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General discussion

Good college laptop

Jun 4, 2011 7:52AM PDT

As the title states, I'm in the market for a new laptop. I've been shopping for two months online and in stores, but haven't seen a machine that "WOW"ed me. I am a student, so a limited budget needs to be considered. I am trying to beat a deal I have set up with lenovo, and I am looking at several machines. Battery life is crucial for me, since my dad's laptop lasts about 2 hs.

Configured Lenovo with a double upgrade to beat:

THINKPAD E520 1 YR DEPOT WARRANTY $657.92
2NDGICI5-2520M IHDGR200
GENUWIN7PROFES.64
GN WN7 PRF64 ENGLISH
15.6 W HD ANTI-GL BLACK
INTEL HD GR
4GBPC3-10600DDR3 1333SODMM
K US ENGLISH
720P HD CAM AND INT MCRPH
500GB HRD DSK DRV,7200RPM
MULTI RECORDER OPT DRV
9 CELL LI-ION BATTERY
LENOVO THINKPAD LANGUAGE / LOCALIZATION KIT
INTELCENTRINOWIRELESSN1000
NO WWAN SUPPORT
LP US ENGLISH
LENOVO THINKPLUS NON-RETURN HARD DRIVE OFFERING - EXTENDED SERVICE AGREEMENT - 1 YEAR $0.00

Sub Total $657.92 Sales Tax $54.28 Shipping / Handling $0.00 -----
Total $712.20

Possibly considering:
Lenovo Y560 with 2nd gen I7 @ $679 before tax
Asus A52F with first gen I5 @ $589

Thanks for your advice.

Discussion is locked

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Battery? i7?
Jun 4, 2011 7:55AM PDT

Both are terrible ideas. Any one crazy enough to get a quad core i7 should always ask for 8 hour battery packs.

And with the battery being the usual 300 cycle unit, who runs on battery when AC is around.

The Asus looks better from this view.
Bob

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Lenovo Edge
Jun 4, 2011 8:00AM PDT

The configured lenovo has a 2nd gen I5 with a 9 cell battery. Wouldn't that beat the Asus's battery life? Also have family working at IBM, so (hopefully not necessary) repair work would be a snap.

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No.
Jun 4, 2011 9:07AM PDT

I looked at both and found 300 cycle battery life. I wonder if you meant running time. For that I have to look at the specs or better yet a review.
Bob

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Consider warranty
Jun 4, 2011 12:58PM PDT

Most ASUS I have looked at have a 2 year warranty. The first year also includes drop coverage, which could come in handy at college. Check to see if the one you listed has that. Might tip you towards ASUS.

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Re: Good college laptop
Jun 7, 2011 7:12PM PDT

Asus would be far more better for a college laptop.