computer the N100 might be a better fit for you.

What exactly drew you to the T60? What are you looking to do with the computer? What's missing from the n100 that the T60 has that you think you'll need?


Start asking yourself these questions and I think you'll be able to make a better decision. Of course we are here as a sounding board, but you need to do a little research first.

 

I have done some research and it seems like a good choice. I am just not a very computer smart person so some of the information out there confuses me. Thats why I came to talk to human beings about it.

I will be using my laptop for school work, searching the internet, writing papers, etc. The other main thing I will use it for is watching dvds and storing my massive itunes collection, but I think the 120 gb will be good for that.. I don't think I will play a single game on it.

I think it seems like a good fit.

 

Lenovo has some pretty decent deals going on right now.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...-category-id=8FA114A7D9FF4F38AE8E19B36EC665A7

R series starting at about $800.

 

A few systems I'd nose you towards given the information you provided...

http://powernotebooks.com/specs/Sager/6650specs.php
http://powernotebooks.com/specs/Crown/p10-8.php
http://powernotebooks.com/specs/Crown/p10-9.php
http://powernotebooks.com/specs/PowerPro/i12-2.php
http://powernotebooks.com/specs/PowerPro/a2-23.php

Just sounds to me like you are prepared to spend a bit more money then you really should for your needs. If you need help with any of these systems I'd suggest calling directly and speaking to Donald (Paladin44 here on the forums) or of course ask here and we will try to answer if we can.

 

I think if I were forced, I would pick the HP dv2000 or dv6000 thought I like the looks of the Compaq versions vetter.

 

I'm going to take a wild guess and suggest that no one on the thread has ever seen firsthand or used an N100 (neither have I). Many ThinkPad users hold their machines in pretty high regard, and asking them to remark on, much less consider the purchase of, something else sometimes produces underwhelming responses.

None of the machines mentioned offer a 120 SATA. The R has 1 GB of RAM but not a camera. Circuit City probably got a deal on the N100 lot. OP said he doesn't have a lot of money, and said it appears it suits his needs well; also said he likes the machine.

If a camera is important but a TrackPoint isn't, and it's going to be used in large measure as a storage and writing medium, and money seems to be a big factor, then maybe the N100 is the best choice.

 

I use thinkpads all day long at work.. I don't like them. I've also seen/used the N100 and think it's expensive for the gear you get and that alone butchers the deal.

All of the systems I mentioned are capable of having the same or better performance for less money. Including a 40-200gb SATA 150 drive in 4200/5400/7200 (depending on the size).

That first machine I listed can be built with a 120gb 5400 rpm drive, 1gb ram, and XP home for $750.

 

That sager looks great for the price!

I found this Lenovo/IBM the specs are:

Celeron M 420 1.6 GHz
OS Windows XP home or Vista basic.
15" XGA TFT with wireless LAN
Intel graphics media accelerator 950 with WLAN
1 GB PC2 - 5300 DDR2 667MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
80GB HDD 5400 RPM
DVD RECORDABLE 8X max Ultrabay enhanced
Intel pro wireless 3945 a/b/g
9 cell Li-Ion baterry

Price: $730 US. Good deal?

 

You'd of course be wrong. You can read my review here.

 

Celeron M's are are poor value when Core Duals perform oh-so much better. I would dig deeper for a Core Dual (or Core 2 Dual) system. For example, right now a Dell 640M can be purchased for the same price with a Core Dual system for the same price but with a Core Dual processor and WXGA screen.