Why IBM/Lenovo

Whats the appeal? they seem to be low bang for buck.

 

Low bang for the buck? The current models with heavy discounts are excellent value for money. They also have really good build quality. Pick up something like a Sony CR with 1 hand and you will feel its frame flex because it's all plastic. Not the case with the Thinkpads which have internal magnesium roll cages.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=196888

 

Sign...this has been asked so many times. Search the forum and read the reviews. To summarize: excellent build quality and keyboard.

 

Check out cnet.com reviews:

Top 5 Laptops: Lenovo is #1 and has 2 machines in the Top 5
Best Ultraportable Laptops: Lenovo is #1
Best Thin & Light Notebooks: Lenovo is #1 and has 2 machines in the top 5
Best Mainstream Laptops: Lenovo in the Top 5

Lots of bang there. And when you catch one of their sales (which are as common as sales at furniture stores) and add on a coupon code ( available here), you get a lot of bang for less buck than most competitors.

 

CNET is irrelevant and full of BS. Check some proper review sites (NBR & NBC).

 

They may get ad revenue from the manufacturers (not unlike NBR) but cnet is hardly irrelevant.

 

CNET is very irrelevant (if I can say so). Their reviews are biased and not very well made (crappy). Once you read a user-made review (not a computer generated one according to the brand and such) you come to realize that CNET blows . I am talking review quality wise, not average Joe people reading CNET then buying wise.
How do you know NBR doesn't get anything?

 

I agree that their text reviews don't hold a candle to NBR, but the video reviews are helpful and give a better glimpse of the product.

From the perspective that the general public as well as IT shops look to cnet for high level reviews, cnet is not irrelevant. The site gets a ton of traffic and ad revenue for that traffic, again not unlike NBR.

And since I prefer Lenovo ThinkPads to other manufacturers, the cnet Editor Choice awards was relevant to the OP's statement.

 

I think Cnet reviews are fine. If anything is obvious about them, it is that they seem to have a thing for gadgetry and cutting edge features. They don't, for example, hard on the ideapad for having a relatively 'slow' processor compared to its competition (given the price), but then again, neither do they try to tell you that you can only live with a 3000+ dollar laptop with twin hard drives and SLI graphics.

Try researching computers on Toms Hardware. In the past, they used to actually consider the average user. Nowadays, when they run a test on a graphics card, the resolutions are whacked out, they actually acknowledge "processor bottle-necking" when testing GPUs and basically fail to offer sound buying advice for those of us poor folks. Like, for example, if you are hitting 30 frames per second or more, everything will look great. A processor tapping out at 60 fps hardly warrants an upgrade . . . even if that means your GPU is not hitting its theoretical potential! Sheesh. Sorry for ranting.

 

I guess you didn’t see prices on new plasticy HP laptops... then you wouldn’t make this comment, but it's your opinion of course... if you think that they are overpiced find something that isn't, buy it and enjoy it.