Help with purchase, New Edge or Refurb Tablet

[SIYCHRIST]

Hello

Im on a budget, around £350, and was looking at the Edge 15 NVLGSUK, for £330 after cashback.

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Lenovo%5 ... p?PID=1755

Specs include Intel Celeron Dual Core (P4600, 1.86GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2MB Cache), Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit, RAM 2GB, Hard Drive 320GB. Extra 3 yrs warrenty for another £60 if i wanted.

Also the Edge 15 NVN2QUK,

http://tier1online.com/Product/5356-NVN ... 56_TFT.htm

With AMD Athlon II P320 / 2.1 GHz instead of Celeron

On the other hand, I could get a refurb X61 or X60 for around 300-320, and pick up an external optical drive

http://tier1online.com/Product/5356-776 ... 762W2E.htm
http://tier1online.com/Product/5356-636 ... FT_102.htm

Im just a bit sceptical of refurb as Ive just had a bad experience with buying a refurb R60e. It kept freezing just weeks after i bought it from a reputable business seller on ebay. It had to go back in the end and I got a refund thankfully.

I guess Im wondering if the inclusion of Intel Core 2 Duo in the refurbs would offer better performance than either the Celeron or the Athlon in the new Edge models. Also I have no experience of Windows 7 or Vista Business. Im looking for a laptop to keep me going for the next 12-18 months as my business starts out. Personally, I much prefer the look of the older models, the new Edge just isnt quite a Thinkpad for me. But Im a sucker for all things Thinkpad after my trusty R50e kept on going for years, and I read the keypad on the Edge are a joy to use.

Any advice would be much welcome

Thanks in advance

[SIYCHRIST]

Alternatively, there is the Edge 15 NVLDFUK that comes with Intel Core i3 ( 350M ) 2.26 GHz and Optical Drive, but I cant afford extended warranty

http://www.kikatek.com/product_info.php ... 4183#specs


On the other hand, Ive been looking at a refurb T60 with everything I need for under £300, seems like a good deal for the money, including 6 months warranty from Tier1

http://tier1online.com/Product/T1*23000 ... 951WY6.htm

They also have a better grade T61 all in for £379 incl 12 months warranty

http://tier1online.com/Product/5356-765 ... 0_WXGA.htm

[j-dawg]

The common consensus from people who are not Thinkpad fanatics is that, while the Edge is no traditional Thinkpad, it's still generally a cut above the typical big-box Asus or HP in terms of build quality. We complain of degrading quality and dilution of the Thinkpad line, but most consumer-grade laptops are cheap, squeaky things that aren't designed to last longer than the factory warranty.

I prefer the more traditional Thinkpad lines because I don't buy new computers often and I don't mind doing a bit of surgery when necessary - I have other computers I can use while I wait, and I rather spend the money on a used Thinkpad and parts than buy a new Compaq or whatever the kids are calling it these days. But if, in case of a failure, you're not willing or able to wait for parts and time for repair, you'd probably be better off buying a new laptop; this is probably your situation if you're using the computer for business. The Edge doesn't seem like a terrible computer, so it would get my nod.

Regarding Vista/7, either is an improvement over XP. Vista obviously got a lot of flak on its introduction; given the right drivers (equipped on every computer now) and the resources to handle it (RAM is cheap), Vista is a more modern and secure operating system than was XP, 2000, or anything before them. 7 is obviously an improvement on that as well, but I haven't found it worth the $30 (lucky students, eh?) to upgrade.

[sir_synthsalot]

With new you do get new hardware, new OS, warranty, and of course much better cosmetic condition. Only if having a true Thinkpad was more important than those factors I would considering buying refurb.