So, which Fusion laptop?

ET3D · 03-02-2011, 10:27 AM

I've waited for the Brazos APU's to come out, and while I'm still a little disappointed with their performance, I really want a replacement for my old (and not fully functioning) Fujitsu P1510D, and the AMD APU's look like the best bang for the buck in the ultraportable arena.

I'll be able to get a new laptop from the US in about 2 months time. I almost got an Acer AO522 from Canada last month, but unfortunately the store didn't accept my foreign credit card. I do have a 4GB sodimm I bought for it (since that store did accept my card).

Anyway, the current choices I'm entertaining are the Acer 522 and the Lenovo X120e. The Acer costs $330 at Amazon.com, the Lenovo $440 at the Lenovo store (after coupon) with an E-350 and 6 cell battery.

Advantages of the Acer: smaller, weighs less, less costly.

Advantages of the Lenovo: faster APU, slightly higher res display (and non-glossy), trackpoint (I like these better than touchpads), easier to upgrade, more RAM (6GB vs. 4GB with the 4GB stick I have).

What would you suggest? Both will be a step down from the P1510D in terms of size/weight and functionality, but I don't think there's anything really good that's smaller.

Feel free to suggest alternatives (including those coming out in the near future). Size and weight are the important criteria. For example, the HP dm1z is larger and heavier than the Lenovo, so it's a worse choice for me.

BTW, only reason I'm itching to buy now is the Lenovo coupon. After all, the laptop will languish in the US for a couple of months until it's brought here. And I'll probably feel really sorry if Llano based laptops of this form factor appear over the next 2 months.

fisshy · 03-02-2011, 05:04 PM

+1
For the Lenovo X120e

Sure it's more expensive but if you can afford it then go for the best.
Another major point for me is the non glossy screen. Easily worth the extra money in my opinion.

It's your choice. I'm sure llano will be impressive, if you are prepared to the wait. It really boils down to the functionality you need. IF you are using it on the run or for powerpoint presentations etc then the Lenovo X120e would be a good choice, but if you're into gaming, Heavy photo Manips or a lot of encoding then a Llano based system would probably be worth the wait.

ET3D · 03-02-2011, 08:46 PM

You're right. The only reason I want a Llano system is because I'm a computer geek.

The Fujitsu served me well over the years. I used to commute on a bus or with someone else driving, and I traveled abroad often in the past, and I wrote fiction on it, programmed on it, played games on it (far as I could). Wasn't much fun due to its limitations, and I would have loved something more powerful at the same size. I never bought a netbook because they were just as weak or weaker, weighed more and were worse in most or all ways. I was waiting for something better to come along.

These days I work from home and travel very little. I've been using my Fujitsu (until its keyboard shorted) to browse the web while I'm watching over the kids or play some Trackmania when I'm away from home with some time to kill. So while I'd love to have a great all around mini laptop, realistically I don't need it. An E-350 or even C-50 would be good enough for web browsing and even playing some games more demanding than Trackmania (not that there's anything bad with Trackmania). I do want to be able to do some work on it (programming) when away from home, but I think it'd be enough for that, too, even if less fun than running on a fast CPU.

I ended up ordering the Lenovo with a 3 cell battery. I decided to go with 3 cell because for my current use I don't need long battery life, and the Lenovo with the 3 cell weighs little more than the Acer with 6 cell and isn't much bigger (the 6 cell adds weight and size). If I ever need a larger battery, I could order one.

I paid $430 after tax. A pity I missed the no-OS offer that was available a week or two ago and dropped the cost by about $100, since I have a spare copy of Windows 7 I could use. Still I think it's a decent price, about 1/4 what I paid for the Fujitsu.

Mac Daddy · 03-03-2011, 01:42 AM

I think it is a good deal as well Bro

On the Lenovo only AMD can tell.

fisshy · 03-03-2011, 02:48 PM

Enjoy! Don't forget to post up some pics and your thoughts on the system here!

ET3D · 03-03-2011, 03:48 PM

Will do. But I'll only get it in May, so don't expect anything soon.

ET3D · 03-08-2011, 05:59 PM

The Thinkpad shipped ahead of schedule, but unfortunately that won't help me get it any sooner.

fisshy · 03-08-2011, 06:32 PM

^ Customs?

ET3D · 03-09-2011, 03:30 AM

I mentioned before that I'm ordering it to the US, and then having it brought here to Israel. The date it will be brought here won't change so it'd just sit in the US longer.

ET3D · 03-09-2011, 07:49 AM

By the way, the laptop is shipping from China, which makes it feel even sillier that I have to order it to the US, instead of having it shipped directly here. I wish there was a global Lenovo store, where everything will be priced the same for all countries, with just added local tax, and sent directly anywhere.

I realise that products are often localised and that they need to pass different regulations in different places, but it doesn't feel as if it's such a huge hurdle. At least as far as localisation is concerned the X100e is sold here which probably has the same keyboard, and personally I don't mind just having a US keyboard.