Buying My Next Laptop - Recommendations?

[Boone]

The old Lenovo Thinkpad is on it's last legs me thinks...I absolutely love Lenovo, but am open to other suggestions (I have had repeated bad experiences with Dells, so I'm ruling them out straight off).

I'm looking hard at the Lenovo Thinkpad Carbon X1. Supposedly very light and slim, great graphics/screen, and usual Lenovo solid performance. Anyone have any experience with this one?

If I do go with the Carbon X1, will also have to decide whether to go with Windows 8 or Windows 7 (of which I am a fan). This laptop comes with a touchscreen version, which of course, were I to go with Windows 8 would make sense. But frankly, I'm not sure I even want Windows 8 as I don't see what advantages it would give me, and I really can't envision liking a touchscreen on a laptop. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but while a touchscreen on a tablet or phone makes perfect sense, reaching out over an available keyboard to use a touchscreen on a laptop just seems kind of extraneous. I am incredibly fast on a keyboard, so I'm thinking about having them install Windows 7 and skipping the touchscreen version entirely.

Any advice from you tech experts either on laptops, this model, or Windows 8/touchscreens?

Thanks in advance for any guidance!

 

[Burgundy Burner]

Lenovo owner here. Thinkpad W520 Workstation Laptop, Intel Quad Core i7 CPU @ 2.20GHz, 12GB RAM, 500GB HD, 15.6" LED screen, Windows 7 64bit Professional. Absolutely love it. Stay with the best, imho.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

I'm on my second Dell, and it's the second laptop to go to shit. I agree, stay away from them, they're garbage.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

 

[tshile]

I have a touch screen (lenovo) on my laptop and rarely use it.

Windows 8 functions like windows 7 once you learn to use the new start menu.

 

[Boone]

I have a touch screen (lenovo) on my laptop and rarely use it.

Windows 8 functions like windows 7 once you learn to use the new start menu.

So Travis, sounds like the smart way to go would be to go ahead and go with Windows 8 - since it is the most up to date OS?

 

[Boone]

Any experience with the carbon x1 touch?

 

[tshile]

So Travis, sounds like the smart way to go would be to go ahead and go with Windows 8 - since it is the most up to date OS?

Well, I think windows 7 is going to be around for a while due to the general dislike of windows 8. Especially in business environments. Windows 8 is more of a user experience and graphical update for most people, so from an update/security perspective I think you're fine either way.

I'd go to best buy or somewhere with displayed computers and check it out for 20 minutes. The desktop is virtually the same. You can bring ip the new 'start menu' and just type what you and and it'll pop up, you can click enter or click it with the mouse. See if you like it.

You can customize the start menu but I never bothered. So don't feel obligated to use it The way Microsoft advertises, because you get by just fine without it.

The only thing to look our for with Windows 8 machines is to make sure you don't get one with an ARM processor. Stick with Intel for whatever you get. I'd suggest and i5 or i7, if you want to be happy with it for a while. The i3's are getting much better reviews now than they did when they first came out, but we don't put anything less than an i5 in business machines, to give you and idea.

 

[Nobody]

I personally can't stand laptops (purist thing I suppose) but my wife loves them. She's had several over the years from Dell, Apple, Samsung, Lenovi.......and the one she has now is the only one she has ever liked. It's a Samsung Chrome book. Depending on what you're wanting to use it for, it might make you happy. People who aren't familiar with it will tell you all day it sucks, but it's like me telling someone an ipad (which I've never used) sucks. It's lightning fast because it operates on the cloud, and you can link everything you have with it, from your phone to the Chrome book itself, to your pc. Oh, and they cost about 60% less than most laptops.

 

[Boone]

Thanks guys, any other input appreciated. The carbon x1 comes with i7 processor Travis, so that won't be an issue. Only negative I see so far is that it doesn't have a cd/dvd drive - I guess due to the slim body type. You can buy an external one, but not sure I'd even bother.

 

[Elephant]

Apple MacBook Pro. I love mine!

But...I was turned to Apple years ago and have not paid full price for my MacPro of MacBook Pro, so there's that of course.

 

[Boone]

Yeah, I'd like to go Apple. I guess there are two things that give me pause - one is that I won't be able to do some of the things I need to do to manage the site - just as one example, I doubt the NFL Pickem software we use would work on an Apple OS. And there probably lots of other apps like that. And then there's the learning curve (which I'd be willing to dive in on).

I would hate to take the plunge and then not be able to manage the site fully from a Macbook. That's probably a deal breaker.

Reading more reviews on the carbon x1 - it appears to have some tech problems, unusual for a Lenovo. So have probably ruled that out although it's a beautiful machine. I've considered the Yoga 2 Pro (that's Lenovo's 2-in-1 laptop/tablet). Not sure about that yet though. The Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus looks promising, lots of power, ultra high-def touch screen, i7 processor, very light...looking hard at that one right now...

Think I'm going Samsung this time. The reviews on the ATIV are really, really good.

 

[RG3 Fan]

Hate that you can't go to the Mac Book Air. Long battery life, durable and lightweight. Love mine.

 

[tshile]

Yeah, I'd like to go Apple. I guess there are two things that give me pause - one is that I won't be able to do some of the things I need to do to manage the site - just as one example, I doubt the NFL Pickem software we use would work on an Apple OS. And there probably lots of other apps like that. And then there's the learning curve (which I'd be willing to dive in on).

I would hate to take the plunge and then not be able to manage the site fully from a Macbook. That's probably a deal breaker.

Reading more reviews on the carbon x1 - it appears to have some tech problems, unusual for a Lenovo. So have probably ruled that out although it's a beautiful machine. I've considered the Yoga 2 Pro (that's Lenovo's 2-in-1 laptop/tablet). Not sure about that yet though. The Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus looks promising, lots of power, ultra high-def touch screen, i7 processor, very light...looking hard at that one right now...

Think I'm going Samsung this time. The reviews on the ATIV are really, really good.

I have a yoga 2 Pro and so does on of the guys that'd owns the company I work for. We both have a few weird problems. I love mine and I get around those issues - can't recommend it at this point. Another owner has a think pad with no problems, and a client had to return an X1 because it kept dropping wireless connectivity randomly.

I love lenovo, this is my second laptop from them. They do some things really well, and for a recent price. They do some things terribly and randomly.

As for the mac... you might be surprised. in fact, what you could do is rip your current machine to a virtual image, then you can turn it on and do everything you want, if you were concerned. Not sure if you're familiar with how to do that, if not it's not any more difficult than running a website. But it's a different platform, and they charge a premium. I have all kinds if devices I use regularly, they all have pros and cons. My mac book pro is the best hardware and design out of them, hands down.

If you're interested in it more let me know.

 

[Boone]

Hate that you can't go to the Mac Book Air. Long battery life, durable and lightweight. Love mine.

The review sites I'm looking (CNET, others) compare the Samsung with the Mac Book Air in terms of power, quality, reliability, etc... so that is reassuring to me.

Travis - I appreciate your thoughts especially. I'm fairly tech savvy (obviously) but think the more practical solution is go with a Windows device. Maybe one of these days, I'll get an Apple too.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Both the future missus and I are in the market for new laptops as well. Appreciate the thread, and the responses!!

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

 

[tshile]

Hmm... never messed with a Samsung laptop...

if you get one let me know how it works out.

 

[Boone]

I definitely will. I'm kind of a no-frills guy when it comes to laptops, which is the reason why I've really loved Lenovo for the past 5 years. But I'm looking for something lighter, more portable, but with all the power and functionality I need. I think if I wanted to go with a large, heavier traditional laptop, Lenovo still makes the best business laptops out there. But they appear to have some major issues as they try to mimic the more recent touchscreen, ultrabook, or 2 in 1 device trends. I have had fan/cooling issues with every Lenovo I've ever owned - so despite my fondness for them, I'm looking forward to owing a device that doesn't require a fan running continuously or have battery overheating issues.

 

[Boone]

Loving my Samsung...it's incredibly light and small compared to the Lenovo - pretty good battery life and the high def screen is phenomenal. Installed a classic shell mod that Mike turned me on to which has eliminated most of the pain of Windows 8. Very quick responsiveness. Few little things I don't care for - the Lenovo had L/R buttons at the top and bottom of the touch pad and I miss that. Also when clicking the Samsung touchpad feels unnecessarily clunky and makes a loud clicking noise, but those are minor things. I do wonder why they didn't design it to fold in half so you could use it as a tablet too? It will lay completely flat (for what practical purpose I don't know) and it would have been easy to design it to fold over the keyboard. Should have been a no-brainer given the nice touchscreen included.

Otherwise, I love the thing. .

 

[fansince62]

Boone hit the nail on the head.....depends on what you want to use the machine for.

I have 4 different machines I use for different purposes. One is never connected so that is where sensitive records are kept (so nice not worrying about patches....not worried about how old the box gets; don't care...it has limited purposes) - I control the sneaker net. Another is the multimedia machine I also use to surf with. the 3rd, the beast, I cared less abt the interface - except for write blocking at times. I needed a minimum of 8 to 10 GB RAM, close to 1 TB of disk space, i7 or better, a GPU, some custom-made sw - and we're off and runnin. download a free virtualization environment, load the OS of choice, tons of wonderful packages already out there. the last a small device for traveling. once I'm convinced the cloud is safe and offers the security and privacy protections I want - as well as secure end point devices (not even close right now)......gonna shed some devices