T410i vs Vostro 3500

Hey guys,

I'm a ThinkPad fan as you might already know. I've got 3 of them (first one is from 00' and the latest one is the T410s).

The thing is my mother needs a laptop for her work, she'll be carrying it with her on trips abroad now and then (like 3-4 times a year). The rest of the usage will be at her office and at home. She'll mostly be using it for presentations/word/excel/browsing.

I had settled on the Vostro 3500 for $530CAD (i3 2,4GHz, 250G@7200rpm,2GB DDR3) but then I saw I could get a slimmed down T410i for $700. I'm thinking of ordering like today lol, so any comments are welcome, I'm kinda buzzled on this one.

Thanks for reading!

 

I imagine the Thinkpad's build would be superior to the Vostro's, however I can't provide any specific feedback as I have not used the Vostro 3500 before.

I would also suggest looking at the Dell Latitude E6410 from the Dell Outlet - I have seen Core i5, 4GB RAM, WXGA+ panel, and W7 Ultimate models going for as low as $600 after the 25% coupon that Dell sometimes offers for all Outlet Latitude machines. The E6410 at that price would be a fantastic choice for your mother's computing needs.

 

Mother, not wife lol

Other than that, what MidnightSun said.
But if you need to choose only between these two models, then I think ThinkPad all the way.

 

Vostro 3500 is more akin to the L or R (superseded) series Thinkpads, T410i is more like the Latitude E5400.

 

Corrected, thanks - it is definitely getting late

I can see what you're getting at, but the key distinction is that while there is no difference in physical build/structure/materials between the T410i and the T410, the Latitude E5xxx uses a durable plastic where the Latitude E6xxx uses tougher brushed metal surfaces.

 

Vostro 3500 is a budget -grade consumer laptop, it cannot compete Thinkpads, even with L or R series.

and, T410i has lower configuration than T410 (core i3 instead of core i5), but I believe that build quality is as same T410 (as same as X201i to X201). E5400 is lower class than E6400. In fact, Latitude E5xxx is direct competitor to Thinkpad R series.

IMO, Vostro 3500 is a fine laptop, but if you afford the T410i, then go for it

 

Vostro 3500 is a budget grade consumer laptop? i have a vostro laptop and they are a budget grade business laptop.

Thinkpads no longer have R series, and the closest to the R series is the T410i machines. L series is the direct replacement of the SL series.

 

Okay, I may be wrong about consumer/business, but I'm pretty sure that T410i has no difference in build quality and design to T410, the only difference is the configuration (as I said, i3 instead of i5).

True, E5x10 has no direct competitor from Lenovo now. It has lower build quality than E6410, but it might have very high configuration (core i7). IMO, it's slightly higher class than Lx10 and lower class than T410/E6410

 

I doubt mom needs the i7. The better quality is a more tangible benefit.

 

There is no difference in construction just the price, mind you this product is not offered in all countries.

 

Maybe some of you folks could tell more about international warranty ThinkPad vs Latitude?
Its not like his mother is travelling alot, but if she needs a repair abroad, which one is safer bet, TP or Latitude?
That could be major selling point here.

 

Thanks for all the answers!

I forgot to mention something pretty important. I'll be buying the laptop in Canada while she'll be using it mainly in Greece. (thanks veer for reminding me). So which company has a better international warranty?

 

No problem malaka

When I investigated Dell VS Lenovo warranty I couldnt find much info online so i swayed in favour of Lenovo, where warranty follows machine, cant comment much on Latitude warranty, seemed too much hassle to look up more info about.

 

Well thats strange, mine is T410i but i am using core i5. Product number : 2518-GNA.

 

an exception, maybe, but your T410i is using Core i5 430M, which is lower than any Core i5 5xxM used on all T410

 

I just recently configured a Vostro 3400 series for a family member. My impressions are that although it is much better than Dell's Inspiron series, it is no way near the quality of a T-series Thinkpad. I'd go the T410 route just based on this.

 

I bought a Vostro 3400 and a Vostro 3500 for family members. So far the only two negative things I have found about the Vostro are the screen flex and the lack of a System Update like tool.

The first would only be a concern to me if I was taking the laptop to school or work everyday and the second is not a big deal either.

In favor of the Vostro are the price (seemingly 20-30% lower) and and an HDMI port.

 

screen flexes are a given on the Vostro, because they have no metal alloy caging or support frames like there is for the screen... and the plastic they use are not structural stiff either... this problem is prevalent in my Vostro 1400 too.

Between Vostro and Thinkpads T, i would choose the latter.

 

Hey all, still havent decided lol. The Vostro 3x00 series seems to have a huge issue with the CPU fan that simply wont go away. They're released 10 BIOS updates and still havent faced the issue. I've found some Dell Adamo's on eBay going for $800. Specwise they are bad (C2D 1.2GHz,2GB DDR3,128SSD) but I wonder if someone who uses word/IE will notice it. Will it be too slow? Also how dangerous is to buy an open box item?

 

the Dell Adamo looks pretty but is rather awkward to use. I don't think you should buy it, unless you have actually used it personally.