Opinion on IdeaPad S10 vs refurbished T400 for school...

I know that you guys probably get questions like this all the time so please bear with me! I want to get a laptop for school that will compliment my 1.5 year old Dell desktop at home. I'm studying accounting, so I'll mostly be using Excel/Word/the web and portability is a concern. I don't want to pay more than $600ish so I've been debating on whether I should get a refurbished laptop like a T400 or a new netbook like the Ideapad S10. I know that the specs are different and comparing these 2 really isn't 'apples to apples', but I was just fishing for a few opinions. The portability of the S10 would be great, but I wonder if the smaller size and keyboard get tiring after a while. Will the Atom processor lag much in office software? Or playing movies on the go? Does anyone have a regular laptop for travel and wish they had something smaller?

I really appreciate the opinions folks!

 

I like the T400 even if it is refurbished. I like the look of the thinkpad, I like the ruggedness feel as well. There is nothign wrong with an S10, I just prefer the thinkpad even if it is not new.

 

I really don't recommend a netbook for any content creation. You're gonna be cramped looking at spreadshoots on the small netbook screen. Have you checked out the Lenovo Outlet? I see one refurb X61s starting at $686 with 1.6GHZ C2D, 80GB HDD, BT, and 8 cell batt. A new X61s starts at $743, and you get one of the few remaining systems with 4:3 ratio screen!

 

netbooks are terrible to do work on, if you want something portable get an x-series thinkpad. I am generally not a fan of a netbook concept, every one i tried has felt like a cheap piece of rubbish.

 

Get an X series thinkpad if you want portability. netbooks are toys to use along with an existing laptop.

 

Thank you Jaredy. If you didn't say it - I would.

 

Zenit really said it first, hah.

 

At least there is a consensus! Haha

While I have your attention, would anyone hesitate to buy from Lenovo's outlet? Is the 1 yr warranty a problem?

 

I might hesitate about buying a refurbished/re-distributed model (I think the odds of dead pixels may be high), but buying a "New" model from the outlet should not be a problem. In addition, 1 yr factory warranty is now standard policy for Lenovo (although many Topseller models still carry a three year).

I also second (or fifth as the case may be) the recommendation for an X-Series ThinkPad over an S10. The keyboard quality and general usability will just be so much better on an X series than a netbook (with very little penalty in size/weight). The x61(s) would be my top recommendation at that price point, but an x60(s) and even an x41/x40/x31 would offer a better experience than a netbook if you are on a budget and willing to consider used.

 

I would go with the recommendation of the others. I have a T400 and do not mind bringing it around in my backpack. I just personally find netbook screens incredibly small to look at powerpoints and etc.

 

Although netbooks have their place, a 'real' laptop such as the T400 (or even a T61 from the Outlet) is the way to go. You get a full-size keyboard, higher resolution display choices and much faster processor choices in the T400. The T400 also has a magnesium alloy frame in the base and behind the LCD and it's covered with carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic...it's a tank compared to the S10 or any netbook for that matter!

FYI- the R400 is virtually identical to the T400, it just isn't offered with dedicated graphics, SSDs, and a several other higher-end options. But it has the same exact construction and same performance as a base T400 with integrated graphics. It could save you some $$$!