laptop purchasing advice

[caspofungin]

guys, it's been a while. i need some advice on a potential laptop purchase, hopefully someone can give some info.

the field has been narrowed to the asus u46 and thinkpad t420 -- fairly similar specs, apart from the graphics cards (nvs4200m vs gt540m), the asus comes out slowly cheaper. i'm using them for work and light gaming (no crysis 2 or anything similar but hopefully some sh4!!).

my big question and the deciding factor relates to build quality and durability -- both manufacturers are known for solid build quality. a couple of family members have had thinkpads w/ no problems, i have an old asus f6 where the only issue is the battery (my own fault, poor management).

any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated

[Arclight]

Hard to get any clear info on these things, but my impression is;

1. Gt540m definitely holds the advantage in gaming.
2. Lenovo generally scores high marks on ergonomics and apparently the t420 is a solid performer for general computing.

Don't think you really need a gt540m for SH4 though; it supposedly runs current games on medium-high settings at 1360x768. SH4 isn't all that demanding. Still, if you plan on doing any gaming at all it's nice to have a half-decent chip powering it.


Basically, I'd say grab the Lenovo for business or the Asus for gaming. You'll have to decide yourself where your priority lies. ;)

[CaptainHaplo]

We use T410's and 420's. As the IT guy for the region - I got the 420 before anyone else.

Its a good business machine - but have never tried gaming on it. For "light" gaming you should be fine with a 420 - but how much are you going to lug it around?

The 410/420 series has an issue where if you shut the lid (and not have it set to sleep/power off) it can press the del key. Have had a few execs delete stuff by accident due to this. Also - the fan on the series is a bit flaky, as is the touchpad.

I can't recommend it given its current pricing. Sorry.

[caspofungin]

thanks v much for the input guys