Please help me out - dilemma

Hi all,

I am new to posting on here but have followed the threads with interest. I now need some help and would value your advice. Basically I am in the market for a new laptop. Budget isnt too much of an issue but up to £1500. I need an ultraportable laptop as I am away from my desk/travel a fair amount. It should be fairly powerful (i5) with good battery life as I do write code/run simulations on it. I had decided on a x220 but there is a catch. I have to order through our IT department and they cannot order through the lenovo website but can through sony/dell/apple/hp. They do have an alternate supplier but that company does not offer the x220 at the moment but they do offer the x201 (preconfigured models).

So the choices must change and I have narrowed it down to:

x201
sony sb
macbook pro 13

My personal preference is the thinkpad but I would value your advice on the choices (or indeed other alternatives - bearing in mind my restrictions).

Thanks.

 

x201 for sure.remember u asking this question in lenovo room

 

If you want the laptop for movies, Facebook, and Photoshop, get the Mac.

If you want the laptop for style, get the Sony.

If you want the laptop for work, get the ThinkPad X201.

 

Any computer can do movies, Facebook, and photoshop (though for that last one you might want a dedicated GPU). There's nothing inheriantly special about the Mac.

Style is subjective. While you think that Sony looks good, there are others that would say otherwise. Typically, the Mac is bought as a fashion statement, so that would be the typical "stylish" computer to buy. There are plenty of people who think that Thinkpads are ugly beasts; you'll find plenty here on NBR who think otherwise.

Thinkpads make for great work computers. So does any other business-grade laptop (Dell Vostro/Latitude/Precision, HP Probook and Elitebook, etc).

 

get an x220. why get last gen?

 

I want the x220. My purchase has to go through our organisations's preferred suppliers and unfortunately this does not include the latest generation thinkpads - hence the x201 (tablet) is the next best option. I need the laptop for work and will be travelling. The only other alternative is the t410s (again I do not have have access to the latest generation lenovos).

 

Where's the emoticon for "tongue-in-cheek"...

 

the macbook and x201 screen ratio is still in 16:10, so it has extra height compared to 16:9 (sony sb screen) and you have extra lines for coding.

I'd say, go for x201 because you're looking for an ultraportable

 

X201. I am not a fashionista who needs a Mac to validate my existence.

 

Wait for the X220 to be available to your company. X201 is nothing compared to it.

 

Unfortunately I dont think I can wait for the x220 to become available.

so the x201 seems the best choice for me - tablet or notebook?

 

while i am planning on getting a x220 soon, i wouldn't say that the x201 is bad compared to the x220. the only thing that really stands out is the screen for the x220. under normal circumstances, i don't think you'd notice any speed differences with the second generation processors.

 

I don't get it. The only differences that the X220 and the X201 have are:

(1) IPS screen from the X220 (which may or may not be critical depending on your work)

(2) The battery life in favour of the X220 (this is indeed a big plus).

(3) The SB processor - which, again, is critical dependent on how you want to push your machine in "real life" situations.

Aside from these three points, I can't ses any difference between the two. I could not wait to get the X220, so I bought the X201 and I have very happy with it. Even of the X220 would have been available, I would still have gone for the X201.

 

I'd go with the X201. The Vaio isn't in the league of the Macbook Pro 13 or the ThinkPad, IMO. While I have no issue with OS X, if you're working in business, you may find app compatibility an issue if you're not running Windows.

Whether you need the tablet or not is up to your usage patterns. If it were me, I probably wouldn't get the tablet unless I had specific applications in mind that could make use of it.

 

Good. Get the notebook.

(Typing this on an X201. Great keyboard. Good resolution. Nice aspect ratio. No backlight bleed. No fan noise. No heat. No trackpad problems. 8 hours on 9-cell battery. No X220 envy. )

 

I'd be more inclined towards the MacBook Air over the MacBook Pro if that's an option. If it's a choice

 

I second that. If the OP has no Windows-dependent development work, get the MacBook Air 13". The 1440x900 resolution is definitely better than that on the MacBook Pro 13". And, of course, it is wonderfully slim and light.

 

Thanks for everyone's help.

However a complication has arisen - and i am undecided between the x220 and t420. My main uses are work - writing, web browsing, coding, stats analysis. I do travel a bit - but this would be my only computer.

Basically the preferred supplier now has three thinkpads available - but they are all preconfigured (no cto unfortunately).

These are:

1. Lenovo ThinkPad X220 I3-2310M 4GB 320GB 12.5" W7Pro
The manufacturer number: NYD37UK

2. Lenovo Thinkpad T420 Core i5 2410M 4GB 500GB 14" Win 7 Pro
The manufacturer number: NW182UK

3. Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Core i7-2620M 4GB 500GB 14" W7 Pro
The manufacturer number: NW4NGUK

(Because these models are only just available through the preferred supplier - I am unable to give more details).

I was keen on the x220 but the more I read about the t420 - the more promising it seems.

Of the three choices above - I am torn between 1 and 3. Can I get advice on which one to go for?

Thanks.

 

What resolution is the T420 display? I wouldn't recommend the 1366 x 768 option.

Does the supplier also have the T420s?

John

 

The display details I have:

Display

Display Type
14" TFT

LCD Backlight Technology
LED backlight

Max Resolution
1600 x 900 ( WXGA++ )

Widescreen Display
Yes

Image Aspect Ratio
16:9

Features
Anti-glare

 

More details ( NYD37UK, NW182UK, NW4NGUK):

Don

 

-How much do you use your laptop outside? (if none, the Outdoor display of the X220 isn't a big deal).

-Do you do much work with virtual machines? (if yes, the Core i7 T420 has additional features the Core i5 model doesn't have; if no, the Core i5 is probably plenty fast)

I'd probably lean towards the Core i5 T420 in your case; it looks to be the best combination of price/performance.

 

thanks for all the input. On balance i think i will go for the i7 t420 - it will be my first thinkpad!