ThinkPad Edge 14 - Say No to Gloss!
This spring, I needed to change my laptop. My old friend Fujitsu-Siemens hardly pulled out the applications I needed and, besides, the evaluation version of Windows 7 expired, and I wanted to buy a laptop with the OEM version of Windows 7.
Since the Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 processor family has already appeared, I decided to buy a laptop on this platform. At first, my choice was on the Samsung R580 , but, after meeting in person, I was unsatisfied with its excessive glossiness. There were also rumors that he was very hot (I do not know if they are true).
Then I became interested in the ASUS K52-Jr. This laptop was no longer glossy, with a less powerful graphics card and much cheaper than Samsung. But all forums were full of messages about the squeak of throttles on the motherboard. There was absolutely no desire to put up with this, and this option was also noted.
I was thinking about Sony Vaio, about Toshiba, when suddenly a review of Think Pad Edge 14 appeared on Habré . After the first picture, I became interested in this laptop ... and now I became its owner. So, let's move on to the story.
Intel Core i5 430M
4GB DDR3
500GB HDD
ATI Radeon HD 5145 512MB
This is not a classic ThinkPad with an indestructible magnesium alloy casing. The case is made of plastic, but its advantageous difference from other budget laptops is that this plastic is matte. There is not a single glossy part in the case, and it’s great! The shape of the case also differs from the classic ThinkPads, but for me this shape turned out to be much more attractive (and I'm not alone, many of my friends highly appreciated the appearance of this notebook).
This good weighs 2.26 kg.
4 USB 2.0 (one of which is combined with eSata, and one is designed for charging mobile devices)
VGA
HDMI
Ethernet
DVD RW
It is matte!
I am not a specialist in matrix evaluation; the matrix suits me. In 14 and 15 inch models the resolution is the same - 1366x768. For some, it certainly proved to be insufficient, but for me - just right.
Reading foreign ThinkPad Edge reviews, I noticed that everyone considered it their duty to pay attention to the keyboard. This is not a classic ThinkPad keyboard that has many fans. Lenovo, obviously, decided to follow up on the mod and made a chicklet-keyboard (a la Apple or Sony Vaio), in which the keys are separated from each other by significant gaps. However, unlike most of these solutions, in which the buttons are completely flat, here they are concave and, as it seems to me, this adds convenience to typing (which is also said by foreign observers). Even an untrained user (for example, my girlfriend) this keyboard seems very convenient and attractive.
There are controversial points in it: the Fn key in place of Ctrl (changes in the BIOS settings) and the PgUp and PgDn cursor keys located in the block (due to the fact that they are recessed a little more than the rest of the keys, accidental clicks are excluded, and the layout itself seems logical )
This is the ThinkPad, so in the center of the keyboard we see the famous, sorry for the expression, “clitoris”, it is also “pimpochka”, “joystick”, etc. Officially, it is called a trackpoint and forms part of the UltraNav system, which also includes a touchpad. The touchpad, by the way, in this model is notable for its considerable size and supports many multitouch gestures. In fact, having a trackpoint and touchpad, the mouse is no longer needed in everyday operations.
This is Intel Core i5, baby. The most modern Intel platform, providing amazing performance (although after AMD Turion 64 it is amazing !!!) and low power consumption. Also, my model has a discrete ATI Radeon HD 5145 graphics card, which allows, for example, playing Dragon Age, but, unfortunately, it does not have the ability to switch to the Intel adapter integrated into the chipset (which would increase battery life).
In general, the Core i5 / ATI Radeon HD 5145/4 GB DDR3 bundle easily grinds any applications I need.
Many reviews claim that the Core i5 is barely warm. This is not so - when performing resource-intensive applications, the temperature of the air blown out of the cooler is quite high. For example, if you leave a cold cola opposite the left side of the laptop (where the holes for air outlet are located), the cola will stop being cold extremely quickly. Keep in mind. ))) Nevertheless, the air outlet is organized competently and hot air does not create discomfort during operation. The surface of the beech at hand also does not heat up to any unpleasant temperatures.
Fan noise is almost always present, but its volume is extremely low, and the noise itself is uniform, so very soon it stops attracting attention. There is no famous squeak of chokes in my beech (pah-pah-pah!) And, in general, I would call the noise level low.
I personally did not measure extreme values, I myself worked for two hours without reducing power / brightness and without turning off wi-fi. Reviews say that you can work in this mode for up to 3.5 hours. And the official information says that all 4. In any case, the battery in the kit is 6-cell, and the laptop platform is not the most energy-intensive. Although the older brother of the T410 works longer, I suspect that it is due to the integrated video card.
Windows 7 is preinstalled on the laptop, as well as a set of ThinkVantage utilities. It will tell a lot to sophisticated IBM drivers, but for the uninitiated it will be very convenient programs for managing power consumption, Internet access, updating drivers, etc.
Personally, I bought my laptop for 31,990 rubles. A less powerful beech with Core i3 and 2GB RAM (but at the same time with discrete graphics) can be bought for 25-26 thousand.
Behind:
Against:
I trudge on his appearance! ))) He is strict and, at the same time, stylish. Performance in production applications (Visual Studio 2008, SQL Server Management Studio 2008) completely satisfies me. And besides, more or less modern games also feel very cheerful (I haven’t played anything for five years, and then I decided to try Dragon Age - I was shocked!). Also, the 14-inch version is much more compact than my old 15-inch beech, and this can not but rejoice.
I am very happy with this purchase, comparing this beech in the store and those that I wanted to buy before it, all doubts about the choice were dispelled.
PS For a very long time I did not write long texts, sorry for the stylistic and other errors.
Since the Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 processor family has already appeared, I decided to buy a laptop on this platform. At first, my choice was on the Samsung R580 , but, after meeting in person, I was unsatisfied with its excessive glossiness. There were also rumors that he was very hot (I do not know if they are true).
Then I became interested in the ASUS K52-Jr. This laptop was no longer glossy, with a less powerful graphics card and much cheaper than Samsung. But all forums were full of messages about the squeak of throttles on the motherboard. There was absolutely no desire to put up with this, and this option was also noted.
I was thinking about Sony Vaio, about Toshiba, when suddenly a review of Think Pad Edge 14 appeared on Habré . After the first picture, I became interested in this laptop ... and now I became its owner. So, let's move on to the story.
Specifications
Intel Core i5 430M
4GB DDR3
500GB HDD
ATI Radeon HD 5145 512MB
Housing
This is not a classic ThinkPad with an indestructible magnesium alloy casing. The case is made of plastic, but its advantageous difference from other budget laptops is that this plastic is matte. There is not a single glossy part in the case, and it’s great! The shape of the case also differs from the classic ThinkPads, but for me this shape turned out to be much more attractive (and I'm not alone, many of my friends highly appreciated the appearance of this notebook).
This good weighs 2.26 kg.
Ports / Peripherals
4 USB 2.0 (one of which is combined with eSata, and one is designed for charging mobile devices)
VGA
HDMI
Ethernet
DVD RW
Display
It is matte!
I am not a specialist in matrix evaluation; the matrix suits me. In 14 and 15 inch models the resolution is the same - 1366x768. For some, it certainly proved to be insufficient, but for me - just right.
Keyboard
Reading foreign ThinkPad Edge reviews, I noticed that everyone considered it their duty to pay attention to the keyboard. This is not a classic ThinkPad keyboard that has many fans. Lenovo, obviously, decided to follow up on the mod and made a chicklet-keyboard (a la Apple or Sony Vaio), in which the keys are separated from each other by significant gaps. However, unlike most of these solutions, in which the buttons are completely flat, here they are concave and, as it seems to me, this adds convenience to typing (which is also said by foreign observers). Even an untrained user (for example, my girlfriend) this keyboard seems very convenient and attractive.
There are controversial points in it: the Fn key in place of Ctrl (changes in the BIOS settings) and the PgUp and PgDn cursor keys located in the block (due to the fact that they are recessed a little more than the rest of the keys, accidental clicks are excluded, and the layout itself seems logical )
Touchpad / trackpad
This is the ThinkPad, so in the center of the keyboard we see the famous, sorry for the expression, “clitoris”, it is also “pimpochka”, “joystick”, etc. Officially, it is called a trackpoint and forms part of the UltraNav system, which also includes a touchpad. The touchpad, by the way, in this model is notable for its considerable size and supports many multitouch gestures. In fact, having a trackpoint and touchpad, the mouse is no longer needed in everyday operations.
Iron
This is Intel Core i5, baby. The most modern Intel platform, providing amazing performance (although after AMD Turion 64 it is amazing !!!) and low power consumption. Also, my model has a discrete ATI Radeon HD 5145 graphics card, which allows, for example, playing Dragon Age, but, unfortunately, it does not have the ability to switch to the Intel adapter integrated into the chipset (which would increase battery life).
In general, the Core i5 / ATI Radeon HD 5145/4 GB DDR3 bundle easily grinds any applications I need.
Heat / Noise
Many reviews claim that the Core i5 is barely warm. This is not so - when performing resource-intensive applications, the temperature of the air blown out of the cooler is quite high. For example, if you leave a cold cola opposite the left side of the laptop (where the holes for air outlet are located), the cola will stop being cold extremely quickly. Keep in mind. ))) Nevertheless, the air outlet is organized competently and hot air does not create discomfort during operation. The surface of the beech at hand also does not heat up to any unpleasant temperatures.
Fan noise is almost always present, but its volume is extremely low, and the noise itself is uniform, so very soon it stops attracting attention. There is no famous squeak of chokes in my beech (pah-pah-pah!) And, in general, I would call the noise level low.
Offline work
I personally did not measure extreme values, I myself worked for two hours without reducing power / brightness and without turning off wi-fi. Reviews say that you can work in this mode for up to 3.5 hours. And the official information says that all 4. In any case, the battery in the kit is 6-cell, and the laptop platform is not the most energy-intensive. Although the older brother of the T410 works longer, I suspect that it is due to the integrated video card.
Software
Windows 7 is preinstalled on the laptop, as well as a set of ThinkVantage utilities. It will tell a lot to sophisticated IBM drivers, but for the uninitiated it will be very convenient programs for managing power consumption, Internet access, updating drivers, etc.
Price
Personally, I bought my laptop for 31,990 rubles. A less powerful beech with Core i3 and 2GB RAM (but at the same time with discrete graphics) can be bought for 25-26 thousand.
Verdict
Behind:
- matte body
- matte display
- powerful processor
- discrete video
- comfortable keyboard
- attractive appearance
Against:
- resolution
- keyboard (Fn and Ctrl, Insert / Delete / Home / End)
- the inability to work with an integrated graphics card
Personal impressions
I trudge on his appearance! ))) He is strict and, at the same time, stylish. Performance in production applications (Visual Studio 2008, SQL Server Management Studio 2008) completely satisfies me. And besides, more or less modern games also feel very cheerful (I haven’t played anything for five years, and then I decided to try Dragon Age - I was shocked!). Also, the 14-inch version is much more compact than my old 15-inch beech, and this can not but rejoice.
I am very happy with this purchase, comparing this beech in the store and those that I wanted to buy before it, all doubts about the choice were dispelled.
PS For a very long time I did not write long texts, sorry for the stylistic and other errors.