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Old 02-03-2012, 03:10 PM   #1
Franca
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Monterey Bay area, CA
Posts: 2,228
Default New System Shopping

I am a longtime diehard desktop user but I think I have finally talked myself into a laptop to replace my creaky old Dell Precision 650. I would plug in a proper full-size monitor and keyboard for daily use. I narrowed down my choices to Dell or Lenovo and after doing a comparison am leaning towards Lenovo. I went through the whole process of customizing a Lenovo and a Dell, trying to choose comparable components but of course that's virtually impossible. The Lenovo came closest to what I think I want, but it still needs tweaking.

I should note that going to a Mac is not an option for me right now. The office is completely PC and The Boss who gives me plenty of latitude on my equipment choices will not approve a Mac purchase - nor do I want to make that change right now anyway. Going from Win XP Pro to Win 7 Pro is more than enough "change" to deal with as far as my elderly software and hardware peripherals are concerned. Not to mention my aging brain - I feel a big headache coming on!

I'm copying the Lenovo specs below for review. Note that I would prefer a larger, faster hard drive than the one listed here, and am also debating 8 GB RAM vs. 6 GB. Computer guy doesn't think I need more than 6 GB RAM, and also thinks the i5 processor is adequate and appropriate for my purposes.

Do I really need a docking station? My husband simply plugs his monitor and keyboard directly into the laptop, and he has a multipurpose USB hub for additonal USB ports and card slots.

I opted for no camera. Would somebody please tell me why I would want a camera in my laptop??

One thing I liked about this Lenovo - it let me just say "No" to the Microsoft Office Starter Pak. Whether it would arrive with it preinstalled anyway or not is another question.

I'd greatly appreciate any thoughts on the components below. Is there anything not listed that I need? Or listed that I don't need? There were other options for many of the components; in most cases I chose the default so if there are better choices, please let me know!

Proposed new Lenovo system

ThinkPad T420 - 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty
Processor: Intel Core i5-2520M Processor (2.50GHz, 3MB L3)
Operating system: Windows 7 Professional 64
Operating system language: Windows 7 Professional 64 US English
Windows XP Mode: Microsoft Windows 7 XP Mode - English
Display type: 14.0" HD (1366 x 768) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
System graphics: NVIDIA NVS 4200M Graphics with Optimus Technology, 1GB DDR3 Memory
Total memory: 6 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
Keyboard: Keyboard US English
Hard drive: 500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
Optical device: DVD recordable multiburner
System expansion slots: Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader
Battery: 9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++
Power cord: Country Pack North America with Line cord & 90W AC adapter
PCI adapter: IEEE 1394a port
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000
Integrated mobile broadband: Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable
Language pack: Language Pack US English

Accessories and options:
ThinkPad Mini Dock Series 3

   
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