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    Refurb R500 vs SL510

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by JakiChan, Sep 12, 2010.

  1. JakiChan

    JakiChan Notebook Enthusiast

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    I want to get a cheap-ish rugged laptop. I am a fan of the Thinkpads. So I'm thinking about either an SL510 from Amazon or a refurb R500, which I guess is a "true" laptop. I just wanted to get some specs confirmed based on what I've read:

    1) The refurb R500 comes with just 1GB of RAM. The specs say I can put up to 8GB in it. I assume that's true?

    2) With 8GB RAM would it run Windows 7 pretty well?

    And would this be a better way to go than the SL510?

    Thanks!
     
    JakiChan, Sep 12, 2010
    #1
  2. LegendaryKA8

    LegendaryKA8 Nutty ThinkPad Guy

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    I don't really have any experience with the SL510, but I can answer your RAM questions.

    Firstly, if the specs say the R500 will take 8GB of RAM, it will... the T-series of that generation(T400, T500) can take 8GB with no issues. As far as running Win7, I'm using my T400 with 4GB of RAM and my X200 with 2GB. I don't see much of a difference in general day-to-day use. My suggestion would be to stick with 4GB of RAM(if you have some extra cash I would just get a single 4GB stick to ease any further upgrades) unless you have a specific application that requires massive amounts of RAM.
     
    LegendaryKA8, Sep 12, 2010
    #2
  3. ronnieb

    ronnieb Representing the Canucks

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    I'd suggest 3 gigs of RAM as Win7's sweetspot; unless you are running virtualization programs
     
    ronnieb, Sep 12, 2010
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  4. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

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    I'd have to agree. Get it with the 1GB stick. Throw in a 2GB stick and see how it goes. The R500 will offer better build quality. I think the reason to get one is the WSXGA+ screen.
     
    ZaZ, Sep 12, 2010
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  5. lead_org

    lead_org Purveyor of Truth

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    3 gigs in Win 7 with Intel Graphics card is going to cause graphic distortion, so either 2 gigs one stick or 4 gigs (in 2 x 2 gigs setup).
     
    lead_org, Sep 12, 2010
    #5