looking to get a new laptop. been using same old dell pc since 2002 so i want something nice that will also likely last 6-10yrs.
basically i either want the
hp dv7qe http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/load_configuration.do?destination=review&config_id=6208470

or the lenovo ideapad y560p. http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/builder.workflow:Enter?mtm-item=%3A000000F3%3A00003D9A%3A if link doesnt work then it is model: 43972DU

thoughts on overall brand quality and longevity of each laptop?
each one has very similar specs. the hp has a larger screen which i like, as it is replacing a desktop.
and i would be leaning towards the hp, but i have heard others say that the part and build quality of lenovo is better. truth or just hatorade? if i am going to spend a grand on a laptop i want to be sure it is going to last

4/4/2011 2:07:01 PM

Quote :

"i want something nice that will also likely last 6-10yrs. "

Whoa....

I did this going into college in 2004, and I still have my thinkpad with the only real hardware failure was a bad ATI card that was replaced within 1 business day.

However, remember the rule that about every 18 months the "fastest" machine will double in speed. And every 2 years or so you'll need a new battery. So these days I recommend people to get a middle of the road machine, and go ahead and budget to replace it in 2-3 years. You'll constantly have nice hardware, and won't bust the bank.

If you're looking for a 6 year machine you'll want to look at something business class. ThinkPads, Latitude series, and the HP business machines. Thinkpads in particular are built to a much higher standard than their ideapads - lots more metal and heavy duty moving parts. It will be heavier, but it will last a good long while. Mine is going on 7 and he's still kicking along with about the equivalent speed of a modern netbook.

But again, if it was my money I'd go get a Thinkpad T or W series and plan on it lasting 4-5 years, or I'd buy an ASUS G or UL series and plan on 2-4 years. Plus the UL series are light and have 12+ hour battery life. I'd also get something that wasn't maxed out on everything. RAM, a new battery, and a solid state drive are great ways to eek out those last few years.

4/4/2011 2:59:00 PM

Quote :

"However, remember the rule that about every 18 months the "fastest" machine will double in speed. And every 2 years or so you'll need a new battery. So these days I recommend people to get a middle of the road machine, and go ahead and budget to replace it in 2-3 years. You'll constantly have nice hardware, and won't bust the bank."

I never understand why they say this. Intel really only comes out with their performance chips every 2-3 years. The i7's were introduced late 2008 and won't really be replaced until early 2012 with the newer X79 chipset (replacing x58).

Before that Conroe was still decent from mid-2006 up until almost 2009 with Bloomfield. Sure there were improvements in-between with die size and power requirements but computers don't really get THAT much faster. Much less twice as fast. Even the fastest processors don't double in performance in 18 months. Plus "doubling in speed" is a completely relative term. Doubling in what speed?

-the HP is a better deal. Better video card and display. Although 1600 by 900 is kind of low for a 17" You typically want to shoot for full 1080p if you're going to be carrying around a 17" LCD especially to take advantage of the Bluray player.

[Edited on April 4, 2011 at 3:51 PM. Reason : s]

4/4/2011 3:43:35 PM

we've sort of hit a speed plateau. Its really just not as necessary as it was when vista came out.

Everything is gettting smaller and more energy efficient right now... and slightly faster.


I know my work lenovo x201 tab with the I5 U520 sucks a fat one speed wise and is slower than the last gen core2 duo of the same price.... but probably lasts a lot longer.

4/4/2011 3:53:37 PM

^but see you're not comparing clock for clock. The newer i5's are faster than the older core 2 duos clock for clock. Of course an i5 at 1ghz will be slower than a core 2 duo at twice that clock or more.

That U520 is an ultra low voltage CPU. Compare it to a similar ULV core 2 duo CPU and the i5 will win.

Quote :

"Everything is gettting smaller and more energy efficient right now... and slightly faster. "

True although with the lower power and more efficient processors Intel is still pushing that clock speed up and up. The newer i7 2600's have a stock boost up to 3.8. That's quite high.

4/4/2011 4:10:04 PM

If you want durability, don't get an ideapad. Get a Thinkpad. Totally different class/quality of machine.

4/4/2011 4:29:33 PM

as i get older my time spent playing games and doing anything that requires serious power is decreasing. so it is unlikely that anything i buy now will be underpowered for me even in 10 yrs. as long as i am still able to play poker and watch porn i will be happy lol
but for right now i still play (or would play if my pc wasnt a pos) some games that either of those could easily handle.
still havent seen all the HP hating. everytime i am looking around slickdeals they are all always dogging quality and saying if you want it longer than a yr or 2 that hp shouldnt even be considered.

at this point, i dont too much carrying or traveling with a laptop. it would probably sit on my desk 60% of the time and on my lap in the living room 30% of the time. may take it somewhere the other 10% but...if its heavy, its heavy. i will get over that

4/4/2011 6:52:07 PM

If durability is what you're after definitely do the thinkpad over an ideapad, just get ready to pay an extra few hundred dollars for similar specs. One advantage of the thinkpads is you can customize them a lot more and higher resolutions are available.

4/4/2011 6:52:39 PM

after dealing with thinkpad customer service i'm never buying another thinkpad. they returned my computer more damaged than when i sent it in, and now want money to repair the damage they did. fuck that. i cancelled my order, cancelled my boss's order, and never again.

4/4/2011 6:57:30 PM

yea when i tried to configure a thinkpad with similar specs it was going to cost 6-700$ more. that for sure isnt worth it

4/5/2011 12:29:24 AM

Ive had my Thinkpad T61p for 3 years now and it still runs like brand new...even better than the brand new shit Dells they try to give me at work.

4/5/2011 7:21:30 AM

^ on.

4/6/2011 8:08:44 AM

oh god the ThinkPads are so ugly though. My company is FINNAALLLY switching to Dells and I'm so happy. Should be getting a newer Dell with an i5 in it soon. They look so much better.

4/6/2011 9:19:49 AM

i've never understood placing a lot of importance on how a computer looks. it's a tool. then again, i also haven't bedazzled the fuck out of my hammers and screwdrivers and i don't feel like i'm missing out, so maybe i'm just missing the point.

4/6/2011 10:22:58 AM

Quote :

"i've never understood placing a lot of importance on how a computer looks."

This makes no sense what so ever.

i've never understood placing a lot of importance on how a car looks.

i've never understood placing a lot of importance on how a phone looks.

Same idea. Makes no sense.

Everything you use is a tool for something. There's a reason things look nice. I feel better about getting work done on a nice looking laptop. Or driving a nice looking car to work. A house is just for living in? Why make it nice looking?

People like nice looking tools. If we didn't we'd be a really boring civilization.

4/6/2011 10:38:30 AM

It comes down to whether you consider your laptop a tool or an accessory.

4/6/2011 11:39:05 AM

I'm a firm believer in Thinkpads. I took my wife's 2004 R40 and bought her a R400 about a year ago. After 5 years of heavy use and moderately rough treatment the only issue was an intermittent power connection that was fixable. The out of date technology (drive size, CPU, etc) is not a big deal at all if you're only using the laptop casually.

I was also assigned a T410 at the job I started in February and it's also a solid machine.

So, 3/3 with Thinkpads for me. It's anecdotal, but I often feel like smashing other peoples "budget" laptops for one reason or another because something is failing. That's probably more owner issues than anything else though.

4/6/2011 12:09:07 PM

^^so if you want a nice looking car it's an accessory rather than a tool? Tools can't be aesthetically pleasing? You don't think something looking good aids in it's utility?

I guarantee if you take a population of people and give them two sets of tools one average looking and the other aesthetically pleasing the later population will be more productive and satisfied.

[Edited on April 6, 2011 at 1:06 PM. Reason : s]

4/6/2011 1:05:45 PM

Quote :

"Should be getting a newer Dell with an i5 in it soon."

I got one of these from work (Latitude E5510). Not only is it slower than the T9500 in my T61p but it looks terrible with the carbon/black colors.

4/6/2011 2:20:15 PM

iswyd, neodata

4/6/2011 2:27:25 PM

^^first of all that's a matter of opinion. I don't think they look that bad. Much better than the ThinkPads.

Quote :

"Not only is it slower than the T9500 in my T61p"

How much slower is the clock on the i5? Clock for clock the i5 will beat out the T9500 in performance.

^?

Hey I've got a T61 with a T7100 at 1.8ghz. I win the shitty computer contest.

4/6/2011 2:45:22 PM

Quote :

"True although with the lower power and more efficient processors Intel is still pushing that clock speed up and up. The newer i7 2600's have a stock boost up to 3.8. That's quite high."

I know i have one and as completely unnecessary as it is for daily computing... every time i do an energy model. it makes me smile... (16 gigs of ram a quadro and a geforce card she cruises)

4/6/2011 2:49:33 PM

I'm happy with 12GBs and 4.2ghz clock on mine. Biggest leap in performance has been from the addition of an SSD though.

4/6/2011 2:52:58 PM

Quote :

"This makes no sense what so ever. i've never understood placing a lot of importance on how a car looks. i've never understood placing a lot of importance on how a phone looks. Same idea. Makes no sense."

See, for me I definitely place much importance on how a car or a phone looks or a laptop. In each of those cases I am function >>>> form.

However that is not the case for me with everything so I can definitely understand where you are coming from. Things like my guitars or my house I definitely find usefulness in the looks side so I try to find a happy medium between form vs function in those areas that I do care about.

4/6/2011 3:14:42 PM

Quote :

"I try to find a happy medium between form vs function in those areas that I do care about."

Agreed. That's all I'm saying. Why can't I have both? I'd like a computer that is reliable, fast, portable, AND looks good. Same with a phone. It's 2011. I don't have to settle for form OR function.

But I still hold the opinion that aesthetically pleasing tools increase efficiency and are often better and more pleasing to use then their ugly counterparts. Why do companies make work spaces visually appealing then? Sure a pretty cubicle might not directly speed up a particular task but in the long run you're going to be happier and work more efficiently.

Now if you're just blind to style or aesthetics than that's a different story. I for one would like my shit to look cool. Sure ThinkPads are great laptops but they're butt ugly.

4/6/2011 3:32:42 PM

oops, I meant to say I don't place a huge importance on appearance for cars, laptops, and phones but I do for other items, so I do understand why some people do for cars, laptops, etc. Most people care about form in some way, their interests just define which things form becomes important for.

I think you understood anyway, just clarifying due to word omission in my previous based.

example: for me, a stylish laptop isn't a priority. I've only owned Thinkpads and they are tanks are will last years and still be nice enough laptops. I mainly use it at home when it is just myself or my wife and it gets put away so form has no use for me there. But certain other items like my guitars are a mixture. I certainly place function first still there but form plays it's part in my decisions as well.

[Edited on April 6, 2011 at 3:58 PM. Reason : .]

4/6/2011 3:54:52 PM

As looks go, I prefer a ThinkPad any day. Black, sleek, professional.

4/6/2011 4:08:40 PM

The Edge series is a good mix of looks with ThinkPad build quality. Sleek and clean. Not as stylish as the Idea stuff but better looking than the classic Think stuff by far.

Now if they'd just support higher screen resolutions.

[Edited on April 7, 2011 at 5:59 PM. Reason : .]

4/7/2011 5:55:24 PM

grrrr @ the lenovo online chat "help"
i hate stupid coupon codes that work for only 1 configuration of a model and not for the rest.
the y560p has 5 different options and of course the code for $350 off only works for one that i do not want.
they wouldnt even help me out to get the discount on a different model that was exactly the same price.
nor would they allow me to use the code on the actual model i did want.

the guy i talked to kept trying to convince me to buy a different model for more than i was willing to pay. then when he said 'if you want more you have to pay more'...well the model that i want is listed as $100 cheaper than the model he wanted me to buy, but his suggestion has a slower hard drive.
so frustrated.

so he was pissing my off so i threw it back that i was just going to buy the HP that was the same price but with more options.
he says "so you want to buy a machine that will last you two years tops, instead of one that will last 3-5years?"
what a turd. it then just because my intention to keep him busy as long as possible and frustrate him as much as he was annoying me.

4/7/2011 9:25:38 PM

fine print != rocket science

It does suck though. These same regulations offered me free lifetime service on an airave, but I have to pay retail $130 to get the unit

4/7/2011 10:26:17 PM

i will agree that the worst part of the lenovo experience is getting them

one you have the machine, they're nice, but the ordering process is a frustrating and ass backwards operation, poorly automated at all steps

fun fact: lenovo requires signature on delivery, but they don't make that clear, and they also will only ship to an address listed on your credit card, so getting it sent to work is a pain unless you feel like working with your credit card company ahead of time . . . i've driven my ass to the fedex distribution center many times because no matter how many times they knock, i'm not going to be home at 2 pm on a weekday.

4/8/2011 10:56:50 AM

^ is that new? When I bought my Thinkpad in 08 I had it shipped to my friend in MT to save the $200 in taxes and that address wasnt associated with my credit card.

4/8/2011 4:26:49 PM

^^^^ The coupon codes are tied to the sku for the machine, I doubt he could even apply the coupon to another one if he wanted to.

^ I want to say that's just come about the last couple years to combat some problems with fraud.

4/8/2011 10:16:09 PM