Are Lenovo laptops any good?
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Hmmm. I've had dell laptops before. I wasn't super impressed. It felt like driving a toyota. Standard trackpad, standard screen, standard keyboard. Stock upper mid shelf CPU. Nothing to really hate about them (except the trackpad), but nothing I loved either. I'm looking for something... sportier? I want to fall in love with it.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
honey the codewitch wrote:
I'm looking for something... sportier? I want to fall in love with it.
Well, take a look at Alienware then. Just like Lexus is made by Toyota, Alienware is made by Dell. On a different note, while some manufacturers indeed only make junk, most have different lines aiming for different customers. Dell and Lenovo both makes junk less good computers, while both also make good stuff. I've personally have had VERY good experience with Dell Latitude, but they also produce junk I'm afraid. The lineup from Dell goes like: AlienWare -> Gaming, Performance, big and heavy Precision -> Workstations, Performance, almost as big and heavy XPS -> small and Light Latitude -> Business, long lasting, compromise on everything except price Inspiron -> Cheap Vostro -> Garbage G Series -> Dunno, have to check them out I have no clue what the current lineup from Lenovo is I'm afraid
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
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I loved IBM Thinkpads. It's as if they sat me down, interviewed me for two hours, and then built a laptop based on their findings. The little eraserhead pointer that everyone hates I wish I had on all my keyboards. I can use the mouse without taking my hands of the home row and my wrist isn't clicking an annoying trackpad all the time. But it's more than that. They had the build quality, top tier LCD tech at the time, great bleeding edge hardware (first laptop with a mobile Pentium III for example), and stellar support. I had video hardware on one go tits up and IBM sent a tech to my workplace the next day who replaced my lappy's mainboard. I lost maybe 5 hours of productivity to my primary dev machine going out. That's not bad, actually. The only real achilles heel they had were the HDDs - the "IBM DeskDeathStar" drives. Most were good, but they had a run of them that were just junk - but it was a misstep from a company that was usually pretty reliable about quality. The situation stood out for being the exception to the rule. Then they sold everything to Lenovo. I haven't touched Lenovo machines. How's the build quality? Are there laptops that have supplanted the thinkpad's former niche at the high end**? Especially with those little pointing nubs. Love them. ** non-gaming
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
I'm on my fourth Thinkpad laptop in under 2 years. :( The first one broke down after I installed all software I needed. (2 days wasted) :omg: The second one lost the ability to connect to any network. :confused: The third one had a rebooting issue. (rebooted when I didn't want it to reboot) X| My fourth one is working for now. (I've only had for 4 months) :~ General speaking: . It is a bit slow . Ridicules few ports. (1 HDMI, 2 USB ports - none of the USB-3) . Very small screen My boss supplies this stuff. I would never buy one myself, I would go for ASUS.
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I loved IBM Thinkpads. It's as if they sat me down, interviewed me for two hours, and then built a laptop based on their findings. The little eraserhead pointer that everyone hates I wish I had on all my keyboards. I can use the mouse without taking my hands of the home row and my wrist isn't clicking an annoying trackpad all the time. But it's more than that. They had the build quality, top tier LCD tech at the time, great bleeding edge hardware (first laptop with a mobile Pentium III for example), and stellar support. I had video hardware on one go tits up and IBM sent a tech to my workplace the next day who replaced my lappy's mainboard. I lost maybe 5 hours of productivity to my primary dev machine going out. That's not bad, actually. The only real achilles heel they had were the HDDs - the "IBM DeskDeathStar" drives. Most were good, but they had a run of them that were just junk - but it was a misstep from a company that was usually pretty reliable about quality. The situation stood out for being the exception to the rule. Then they sold everything to Lenovo. I haven't touched Lenovo machines. How's the build quality? Are there laptops that have supplanted the thinkpad's former niche at the high end**? Especially with those little pointing nubs. Love them. ** non-gaming
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
My 8 yo Lenovo Yoga 15 is still perking along. It's obviously not as fast as a newer unit, but it handles VS 2022 just fine, and does everything I need without any problems. I purchased Lenovo T series for both my sons when they entered college -- these laptops are now 7 and 10 yo, respectively, and both still work fine. Longevity is not a problem IME.
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I loved IBM Thinkpads. It's as if they sat me down, interviewed me for two hours, and then built a laptop based on their findings. The little eraserhead pointer that everyone hates I wish I had on all my keyboards. I can use the mouse without taking my hands of the home row and my wrist isn't clicking an annoying trackpad all the time. But it's more than that. They had the build quality, top tier LCD tech at the time, great bleeding edge hardware (first laptop with a mobile Pentium III for example), and stellar support. I had video hardware on one go tits up and IBM sent a tech to my workplace the next day who replaced my lappy's mainboard. I lost maybe 5 hours of productivity to my primary dev machine going out. That's not bad, actually. The only real achilles heel they had were the HDDs - the "IBM DeskDeathStar" drives. Most were good, but they had a run of them that were just junk - but it was a misstep from a company that was usually pretty reliable about quality. The situation stood out for being the exception to the rule. Then they sold everything to Lenovo. I haven't touched Lenovo machines. How's the build quality? Are there laptops that have supplanted the thinkpad's former niche at the high end**? Especially with those little pointing nubs. Love them. ** non-gaming
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
My previous employer apparently got a bad batch of Lenovo Thinkpads. I say that because one of the techs told me that I wasn’t the only one who had problems. During the near year I was working for them I went through three or four of them. The first one was starting to go bad. It would just lock up. I think it was hard drive related. The others just died and I think those were somehow power supply related. The last one died just as I was about to go into a Teams meeting. I work remote and since the company is in New Hampshire and I’m in Florida I would end up having a couple of days of down time while I waited for the replacement. I was laid off from that job at end of October last year so I’m currently on a contract and the client sent me a Lenovo Thinkpad to work on which I received in late November and, knock wood, it hasn’t given me any problems.
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Yeah, I'd consider ASUS if build quality was all I was looking for. My biggest stumbling block is trackpads. I can't bear them and would much prefer a laptop that didn't have one that I'd just disable anyway. Anyway, I'll take a look at them.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
I can’t stand trackpads either. My wife likes them but she seldom uses her laptop. Myself I prefer to use a trackball. I use the Logitech MX Ergo.
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honey the codewitch wrote:
Shame about the trackpad,
Sometimes one has to go with the times. Many moons ago I had laptops that had a trackball instead of a trackpad. I used to love them: accurate, small no accidental movement. I might have been the only one or they were not economical to build because they disappeared and I had to learn to live with the trackpads. Well, times, they are 'achanging.
honey the codewitch wrote:
Thanks for making me look at ASUS again
One is glad to be of service :)
Mircea
Back before Microsoft made it easy to disable the trackpad via settings, I would tape a piece of thin cardboard over the trackpad.
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I loved IBM Thinkpads. It's as if they sat me down, interviewed me for two hours, and then built a laptop based on their findings. The little eraserhead pointer that everyone hates I wish I had on all my keyboards. I can use the mouse without taking my hands of the home row and my wrist isn't clicking an annoying trackpad all the time. But it's more than that. They had the build quality, top tier LCD tech at the time, great bleeding edge hardware (first laptop with a mobile Pentium III for example), and stellar support. I had video hardware on one go tits up and IBM sent a tech to my workplace the next day who replaced my lappy's mainboard. I lost maybe 5 hours of productivity to my primary dev machine going out. That's not bad, actually. The only real achilles heel they had were the HDDs - the "IBM DeskDeathStar" drives. Most were good, but they had a run of them that were just junk - but it was a misstep from a company that was usually pretty reliable about quality. The situation stood out for being the exception to the rule. Then they sold everything to Lenovo. I haven't touched Lenovo machines. How's the build quality? Are there laptops that have supplanted the thinkpad's former niche at the high end**? Especially with those little pointing nubs. Love them. ** non-gaming
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
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I loved IBM Thinkpads. It's as if they sat me down, interviewed me for two hours, and then built a laptop based on their findings. The little eraserhead pointer that everyone hates I wish I had on all my keyboards. I can use the mouse without taking my hands of the home row and my wrist isn't clicking an annoying trackpad all the time. But it's more than that. They had the build quality, top tier LCD tech at the time, great bleeding edge hardware (first laptop with a mobile Pentium III for example), and stellar support. I had video hardware on one go tits up and IBM sent a tech to my workplace the next day who replaced my lappy's mainboard. I lost maybe 5 hours of productivity to my primary dev machine going out. That's not bad, actually. The only real achilles heel they had were the HDDs - the "IBM DeskDeathStar" drives. Most were good, but they had a run of them that were just junk - but it was a misstep from a company that was usually pretty reliable about quality. The situation stood out for being the exception to the rule. Then they sold everything to Lenovo. I haven't touched Lenovo machines. How's the build quality? Are there laptops that have supplanted the thinkpad's former niche at the high end**? Especially with those little pointing nubs. Love them. ** non-gaming
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
Your question intrigued me, so I went looking at my 10-12 laptops acquired over the years. I guess I am a boring, Honda/Toyota kind of guy. I have always valued reliability, and not much else. I have HP, and Dell. I only use a wireless keyboard and mouse combo, as I hate trying to type on a laptop keyboard. They are too flat for me. :) I already struggle with my typing skills. Finally, take a look at Acer. don't know if they have the pazazz you are looking for but have loved their desktops for 30 years or so.
ed
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I had a precision. Didn't love it. My only issue with spending this kind of money on a Lenovo is I don't know what I'm getting. For example, I've bought ASUS products for years. I've had one bad product - a poorly designed netbook from them, but their build quality (even on that device) has always been at least respectable. Lenovo is kind of an unknown quantity for me, and the spec sheet won't tell me if they use good (japanese maybe) capacitors in their boards for example. Not that I'm looking for that kind of detail. More I'm looking for people's organic experiences with them. Did they hold up? Did the hinges wear out? Was their anything about them you hated? That sort of thing. Spec sheets are kind of short on that information.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
I currently have 2 Lenovo Legion Laptops. I love them. I am slowly replacing everything HP I had with Lenovo. Granted I don't get the low end machines though. Both of my laptops are the Legions. They seem to hold up as good as any dell. The only gripe I had is that I had to get a new power cord (my fault) for one of them, and it was difficult to get it ordered correctly without talking to a salesperson from Lenovo website. You can always ask at MicroCenter. They have a customer service chat and they are generally pretty honest. ( https://www.microcenter.com )
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I loved IBM Thinkpads. It's as if they sat me down, interviewed me for two hours, and then built a laptop based on their findings. The little eraserhead pointer that everyone hates I wish I had on all my keyboards. I can use the mouse without taking my hands of the home row and my wrist isn't clicking an annoying trackpad all the time. But it's more than that. They had the build quality, top tier LCD tech at the time, great bleeding edge hardware (first laptop with a mobile Pentium III for example), and stellar support. I had video hardware on one go tits up and IBM sent a tech to my workplace the next day who replaced my lappy's mainboard. I lost maybe 5 hours of productivity to my primary dev machine going out. That's not bad, actually. The only real achilles heel they had were the HDDs - the "IBM DeskDeathStar" drives. Most were good, but they had a run of them that were just junk - but it was a misstep from a company that was usually pretty reliable about quality. The situation stood out for being the exception to the rule. Then they sold everything to Lenovo. I haven't touched Lenovo machines. How's the build quality? Are there laptops that have supplanted the thinkpad's former niche at the high end**? Especially with those little pointing nubs. Love them. ** non-gaming
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
I have a Lenovo Thinkpad Ultrabook that's about 2 years old -- great keyboard with pointing nub, great display, no problems at all. It was worth the extra bucks.
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honey the codewitch wrote:
I'm looking for something... sportier? I want to fall in love with it.
Well, take a look at Alienware then. Just like Lexus is made by Toyota, Alienware is made by Dell. On a different note, while some manufacturers indeed only make junk, most have different lines aiming for different customers. Dell and Lenovo both makes junk less good computers, while both also make good stuff. I've personally have had VERY good experience with Dell Latitude, but they also produce junk I'm afraid. The lineup from Dell goes like: AlienWare -> Gaming, Performance, big and heavy Precision -> Workstations, Performance, almost as big and heavy XPS -> small and Light Latitude -> Business, long lasting, compromise on everything except price Inspiron -> Cheap Vostro -> Garbage G Series -> Dunno, have to check them out I have no clue what the current lineup from Lenovo is I'm afraid
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
Just supplementing this post, Dell has a Precision that is a business class XPS. I believe it is the 5000 series Precision. The G Series was an evolution of their Inspiron gaming series, and both were pretty solid (I've had my Inspiron gaming laptop for 7 years now). However, last years G series were plagued with all sorts of issues and would not recommend purchasing. @Honey the codewitch if you want a good Dell laptop go with the XPS or the Precision equivalent if you need the extra business features.
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I loved IBM Thinkpads. It's as if they sat me down, interviewed me for two hours, and then built a laptop based on their findings. The little eraserhead pointer that everyone hates I wish I had on all my keyboards. I can use the mouse without taking my hands of the home row and my wrist isn't clicking an annoying trackpad all the time. But it's more than that. They had the build quality, top tier LCD tech at the time, great bleeding edge hardware (first laptop with a mobile Pentium III for example), and stellar support. I had video hardware on one go tits up and IBM sent a tech to my workplace the next day who replaced my lappy's mainboard. I lost maybe 5 hours of productivity to my primary dev machine going out. That's not bad, actually. The only real achilles heel they had were the HDDs - the "IBM DeskDeathStar" drives. Most were good, but they had a run of them that were just junk - but it was a misstep from a company that was usually pretty reliable about quality. The situation stood out for being the exception to the rule. Then they sold everything to Lenovo. I haven't touched Lenovo machines. How's the build quality? Are there laptops that have supplanted the thinkpad's former niche at the high end**? Especially with those little pointing nubs. Love them. ** non-gaming
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
I'm with you on the eraser nib. I cannot work without it. Although some Dell and Toshiba computers also have them, the do not work as well. The IBM laptops WERE tops in quality. Lenovo design and build are not quite as good, but stick with the Thinkpad models and they are plenty good enough. I get lots of use out of my Thinkpads. I'm still using two 2013 vintage i7-based W520 laptops that have 32Gb RAM and just keep running. These were the last Thinkpad to have real keyboards. I also have two recent P-series laptops that seem to be their current line of workstation replacement laptops. My 2nd choice would be Dell high end models. I have to use one for one of my clients. Solid build quality, durable, and an eraser nib that is usable but not a pleasure to use.
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I loved IBM Thinkpads. It's as if they sat me down, interviewed me for two hours, and then built a laptop based on their findings. The little eraserhead pointer that everyone hates I wish I had on all my keyboards. I can use the mouse without taking my hands of the home row and my wrist isn't clicking an annoying trackpad all the time. But it's more than that. They had the build quality, top tier LCD tech at the time, great bleeding edge hardware (first laptop with a mobile Pentium III for example), and stellar support. I had video hardware on one go tits up and IBM sent a tech to my workplace the next day who replaced my lappy's mainboard. I lost maybe 5 hours of productivity to my primary dev machine going out. That's not bad, actually. The only real achilles heel they had were the HDDs - the "IBM DeskDeathStar" drives. Most were good, but they had a run of them that were just junk - but it was a misstep from a company that was usually pretty reliable about quality. The situation stood out for being the exception to the rule. Then they sold everything to Lenovo. I haven't touched Lenovo machines. How's the build quality? Are there laptops that have supplanted the thinkpad's former niche at the high end**? Especially with those little pointing nubs. Love them. ** non-gaming
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
After my first, and definitely last, experience with Lenovo I will NEVER give them my money again. For starters, I experienced frequent BSOD events for some weeks. No one at Lenovo was ANY help - and that's a theme that is consistent. Eventually that issue just magically cleared up. I read online that folks had been having an issue with connecting anything to the thunderbolt and dock ports simultaneously. (See ports 2 and 3 in the link provided). https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpadt/t490/22tp2tt4900?orgRef=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.bing.com%252F&cid=us:sem|se|msn|brand\_commercial\_think\_t+series|lenovo+t490|lenovo thinkpad T490|e|402399263|1271036205890394|kwd-79440208754324:loc-190|text|brand&msclkid=9b305a7c9564133e2cd63e5d331f574c I CALLED Lenovo and asked about this before I purchased their Cat 5 adapter and explained that about 70% of copmplaints I found online were about this issue. He gave me smarta$$ answer about percentages and assured me there'd be no issue. I purchased the adapter and - SURPRISE! - the internet was right. You CANNOT use both ports at once, the plastic base of their proprietary dock adapter is too wide for that. Tried calling them back and spent HOURS on the phone being routed in circles. Eventually I gave up. So now that the BSOD issues have stabilized the machine works pretty well, but after the stupidity evidenced in such poor engineering, and the insufferable attitude I got after waiting hours to speak to a "human," they can pound salt.
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I loved IBM Thinkpads. It's as if they sat me down, interviewed me for two hours, and then built a laptop based on their findings. The little eraserhead pointer that everyone hates I wish I had on all my keyboards. I can use the mouse without taking my hands of the home row and my wrist isn't clicking an annoying trackpad all the time. But it's more than that. They had the build quality, top tier LCD tech at the time, great bleeding edge hardware (first laptop with a mobile Pentium III for example), and stellar support. I had video hardware on one go tits up and IBM sent a tech to my workplace the next day who replaced my lappy's mainboard. I lost maybe 5 hours of productivity to my primary dev machine going out. That's not bad, actually. The only real achilles heel they had were the HDDs - the "IBM DeskDeathStar" drives. Most were good, but they had a run of them that were just junk - but it was a misstep from a company that was usually pretty reliable about quality. The situation stood out for being the exception to the rule. Then they sold everything to Lenovo. I haven't touched Lenovo machines. How's the build quality? Are there laptops that have supplanted the thinkpad's former niche at the high end**? Especially with those little pointing nubs. Love them. ** non-gaming
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
Yes. I've got a 2019 P1 & the build quality is very good. The RAM slots and drives (2 x M2 NVMe SSD) are easily accessible. The keyboard's much better than the HPs and Dells that work has lumbered me with. And yes, they still have pointing nubs.
Java, Basic, who cares - it's all a bunch of tree-hugging hippy cr*p
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Hmmm. everywhere I need to go with something like a laptop there's a TV to plug into, and this is primarily for taking to my sister's place. Being able to game a little wouldn't hurt. I'll definitely consider it. Thanks. Very outside the box solution to my overarching problem. I like it. :)
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
Are you aware that you can buy a standalone Trackpoint keyboard? ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II (US English).
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I loved IBM Thinkpads. It's as if they sat me down, interviewed me for two hours, and then built a laptop based on their findings. The little eraserhead pointer that everyone hates I wish I had on all my keyboards. I can use the mouse without taking my hands of the home row and my wrist isn't clicking an annoying trackpad all the time. But it's more than that. They had the build quality, top tier LCD tech at the time, great bleeding edge hardware (first laptop with a mobile Pentium III for example), and stellar support. I had video hardware on one go tits up and IBM sent a tech to my workplace the next day who replaced my lappy's mainboard. I lost maybe 5 hours of productivity to my primary dev machine going out. That's not bad, actually. The only real achilles heel they had were the HDDs - the "IBM DeskDeathStar" drives. Most were good, but they had a run of them that were just junk - but it was a misstep from a company that was usually pretty reliable about quality. The situation stood out for being the exception to the rule. Then they sold everything to Lenovo. I haven't touched Lenovo machines. How's the build quality? Are there laptops that have supplanted the thinkpad's former niche at the high end**? Especially with those little pointing nubs. Love them. ** non-gaming
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
I have a Dell laptop I bought in 2009 for personal use. The only issue was battery life. After about 10 years, because I couldn't increase the memory, I decided to get a new one. Got an HP 4 years ago and regretted it very soon afterwards. It was a little cheaper than Dell by cost but a lot cheaper by quality. I've replaced the motherboard and the hinges. My work has issued me 2 Lenovo ThinkPads throughout the years. The first one from 5 years ago was crap all around. The second one has held up better, but I still consider my old Dell from 2009 a superior machine. Because of the issue with my HP, I bought a new Dell last year, and I am glad to be back with them. They still have superior quality for reasonable prices.
Bond Keep all things as simple as possible, but no simpler. -said someone, somewhere
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honey the codewitch wrote:
I'm looking for something... sportier? I want to fall in love with it.
Well, take a look at Alienware then. Just like Lexus is made by Toyota, Alienware is made by Dell. On a different note, while some manufacturers indeed only make junk, most have different lines aiming for different customers. Dell and Lenovo both makes junk less good computers, while both also make good stuff. I've personally have had VERY good experience with Dell Latitude, but they also produce junk I'm afraid. The lineup from Dell goes like: AlienWare -> Gaming, Performance, big and heavy Precision -> Workstations, Performance, almost as big and heavy XPS -> small and Light Latitude -> Business, long lasting, compromise on everything except price Inspiron -> Cheap Vostro -> Garbage G Series -> Dunno, have to check them out I have no clue what the current lineup from Lenovo is I'm afraid
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
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Are you aware that you can buy a standalone Trackpoint keyboard? ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II (US English).
Yes, but then I wouldn't have my wonderful Das5QS. The only thing that isn't perfect about it is the lack of a pointing nub. I'll never go back to a membrane keyboard.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
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Back before Microsoft made it easy to disable the trackpad via settings, I would tape a piece of thin cardboard over the trackpad.
I have ALWAYS used a mouse with my laptops. I too had a Thinkpad and I agree with @honeythecodewitch on all points. The only 'built-in' pointer I ever used. I am basically a desktop guy, not a gamer. I have owned a couple of Asus Zen, low end and they are performed very well. I think my favorite was a Sony Vero (I think) that was a 'desktop replacement' back in the day that I bought because I was in temporary housing in a different city for two years due to herself's assignments. Big capable machine in its day, big speakers, etc. I think around 2005. Currently, we have a couple of HP's that are OK, but HP likes to be pretty intrusive. Since desktop is my preference with lots of monitors, etc. I normally look for lightness in laptops. LG is advertising one that looks pretty light, but I have no experience with it. Have fun
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I loved IBM Thinkpads. It's as if they sat me down, interviewed me for two hours, and then built a laptop based on their findings. The little eraserhead pointer that everyone hates I wish I had on all my keyboards. I can use the mouse without taking my hands of the home row and my wrist isn't clicking an annoying trackpad all the time. But it's more than that. They had the build quality, top tier LCD tech at the time, great bleeding edge hardware (first laptop with a mobile Pentium III for example), and stellar support. I had video hardware on one go tits up and IBM sent a tech to my workplace the next day who replaced my lappy's mainboard. I lost maybe 5 hours of productivity to my primary dev machine going out. That's not bad, actually. The only real achilles heel they had were the HDDs - the "IBM DeskDeathStar" drives. Most were good, but they had a run of them that were just junk - but it was a misstep from a company that was usually pretty reliable about quality. The situation stood out for being the exception to the rule. Then they sold everything to Lenovo. I haven't touched Lenovo machines. How's the build quality? Are there laptops that have supplanted the thinkpad's former niche at the high end**? Especially with those little pointing nubs. Love them. ** non-gaming
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
