Lenovo or Dell?

[CS Chua]

I am giving up my Thinkpad for a new notebook. I have shortlisted to 2 models i.e. either Dell M1210 or Lenovo Y400. Both have Intel Core2 Duo processors and dedicated GeForce GO 7300 graphic cards and I want both of these items in my new notebook.

Has anyone bought either one of these notebooks? If you have, can you share your opinion? Thanks.

[FineTuned]

If I were shopping for a new notebook today, I'd go for the Dell M1210 in a flash.

However, the Santa Rosa platform has just been launched, and I think you'll see a price drop on these Centrino models pretty soon.

BTW the Dell has a Geforce GO 7400 option now - the earlier 7300 was a dud, pricey and slow as hell.

[CS Chua]

I just read of this new Centrino Duo but I wonder whether they will launch it within the next 2 months. I cannot wait more than 2 months due to budgeting reason. I am also giving preference to the M1210 with the GEforce 7400. The review says it can play HL and other FPS games so that is very helpful. Afterall all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. :D

[BMW9700]

I am giving up my Thinkpad for a new notebook. I have shortlisted to 2 models i.e. either Dell M1210 or Lenovo Y400. Both have Intel Core2 Duo processors and dedicated GeForce GO 7300 graphic cards and I want both of these items in my new notebook.

Has anyone bought either one of these notebooks? If you have, can you share your opinion? Thanks.


i got the Dell 1210 XPS 9 months ago...it is a good and fast laptop with good mobility..battery life is v. good..only drawback is that due to the screen size it is quite difficult to read especially when u r older..recommended.

[CS Chua]

Hmmm..thanks for the tips. I will take note of that. My eye sight is not that good too.

[doggyjames]

if u wanna burn ur house or office then go for lenovo...their batteries r really timebombs...i shd know as i work for the company be4

[CS Chua]

Very interesting. I have read very good reviews of Lenovo notebooks but none mentioned about the potential exploding batteries. Maybe they use Sony's.

[doggyjames]

lenovo's batt had been proven to cause fires...and in the states n eu they r recalling most of their models...

personally...i would get an asus,fujitsu or hp over acer n lenovo anytiume

[mlkok]

Those exploding batteries were manufactured by Sony.

[BMW9700]

Those exploding batteries were manufactured by Sony.

Dell had a recall recently and the batteries were manufactured by Sony as well...so far my M1210 has been reliable and nice to use..of course it dosent have the branded status of a Fujitsu or Toshiba when u use it in starbucks etc..but all in all a good machine for the price..

regards

[CS Chua]

Dell had a recall recently and the batteries were manufactured by Sony as well...so far my M1210 has been reliable and nice to use..of course it dosent have the branded status of a Fujitsu or Toshiba when u use it in starbucks etc..but all in all a good machine for the price..

regards
Can you tell me how long do your batteries last?

I tried to customise my purchase while in Thailand on Dell Malaysian website but the last page will not download. I wonder whether it is because they detected that I am customising it from Thailand and has blocked it. Dell Thailand is terrible and operates differently. Their website does not indicate prices at all. We are required to give our contact number and a sales representative will call us with the quotation. What a funny way to do business here.

Looks like I have to come back to Malaysia to complete the purchase. Anyhow I am glad I can get a Geforce 7400 and a HD at 7400 rpm. That is fast.

[fragman]

using dell inspiron 6000 now for about 15mths now. the 6-cell battery last me avg 2.5hrs now.

[kwchang]

You flers probably missed the significance of this statement -

...the Santa Rosa platform has just been launched ...
Monday's (14May) computer pages (pg C13) in The Straits Times mentioned that Intel is going to update the Centrino laptop hardware - not just the microprocessor but the whole motherboard platform for WiFi wireless computers. It will use flash memory chips (like in yr thumbdrives) and the whole platform should be having better performance and less hungry on the batteries.

If you are not urgently in need of a notebook, you should wait for the Santa Rossa to mature and come down in price.

[CS Chua]

You flers probably missed the significance of this statement -

Monday's (14May) computer pages (pg C13) in The Straits Times mentioned that Intel is going to update the Centrino laptop hardware - not just the microprocessor but the whole motherboard platform for WiFi wireless computers. It will use flash memory chips (like in yr thumbdrives) and the whole platform should be having better performance and less hungry on the batteries.

If you are not urgently in need of a notebook, you should wait for the Santa Rossa to mature and come down in price.
I did respond to that above. I can wait for another 2 months only and hopefully the price is reasonable when it is launched. If not, the current model will surely drop in price.

[CS Chua]

Anyway I have reviewed other models and to me, the XPS M1210 has the best value for money. So I will be going for that. Thanks guys, fior your contributions. Talking about it helps me to be clear in my decision.

[BMW9700]

Anyway I have reviewed other models and to me, the XPS M1210 has the best value for money. So I will be going for that. Thanks guys, fior your contributions. Talking about it helps me to be clear in my decision.


i second that...my batteries last me about 3.5 to 4 hours while surfing the net..will last around 1.5 to 2 hours watching a movie with the dvd drive on always..i got the high capacity batteries..so far so good..can negiotiate with dell to waive the delivery charges..make sure u get at least 1G ram..


the 'true life' screen is quite dim for my liking..in a very bright room it is difficult to read...and also it is very reflective..can see your reflected image..

regards

[mlkok]

If you tweak the M1210 and remove the bloatware, you can get up to 6 hours for the extended battery doing some office documents and surfing the web.

There's a freeware called PC-Decrapyfier that can help you do the removal. :D

[CS Chua]

BTW, I have never been able to get a consistent answer to one question I have. Everybody seems to have their own opinion.

Is it alright to use AC power all the time even though the battery is fully charged? I work on my notebook for hours at times so I usually leave the AC on all the time - even for days. Some answers I have received:

1. No, turn off the AC power when battery is fully charged. Use battery until it needs charging and then turn on AC power again.

2. Yes, this kind of battery is OK. You can use AC power all the time even if the battery is fully charged.

3. Yes, you can use the AC power but take off the battery when it is on AC power.

Sigh. Anyone got any other suggestion?

[mlkok]

Lemme ask you this. Are you using a notebook because you get to continue working in the case of a power failure or at least be able to save the data? Keep the battery plugged-in.
Is paying a few hundred ringgit in 3 years worth losing the data whenever there's a power failure?
Besides, I bet no one ever told you that removing and putting back the battery will corrode the contact. At that point you'll have send it into the shop.

[FineTuned]

Ya, I agree with mlkok. Basically, keeping the battery in while on AC power is like running a UPS.

In any case, my Dell notebook has a built in controller which stops the charging once the battery is fully charged. So there's no danger of overcharging the battery.

[CS Chua]

That is what I usually do. Just leave it plug in all the time. I guess I will continue to do that until proven otherwise.

[fcloh]

Lenovo of course.......for laptop, Pc desktop I will go for Dell...... :D