[waldojim]

Lenovo U400

I realize this isn't stupidly impressive or anything, but dang.

We need a point of comparison here:
MBP 13 - price is almost identical, and this is about the closest thing Apple has.


Item --- Lenovo ---- Apple
Weight: 4.36Lbs 4.5 --- call this how you will.
Construction: "one-piece aluminum" "Aluminum Unibody"
Processor: i7 2620M (2.7Ghz) i7 2640 (2.8Ghz)
Display: 14" Glossy 1366x768 13" 1280x800 glossy
GPU: AMD 6470m Intel HD 3000
Battery: 7 hrs 7hrs

When you look at this, the machines are nearly identical. The big difference being the dedicated video card. That right there appears to be the ultimate light weight, portable machine that can still play a few games. I know I am impressed. Too bad I already have a workstation

Still, where was this 6 months ago?

edit: A few cool notes about the Lenovo:

Quote

Breathable Keyboard, an Intel Advanced Cooling Technology that allows the PC to run cooler
on your lap by letting airflow through the keyboard

Quote

Roll-cage technology protects internal components from damage.

So basically, it gets most of the business features - just not a matte display.

This post has been edited by waldojim: 15 January 2012 - 05:25 PM

[coastie65]

waldojim, on 15 January 2012 - 05:21 PM, said:

Lenovo U400

I realize this isn't stupidly impressive or anything, but dang.

We need a point of comparison here:
MBP 13 - price is almost identical, and this is about the closest thing Apple has.


Item --- Lenovo ---- Apple
Weight: 4.36Lbs 4.5 --- call this how you will.
Construction: "one-piece aluminum" "Aluminum Unibody"
Processor: i7 2620M (2.7Ghz) i7 2640 (2.8Ghz)
Display: 14" Glossy 1366x768 13" 1280x800 glossy
GPU: AMD 6470m Intel HD 3000
Battery: 7 hrs 7hrs

When you look at this, the machines are nearly identical. The big difference being the dedicated video card. That right there appears to be the ultimate light weight, portable machine that can still play a few games. I know I am impressed. Too bad I already have a workstation

Still, where was this 6 months ago?

edit: A few cool notes about the Lenovo:

Quote

Breathable Keyboard, an Intel Advanced Cooling Technology that allows the PC to run cooler
on your lap by letting airflow through the keyboard

Quote

Roll-cage technology protects internal components from damage.

So basically, it gets most of the business features - just not a matte display.

Isn't that usually the way. I just had TigerDirect send me an ad for a Lenovo, for the same price as I paid for the Gateway I got in December. The processor is an i3 @ 2.2 Ghz where as mine is at 2.1 Ghz. The Lenovo has a 750 Gb Hdd and mine came with 500 Gb. Both had 6 Gb of ram, the Lenovo at 1333 Ghz and mine at 1066 Ghz and both were 15.6. Not a lot of difference except for the Hdd size I guess. I passed it on on to my Brother-in-Law as I am tired of fooling with his laptop ( see that thread ). I don't know what he may have on his Hdd though, and may have to transfer some files. Anyway, that is a good deal. Save your money for a good desktop build, you already have the W520 now.

This post has been edited by coastie65: 23 February 2012 - 06:31 AM

[nonseq]

A thing of beauty is a joy to behold.

Thanks for sharing this.

[mjd420nova]

I like the Lenovo units too. Just got a G570 for the wife. She's tickled, and so far it's holding up. Get to cycle the battery once a week and have had three eight hour plus usage paterns. Nice widescreen display that appears larger than it really is. Light and slim. No heat pattern yet, cool just flat on a desk. Even gaming doesn't show much increase of over all temps. Opted for the Intel i3 over the AMD. Three weeks and it's up to 45GB to do complete backup. Imported loads of photos and music too. External drive peripherals made recovery of five different generations, 20GB,40GB,60GB,80GB and a 160GB. All still functioning. Two Seagates, two Maxtor and a WesternDigital.

This post has been edited by mjd420nova: 23 February 2012 - 07:38 AM

[compnovo]

Wow.
That isn't your father's Thinkpad.

[waldojim]

mjd420nova, on 23 February 2012 - 07:36 AM, said:

I like the Lenovo units too. Just got a G570 for the wife. She's tickled, and so far it's holding up. Get to cycle the battery once a week and have had three eight hour plus usage paterns. Nice widescreen display that appears larger than it really is. Light and slim. No heat pattern yet, cool just flat on a desk. Even gaming doesn't show much increase of over all temps. Opted for the Intel i3 over the AMD. Three weeks and it's up to 45GB to do complete backup. Imported loads of photos and music too. External drive peripherals made recovery of five different generations, 20GB,40GB,60GB,80GB and a 160GB. All still functioning. Two Seagates, two Maxtor and a WesternDigital.

I also picked up a Lenovo IdeaPad for the wife not too long ago. They are certainly a step above the basics, at least where it counts. Hers doesn't get warm either, seems to be built well, and while the AMD's don't get the longest battery life, she still hits about 3 to 4 hours. More than enough considering her usage. The Amd in use in there is a very high clock speed for what that is worth. A bit over 3Ghz as I recall.

Coastie: I most certainly do plan on a new desktop rebuild this year. And I fully intend to rock some new AMD 7000 series, or maybe an Nvidia 600 series if they get around to launching them

nonseq: I am always looking for cool new toys, especially ones that managed to fly under the radar while deserving a bit of attention. Glad you liked the find!

[LiveBrianD]

What other specs are you looking at? 3960X?

[waldojim]

LiveBrianD, on 24 February 2012 - 03:16 PM, said:

What other specs are you looking at? 3960X?

I haven't entirely decided yet. First I need to set an actual budget, and figure out what I really want out of it. No, an 'X' edition CPU won't be on the list though.

[coastie65]

waldojim, on 24 February 2012 - 02:39 AM, said:

mjd420nova, on 23 February 2012 - 07:36 AM, said:

I like the Lenovo units too. Just got a G570 for the wife. She's tickled, and so far it's holding up. Get to cycle the battery once a week and have had three eight hour plus usage paterns. Nice widescreen display that appears larger than it really is. Light and slim. No heat pattern yet, cool just flat on a desk. Even gaming doesn't show much increase of over all temps. Opted for the Intel i3 over the AMD. Three weeks and it's up to 45GB to do complete backup. Imported loads of photos and music too. External drive peripherals made recovery of five different generations, 20GB,40GB,60GB,80GB and a 160GB. All still functioning. Two Seagates, two Maxtor and a WesternDigital.

I also picked up a Lenovo IdeaPad for the wife not too long ago. They are certainly a step above the basics, at least where it counts. Hers doesn't get warm either, seems to be built well, and while the AMD's don't get the longest battery life, she still hits about 3 to 4 hours. More than enough considering her usage. The Amd in use in there is a very high clock speed for what that is worth. A bit over 3Ghz as I recall.

Coastie: I most certainly do plan on a new desktop rebuild this year. And I fully intend to rock some new AMD 7000 series, or maybe an Nvidia 600 series if they get around to launching them

nonseq: I am always looking for cool new toys, especially ones that managed to fly under the radar while deserving a bit of attention. Glad you liked the find!

Yeah, If Nvidia launches a 600 series then maybe the 580 wil come down a bit to my level, or maybe I'll just get another 560Ti and go sli.

[LiveBrianD]

waldojim, on 24 February 2012 - 04:28 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 24 February 2012 - 03:16 PM, said:

What other specs are you looking at? 3960X?

I haven't entirely decided yet. First I need to set an actual budget, and figure out what I really want out of it. No, an 'X' edition CPU won't be on the list though.

So what then, a 2600K? I really have to question how much you gain out of one like that compared to the 2500K or 2600K, particularly given how expensive the motherboards are.

[LiveBrianD]

coastie65, on 24 February 2012 - 06:00 PM, said:

Yeah, If Nvidia launches a 600 series then maybe the 580 wil come down a bit to my level, or maybe I'll just get another 560Ti and go sli.

Or two... with your power supply you're all set!

[waldojim]

LiveBrianD, on 24 February 2012 - 06:25 PM, said:

waldojim, on 24 February 2012 - 04:28 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 24 February 2012 - 03:16 PM, said:

What other specs are you looking at? 3960X?

I haven't entirely decided yet. First I need to set an actual budget, and figure out what I really want out of it. No, an 'X' edition CPU won't be on the list though.

So what then, a 2600K? I really have to question how much you gain out of one like that compared to the 2500K or 2600K, particularly given how expensive the motherboards are.

Socket 2011, yes. 'X' series chip, no. The 3930K would do quite nicely. Combined with a Gigabyte Assassin board, and either a 7950 or Nvidia equivalent, I think I could build a rockin system.

[LiveBrianD]

Still, with that, compared to a 2600K, you gain about 15% in benchmarks. http://www.tomshardw...rk,3090-14.html Given how the CPU costs twice as much and the motherboard is significantly more expensive, is it really worth it? You're probably going to overclock it a ton anyway.

[waldojim]

Is it worth it to open up the ram to a 256bit wide channel? Yes, yes it is. I may not be able to abuse that channel now, but I will find a way.