Which Thinkpad to choose? Advise greatly needed.

Hi there


These last couple of days, I have been trying to find the right Thinkpad for me. I´m

surprised that there are so many different series, and so many different Laptops.

I was hoping you guys could give me some good advise, choosing the right Thinkpad

that meets my demands. So here goes:



The price can´t be higher than 890 US$ (670 Euro)

The screen is the most important part of the laptop for me. It has to be of good quality, and a screen you can stare at for longer periods of time, without getting headaches etc. A sharp, crisp and still screen picture. So i´m thinking a 14" - 16 " HD screen with minimum 1366 x 768 resolution, that doesnt reflect the sunlight. It's important that it doesnt reflect the sunlight, because i'll be using it outdoors.

It has to be robust, but not look like something from the 80´s, but at the same time it doesn´t have to be a super slim top of the line model.

I'm very keen on eco friendly computers, because i'm unfortunantly quite sensitive to computer heat and radiation. So very important that it has a good cooling system, that doesnt make too much noise, and important that the laptop has RoHS, Energy Star clasification and maybe EPEAT Gold. That way i'm quite certain that is has a low power consuption = low radiation. But this is all guessing, because not much info exsists on this subject, so i'll try my luck with these clasifications.

Minimum 4 Gb Ram (8 Gb is preferable)

I wont be using it for playing games, but just for my studies (office, internet etc.) and for streaming movies and tv at home, so it doesn´t have to have a state of the art graphics card, but still not a card that is completely outdated in 2-3 years time.

A water resistant and backlit keyboard.

Good battery life

Windows 7 og 8. (I'm not quite sure wich one is best though...) No Windows Professional or anything like that.

Weight, below 5.5 lbs

It has to be a laptop that isnt outdated int 2-3 years. By that i mean that it is important, that i can put some extra RAM in the thing, maybe up to 12 - 16 Gb as maxium.

I have been looking at the ThinkPad Edge E530c, the Thinkpad L530 and the Thinkpad B590, but i'm not

100 % if these are the right ones to choose, and there are so many other models.

Well, I think that is it. What do you think? Is there a Thinkpad laptop that suits my needs?

Best regards

Tommy

 

I think the ThinkPad that best fits your needs is the X230, though it's a bit smaller than your stated size preference. It's got a good bright IPS screen that's good enough to use outdoors, though not in direct sunlight. It's light and durable too, but I'm not sure you can find what you're looking for given your budget. I've gathered in my time here notebooks are more expensive in the EU. You could definitely get one in the US for that price. You might want to check eBay. I don't think the screens on any of the ThinkPads you've listed are particularly swell and they probably are not bright enough to work well outdoors.

 

While I admire your lofty requirements (in fancy words), I question your budget (in concrete action). Bring the budget up to 950-1100 Euro. (Also, it should be helpful for those who are motivated to help you that you state where do you live and provide more details on what you plan to use the wonderful notebook for.)

I would ask you to consider a T430 with i5 Ivy Bridge CPU, integrated HD 4000 graphics, HD+ 1600x900 screen and 9-cell battery. You can add a second 4GB RAM module yourself.

 

Hey guys

To answer your relevant questions Kaso, i live in Denmark
and i'm going to use the laptop to make documents in Word,
play movies, stream tv from the internet, listening to music,
watch youtube and i think thats about it.

I cant go higher on the budget, so if it's impossible
to find a Lenovo laptop with these specs, i'll have to downgrade
the list.

The screen quality and ability to show clear and sharp text, also min a classroom with sunlight entering the window, is what is of most importance, next comes durability and certifications (low radiation and power consumption).

What is of least importance (not that it's not important, but i can't go higher on the budget) is memory (by that i don't mean the maximum ram the computer can hold) processor power and looks.

I hope that helped

Tommy

 

I have just found a Thinkpad t420 Core i3, from new,
incl. VAT, being sold for 653 Euro.
Isn't that a fairly good price?

 

Good find. You might want to provide more details on specs. Personally, I would make sure the screen is HD+ 1600x900.

 

This is taking from the dealers danish webpage:

T420 4236 - 14" - Core i3 2370M - Windows 7 Pro 32-bit - 4 GB RAM - 320 GB HDD
Notebook
7 Pro 32-bit
Intel Core i3 (2. gen) 2370M / 2.4 GHz / 3 MB Cache
4 GB DDR3
320 GB HDD / 7200 rpm
14" LED backlight 1366 x 768 / HD
Grafik Intel HD Graphics 3000
802.11n, Bluetooth 3.0 , Gigabit Ethernet
WWAN) 3G-opgraderbar
Battery 6-cell - up to 9 hours
ThinkLight
Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2) Security Chip , fingeraftrykslæser
Dimensions (B x D x H) 34.05 cm x 23.3 cm x 3.05 cm
Weight 2.2 kg
ENERGY STAR kvalificeret , EPEAT Gold


Here are some more info (in danish, but i hope it makes sense still...)

Systemtype Notebook
Operativsystem Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 32-bit
CPU
CPU Intel Core i3 (2. gen) 2370M / 2.4 GHz
Antal kerner Dual-Core
Cache 3 MB
64-bit Computing Ja
Chipset Mobile Intel QM67 Express
Funktioner Hyper-Threading teknologi, integreret hukommelsescontroller
RAM
RAM 4 GB
Maks. understøttet RAM 8 GB
Teknologi DDR3 SDRAM
Hastighed 1333 MHz / PC3-10600
Model SO DIMM 204-pin
Antal åbninger 2
Harddisk
Harddisk 320 GB HDD / 7200 rpm
Grænseflade Serial ATA-300
Optisk drev DVD-brænder - aftagelig
Type
Type 14"
LCD Backlight Teknologi LED baglys
Opløsning 1366 x 768 ( HD )
Widescreen Ja
Billedformatforhold 16:9
Egenskaber Blændfri
Grafik-processor
Grafik-processor Intel HD Graphics 3000
Lyd Stereohøjttalere , stereomikrofon
Codec CX20672
Overensstemmelsesstandarder High Definition Audio
Type
Type Tastatur, TrackPoint, UltraNav
Egenskaber Lydkontrol, spildresistent, multi-touch touchpad
Trådløs
Trådløs 802.11n, Bluetooth 3.0
Trådløs controller PCI Express Mini Card
Netværksinterface Gigabit Ethernet
Ethernet Controller Intel 82579LM
Generation
Generation 3G-opgraderbar
Teknologi
Teknologi 6-cellet Litiumion
Antal installeret 1
Maks. antal understøttet 2
Kapacitet 57 Wh
Run-time Op til 9 timer
Input
Input AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
Output 65 Watt
Udvidelses-båse
Udvidelses-båse 1 x Ultrabay Enhanced
Holdere 1 x ExpressCard/34 ( 1 fri )
Interfacer 2 x USB 2.0
PoweredUSB 2.0
USB 2.0/eSATA
VGA
DisplayPort
LAN
Kombostik til hovedtelefon/mikrofon
Hukommelseskortlæser 4-i-1 ( SD-kort, MultiMediaCard, SDHC Hukommelses Kort, SDXC hukommelseskort )
Materiale af etui
Materiale af etui Karbonfiber, glasfiber, karbonfiberforstærket plastik
Integrerede funktioner ThinkLight
Sikkerhed Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2) Security Chip , fingeraftrykslæser
Egenskaber Slot sikkerhedslås (kabel lås sælges separat), adgangskode for administrator , adgangskode for harddisk, opstartsadgangskode, ThinkVantage Active Protection System, ThinkPad Roll Cage
Overensstemmelsesstandarder RoHS
Bredde
Bredde 34.05 cm
Dybde 23.3 cm
Højde 3.05 cm
Vægt 2.2 kg
EPEAT kompatibel
EPEAT kompatibel EPEAT Gold
ENERGY STAR kvalificeret Ja

Maybe i can find one with a 1600x900 screen.

 

You should.

 

Given your intended usage, the T420 with Core i3 would be sufficient but its 14" 1366 x 768 screen has nothing to write home about because it's average at best. I'd ask that dealer for a T420/520 with 1600x900 screen instead.