Help with Lenovo Laptop Choice!

I'm looking to purchase a new laptop and I've decided to go with Lenovo. I know a thing or two about computers from always having built my own, but I'm very new with laptops. The seemingly wide variety of i5/i7-XXXX labels are especially confusing. I'm having trouble gauging the price/efficacy determinants for laptops. Here's what I had in mind for specifications in order of importance:

Relatively high-end
Portability (Preferably less than 3lbs)
Handles Photoshop very well // Displays color well
Good deal
Design

To me, the X220 laptops seem like great deals ATM. I have browsed through most laptops, so I'll be able to follow your recommendations easily. Some specific questions:
1. Effectiveness of a better GPU than intel built-in 3000.
2. "Time to purchase" -- the right time now? Not sure how notebook markets are shaped with upcoming releases & sales, etc.
3. Monitor resolutions-- how important is this for photoshop?
4. Tablets-- worth the extra $200 or so?
5. Importance of better sound hardware & wireless hardware.
*Also, I do plan on plugging to a large monitor & working on photoshop with multiple programs open.

I know I've asked lots of questions, and partial answers would be greatly appreciated. Also, I wrote all that's on my mind so you can get a feel for what I'm looking for and direct me accordingly. Thanks in advance!

 

Unlimited budget?

 

No, but I do have an employee/corporate discount, so that helps. I prefer a price around $1-1.1K after any current/future promotion (like memorial day). My budget really depends on the understanding i'll gain about what I really want, if that makes sense.

 

The X220 with the IPS LCD is probably your best bet. The W520 is too big and out of your price range.

 

1) HD 3000 is pretty decent for IGP, benches around a 8600M GT/Mobility HD 2600. X230's HD 4000 benches around a 5650 Mobility. I can run older titles with no issues with my X220T.
2) X230 prices will make them drop, X220 prices are already pretty low.
3) You want every pixel you can get with PS as well as a high color gamut LCD.
4) Up to you, I love my x series tablets (I got X61t, X220t, X60t as of right now), but it's personal preference. X220t has a HUGE fat 6 cell battery, check out my review along with Commander Wolf.
5) Depends on your use, i3/i5 is enough for most people. i7 is dumb as it's only dual core, but allows you to get USB 3.0 native. WLAN is an absolute must, TP Wifi sucks, period. I got the 6205 Advanced WLAN in mine, absolutely great, no drops, almost always max bars for signal strength.

 

What is the IPS LCD? I see that the specs of W520 are very top-notch. The price is good with the current memorial sale, but it is by far too heavy.

 

IPS = In Plane Switching panel, aka 178-178 degree viewing angle. You can see the what is on the LCD pretty much at any angle. Also has better color reproduction.



See how the X201's TN panels invert at such an angle, just the limitations of TN panel. X220's IPS panel does not invert at that angle.

 

That's very clear. Appreciate your effective explanation!

 

IMHO:
1. Intel 3000 has more than enough horsepower for serious photo work (and casual gaming -- you would only need more for serious gaming).
2. Good time to purchase Sandy Bridge machines is the next 90 days as inventories are cleared out for Ivy Bridge (which doesn't offer enough advantages over Sandy Bridge to justify waiting).
3. Monitor resolution is very important for Photoshop, and the X220 is very limiting -- you'd definitely want to use a good external IPS monitor that's been properly calibrated.
4. Tablets aren't worth it, especially for photo editing.
5. Better sound is nice but not that important, whereas better wireless is important -- at least the Intel 6205 (2x2), better yet the Intel 6300 (3x3).
6. Core i5 is all you need for serious photo work. Get the 25xx if you want to run virtual machines. Otherwise the model differences are minor.

 

If you sign up and use the Barnes and Noble gold coupon, you can configure either an X220 or T520 for a pretty good deal right now. I think you're kinda between two options, the X220 with the IPS screen or a T520 with the Nvidia Quadro NVS4200M and the FHD 1920x1080 screen for a little over $900.00. The X220 will obviously be way more portable, the T520 will allow you to do a lot of photo work without an external monitor. So, I guess you'll need to decide what's a bigger priority. Unfortunately, none of the T420's really come with a screen which is a match for either of those 2.

I think now is probably a pretty good time to buy. The discounts are deep, but Lenovo are starting to pull back some of the deals on some selected X220's, so stock is probably starting to dwindle. It seems that they're making a big push now, then they'll unload the rest to resellers, and once June 5th rolls around I'm betting it'll mostly be switched over to the new units. Speculation, obviously, but that's all anyone on the outside can do now...

 

T520 with FHD (Full HD) panel is a good recommendation, not only for higher resolution, but also for wider 95% gamut.
Nvidia graphics, on the other hand, have no real benefit for photo work over Intel 3000 integrated graphics.
Lenovo's own website with coupon THINK603 will sell you a T520 like that for as little as $900 (depending on options).
Also keep your eye on Lenovo Outlet, where great deals come and go all the time, probably long after the Ivy Bridge machines come out. (It's where I got my T420s.)

 

Thanks for all the help.
I'm set to go with X220.

WIFI:
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN
vs
Intel Centrino Advanced–N + WiMAX 6250

I'm wondering if this is worth the $35 upgrade. Let me know quick cause I plan on purchasing today!

 

^^^ If you have to ask, stick with the 6205 AGN.

 

So does that mean there won't be noticeable benefits for me?

 

Do your usual wireless access locales offer WiMAX? I doubt it. Select the Intel 6205 AGN and save the $35 for RAM upgrade.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Guys,

I just purchased the X220 i7 with upgrades as you recommended. Came out to like $840 with my discount.

I also want to purchase a notebook for my brother in college. He probably doesn't need something very portable or small-screened. However, I still want to get him something on the lighter side (<5lbs? Not sure.). I really need your help because I'm pressed for time & not have enough...

Can you guys recommend something for him from Lenovo (Or even other brands if there's a very good deal) I've looked through and here are some questions, although they are probably more general because this time, I'm not sure what I want to get him, exactly:
1) Why are the ideapad processors much lower in GHz than that of the Thinkpads'? Are these actually considerable differences?
2) Not too sure what college students need these days, but I want to focus on longevity and versatility. Thinkpad or Ideapad?
3) How much should I look to spend for a college computer that can go further? He's a junior, so graduation is not too far. Any recommendations outside of Lenovo would be considered as well!

 

1) IdeaPad = consumer "premium" line. But GHz doesn't mean much for Core i5/i7 as they will turbo themselves to much higher clock speeds. Plus you bought a dual core i7, fastest CPU's for Sandy Bridge.
2) If you are looking for longevity and reliability/durability get a ThinkPad.
3) Dell's Latitudes aren't bad, just hideous looking and are much better value than ThinkPads (mainstream lines come with standard 3 year warranty). You can look at HP Elitebook but way too much $$$.

 

Thanks for your reply. These new set of questions are for a new computer for my brother's college+ use. I'll probably get him an i5, but I was wondering about the different clock speeds. For example, will there be a difference between i5-2467M and i5-2520M? I tried to look this up but it's unclear to me.

I'm looking into the Ideapad U series and Y series, along with the Thinkpad T series. Any specific recommendations based on reviews/spec/price?

 

I need some more help

 

IdeaPad Y480/Y580 are game machines that thinkpads are not. Y580 has very good specs and will come out around June 5, 2012

 

Yeah, the i5-2467 isn't a full-voltage processor; it's designed with a priority on weight/saving battery, so you tend to find it in more 'portable' netbooks and the like. For me, the low-voltage processors have a noticeable difference when crunching reasonable-sized data sets. It's enough to be annoying. So, there are real trade-offs when going to a low-voltage processor. I had an Edge E420 for a while and while it was OK, the build quality on the T-series really does seem significantly better. If one is transporting it a lot for school, I think this is a factor.

With the current deals on the T-series, I think something like a T420 with the full voltage I3 would be a good way to go. There are some good deals on T420's on the Lenovo Outlet right now. The T420 seems like a good compromise for size/portability. Long-term, it should hold up better than the Ideapads.