laptop recommendations

stanigator · Joined: Mar 21, 2008 Posts: 5

I'm having a hard time deciding between Lenovo T-series and R-series notebooks, as well as Asus M51SN-B1. Hardware-wise, the Asus model that I'm looking at has the best combination of hardware on the laptop. However, I like the overall build of the Lenovos, but I can't really tell apart the T-series and R-series other than the weight. I'm looking for something that's not too heavy, good battery life, and able to handle a lot of multi-tasking that's suitable for a college student. I'm not entirely sure if I'm too vague. Please don't hesitate to ask for more information. Thanks.

goretsky

Hello,

I have not used the Asus notebook computer you mentioned, but have used the ThinkPad T and R series of notebooks. The T (thin and light) series is Lenovo's mainstream line and contains many features for business users, such as asset management and security tools The R (reduced cost) series typically contain slower or older components and the fit and finish is perhaps not as good as on the T series, from what I remember.

Right now I am in a hotel room in Seattle and am typing this on a T61p with no trouble--the keyboard has the same travel and pitch as a full-sized keyboard, and the screen is quite readable.

One thing to keep in mind is that Lenovo's ThinkPads are not particularly well-suited for games--they are designed to run at high CPU loads, of course, but they do not tend to have audio or graphics subsystems designed for gaming. I am not sure if that is an issue.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

stanigator · Joined: Mar 21, 2008 Posts: 5

Thanks for your reply. In regards to the graphics card, the reason of why I wanted a discrete one is that I don't want it to consume the same RAM resources that would decimate my computing performance 2 or 3 years from now, although I'm going to be getting 4 gb of RAM, who knows how much resources the software will take during that time.

goretsky

Hello,

In that case, I think a T61 or R61 series would probably meet your needs. Keep in mind that you can purchase one with the least amount of memory available and smallest hard disk drive, and then upgrade these components yourself. This will likely be cheaper than purchasing them directly from Lenovo, unless your school has a good student purchase program in place.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky