Need to spend 1500$ on a laptop...

[sweatshopking]

I have a buddy at college, who has a grant to buy a new laptop. he has between 1500-2000 CAD to spend, and what he doesn't spend, he loses. Any suggestions on a reliable thin and light system, with excellent battery life? thinking possibly lenovo, but any other ideas? He's not looking for a mac, as he'd rather get a different system. Call it what you will. He's in Canada, so the system would have be available here. have to be 2k, taxes in.

thanks bros!

[codedivine]

What is the usage? Gaming? General school stuff? If gaming is not a priority, then you can also consider Toshiba Portege R830. Premium build quality, sandy bridge processors, and should have decent battery life.

[codedivine]

And well Lenovo X220 is a great system too. Options include IPS screen, 9-cell battery or even an external battery slice and all with sandy bridges.

[sweatshopking]

no gaming at all, apparently. he has MS, so his motor control skills aren't super. Just productivity. i'll check those 2 out,thanks CD

[ludi]

He has MS, so his motor control skills aren't super.

In that case, the keyboard could be a deal maker/breaker. Any way he can demo two or three units that are the same or similar to one he might buy?

[rohan5039]

yeah good people, If you want to buy a laptop or desktop for gaming use then you should buy a ASUS syestem, because they give the best usage of graphics and speed for high end games like EA games or like some kinda arcade games Dirt 2, Dirt 3 thanks

[LoneWolf15]

My Thinkpad T420 has been stellar. As much as I like Dell's Latitude line, the newest E6420 doesn't compare; its larger, heavier, and not as ergonomic. Lenovo also wins on keyboard; no-one tops a Thinkpad for that.

Always get onsite service with Lenovo though. There have been horror stories on the Notebookreview forums about some of the mail-in experiences.

[flip-mode]

Check out the Dell and HP mobile workstations. I've always been pleased with the quality, features, options, and performance of the Dell Precision laptops.

[BlackStar]

Thinkpad T420 is awesome and not too costly. Pick that and a 120GB SSD and it will last him half a decade. Make sure to pick the 1600x900 screen, it's much better for productivity.

Thikpad X220 is another great choice, if he values mobility. Pick the IPS monitor (just $50 more!) add a SSD and it's a small powerhouse you can bring with you everywhere.

The new i3-powered HP dm1z is another choice for something less costly. Great keyboard! (I'm typing on it right now).

Finally, if he doesn't need windows, a Macbook or Macbook Air may be a good choice.

[LoneWolf15]

Even better with the Thinkpad T420, you don't have to choose between SSD or storage. I have an mSATA SSD for boot, and a 500GB Scorpio Black for storage. And I still get to keep the optical drive.

EDIT: Dealigg has Lenovo's current promo codes so you can fit more features in for that price.