lennovo vs acer

[themagekiler]

I'm having trouble deciding between two laptops. one is the refurbished acer from cc and the other is a customized sl series lennovo.
The laptop will mostly be a desktop replacement and used for light entertainment such as warcraft 3 and some movies, and of course some homework too lol.
which laptop would be a better buy for my needs?
also if you have any suggestions for a entertainment laptop under 1k before taxes would be nice as well.
also which video card is better? I tried to use google to find lennovo's graphic card and ended up with nothing...

1):lennovo
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo processor T6570 (2.1GHz 800MHz 2MBL2) 1
Operating system: Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic 1
Operating system Language: Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic - English 1
Display type: 15.4" WXGA AntiGlare 1
System graphics: NVIDIA N10M-GE1 GeForce 256MB 1
Total memory: 1 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 (1 DIMM) 1
Keyboard Language: US English Keyboard 1
Fingerprint : Integrated fingerprint reader 1
Camera: Integrated Camera Module 1
Hard drive: 250GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm 1
Optical device: DVD Recordable, Fixed 1
Bluetooth: None 1
WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel WiFi Link 5100 1
Modem: Yes - AMoM 1
Battery: 6 cell Li-Ion Battery (2.4Ah) 1
AC Adapter, Power Code: 90W AC Adapter; NA, LA, (2pin) 1
Publication Language: English US Publication




2) acer

Acer Aspire 6920-6097 Notebook ~ Intel Core 2 Duo T5550 1.83GHz, 3GB DDR2667 320G Hard Drive, 16" Widescreen, Nvidia 9500M GS 512 M, DVD+/-RW, Webcam, 802.11 A/B/G Wireless, Windows Vista Home Premium (LX.APQ0X.251)

[tomtomtom]

From a long time user of Thinkpad, I would definitely recommend a Lenovo.

1. Keyboard feedback and convenience of trackpoint are industry leading, best in business.
2. Lenovo's C2D processor is newer
3.You need more RAM lots of it, best you can put in 4GB.

[RCGA]

^ Well, to be fair, the T-series Thinkpad is in a completely different league than the SL line....and from what I hear, the T-series is the only series worth buying from Lennovo. They start at $1,100+

Op, take a look at what Dell and Sony has to offer.

[themagekiler]

^ Well, to be fair, the T-series Thinkpad is in a completely different league than the SL line....and from what I hear, the T-series is the only series worth buying from Lennovo. They start at $1,100+

Op, take a look at what Dell and Sony has to offer.

Yes I realize that sl series is completely low end compared to the rest of the line but it does have the lennovo branding and should be of similar quality...

I have looked at dells, I would prefer discrete graphics which is difficult to find under 1k from dell or sony. I really like the dell studio 16 inch but it's way out of my budget... sony's with discrete graphics also start at above 1k as well. I could care less about hd size and ram cause those are easy upgradeable parts which I have already.

Am I confused or do you guys think I can get a decent laptop with discrete graphics for under 1k... It really is a lot of money for a student like me and I wish to purchase a quality product that will last for a couple of years.

[tomtomtom]

^ You are almost correct OP.

HD and RAM are indeed upgradable. You can postpone on the HD purchase because you can just add a external box.

RAM, I would highly recommend getting more first time (or at least 2GB on one stick). So you wouldn't have to toss out the installed RAM to add in new ones.

Laptop nowadays can accomodate 4GB of RAM, 2GB per slot (usually has 2slots).

[themagekiler]

Thank you for the advice but lennovo charges $50 for one stick of 2gig ram upgrade where I could purchase 2 sticks of 2gig ram for $50.

[RCGA]

Yes I realize that sl series is completely low end compared to the rest of the line but it does have the lennovo branding and should be of similar quality...

It really is a lot of money for a student like me and I wish to purchase a quality product that will last for a couple of years.

Lennovo branding is just that.

The SL line is probably made along side the gateway/acer in the same Chinese factory, they just slap "Lennovo" on it and charge a more so people think it's better.

There's a reason why the T-series go for double the price but with similar specs.

If you want quality, you're going to have to pay for it. It sucks, but that's how it is with electronics.

[Oversized Rooster]

If you're buying a Lenovo get a T and W series laptop, else don't bother.

I highly recommend Dell's new Vostro line. Their 1520 and 1320 laptops are VERY solid.

I myself use a Lenovo T500.

[tomtomtom]

I myself use a Lenovo T500.

I heard the keyboard has small flex, I picked up a T61 instead of that. I am planning a T500 in the next few years

[Oversized Rooster]

I heard the keyboard has small flex, I picked up a T61 instead of that. I am planning a T500 in the next few years

Yes it does have a little flex because they no longer use a complete piece of metal as the backplate. The backplate now has all these perforations (to lose weight). But it has less flex than all the Dell notebooks I've owned...

Not a dealbreaker for me - I don't care so much about keyboard flex as long as the laptop itself isn't "flexing" like those cheap ugly plastic HP consumer laptops. :lol:

I am in love with LED backlit LCD and 9-cell battery. I can do 6 hours with average usage and up to 8 hours if I dim the screen down. But honestly, with the LED backlit screen, whether you have it on higher brightness or not makes very little difference - it always eats very little power. CCFL down the drain for good. :cheesygri

I was looking at a T61 as well but I did not want to buy yesterday's hardware so I went with a T500 instead. It uses the latest 8000 and 9000 series CPUs from Intel, new P45M based motherboards and DDR3-1066 RAM (THREE, not TWO). Consequentially the integrated graphics are also updated.

[themagekiler]

can we stay on topic please ^_^, I obviously can't afford a t series with the cheapest being at 1.3k... so with that in mind which of the two should I buy?
Or if anyone has any suggestions would be nice... the bigger the screen the better as it's a desktop replacement.
I think I'm leaning towards the lennovo... just a question is it worth it to upgrade the screen to led,antiglare for $75?
also which processor will give the best performance for the price
it's another $100 for a 2.26 processor

hmm just looked at the t series again and the cheapest one would be in my price range...
do you guys think that it's worth it over the sl series even if it has integrated graphics?

[tomtomtom]

OP, check PM

[themagekiler]

thanks for the info tom, now that the t series is some what more resonable I have opened my budget a little more...
what are your opinions now a t500 vs a asus

lennovo
Intel Core 2 Duo processor P8400 (2.26GHz 1066MHz 3MBL2)1
Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic12
15.4" WXGA TFT with LED Backlight
ATI Mobility Radeon 3650 with 256MB
1 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 (1 DIMM)
Integrated fingerprint reader
160GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm4
CD-RW/DVD-ROM, Ultrabay Slim5
6 cell Li-Ion Battery60
1 Year Depot/Express Warranty7


ASUS G1S-A1


* Processor
* Processor Brand: Intel®
* Processor Type: Core 2 Duo Processor T7500
* Processor Speed: 2.2GHz
* Bus Speed: 800MHz
* Level 2 cache: 4MB
Memory
* RAM: 2048MB
* RAM expandable to: N/A
* Memory Type (RAM): DDR2
Storage/Drives
* Hard drive size: 160GB
* Hard drive speed: 5400RPM
* DVD Drive: 8x Super-Multi
* Burns DVDs: Yes
* Lightscribe: No
* Display Size: 15.4"
Expansion
* N/A
Ports
* USB 2.0: Yes, 4
* Serial Bus: IEEE 1394
* DVI (digital video interface): No
* HDMI: N/A
Internet/Networking
* Ethernet: Yes
* Wireless: Yes, 802.11a/b/g
* Dial-up Modem: Yes
Graphics/Video
* Video Memory: 256MB, Shared
* Video Memory Type: NVIDIA
Software
* Operating System: Vista Home Premium
Accessories
* Mouse: Touchpad
* Speakers: Yes
* Cables: Power cord
* Webcam: Yes
Dimensions
* Height: 3.81cm
* Width: 35.3cm
* Depth: 28.5cm
* Weight: 3.1kg
General Features
* Additional Features: N/A
* UPC: 884840103912
* Manufacturers Part Number: 90NLBA6132413CQL400T
* Product Warranty: 2-Years