Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 review

The ThinkPad SL510 ran for 3 hours and 37 minutes on our video playback battery drain test, using the included six-cell battery. That's comparable with the ThinkPad T400s, and is better than average for a laptop this size, but there are certainly laptops out there that can do far better. Our battery drain test is especially grueling, so you can expect longer life from casual Web surfing and office use.

Lenovo includes a one-year, parts-and-labor, mail-in warranty with the system, although for a high-end business laptop, we'd expect a three-year plan as standard. Upgrading to a three-year plan will cost an extra $119, or $219 for three years of next-business day, on-site service. Support is accessible through a 24-7, toll-free phone line, and an easy-to-navigate online support site with a knowledge base and driver downloads.

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System configurations:

Lenovo Thinkpad SL510
Windows 7 Professional; 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8700; 3072MB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz; 128MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD; 320GB Hitachi 7,200rpm

Dell Studio XPS 16
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz; 512MB ATI Radeon HD3670; 320GB Seagate 7,200rpm

Lenovo Ideapad Y650
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce G 105M; 320GB Western Digital 5,400rpm

Sony Vaio AW170Y/Q
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9400; 4096MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT; 320GB Hitachi 7,200rpm

Lenovo Thinkpad T400s
Windows 7 Professional; Intel Core 2 Duo SP9600; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1066Mhz; 64MB Intel GMA 4500M; 128GB Toshiba Solid State Drive 128GB Toshiba Solid State Drive