A Lenovo or Toshiba?

gobarca

New Member
I have the option of purchasing between these two laptops but I am not sure which one? I will be using it mostly for school. Thanks!

Lenovo G500 - $500


Screen Size 15.6 inches
Max Screen Resolution 1366 x 768 pixels
Processor 2.6 GHz Core i5 3230M
RAM 4 GB DDR3
Hard Drive 500 GB SATA
Graphics Coprocessor Intel HD 4000 Graphics
Wireless Type 802.11bgn
Number of USB 2.0 Ports 1
Number of USB 3.0 Ports 2
Average Battery Life (in hours) 5 hours
Expand
Other Technical Details
Brand Name Lenovo
Series Lenovo
Item model number 59373039
Hardware Platform PC
Operating System Windows 8
Item Weight 5.7 pounds
Item Dimensions L x W x H 14.80 x 9.84 x 1.34 inches
Color Black
Processor Brand Intel
Processor Count 1
Hard Drive Rotational Speed 5400 RPM
Optical Drive Type DVDRW
Batteries: 1 Lithium ion batteries required.

Toshiba Satellite L55-A5284NR - $550

Summary
Screen Size 15.6 inches
Screen Resolution 1366 x 768
Max Screen Resolution 1366x768 pixels
Processor 1.8 GHz Core i5 3337U
RAM 8 GB DIMM
Memory Speed 1600 MHz
Hard Drive 750 GB SATA
Graphics Coprocessor Mobile Intel® HD graphics
Wireless Type 802.11bgn
Number of USB 2.0 Ports 1
Number of USB 3.0 Ports 2
Expand
Other Technical Details
Brand Name Toshiba
Series Toshiba Satellite L55-A5284NR
Item model number PSKLAU-00H015
Hardware Platform PC
Operating System Windows 8
Item Weight 5.4 pounds
Item Dimensions L x W x H 9.60 x 1.13 x 14.87 inches
Color Mercury Silver in Fusion? Horizon
Processor Brand Intel
Processor Count 2
Computer Memory Type DDR3 SDRAM
Hard Drive Interface Ultra2 Wide SCSI
Hard Drive Rotational Speed 5400 RPM
Optical Drive Type DVD SuperMulti drive supporting 11 formats
Audio-out Ports (#) 1
Battery Type Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion)
Batteries: 1 Lithium ion batteries required. (included)
 

demonikal

New Member
I have the option of purchasing between these two laptops but I am not sure which one? I will be using it mostly for school. Thanks!

Lenovo G500 - $500


Screen Size 15.6 inches
Max Screen Resolution 1366 x 768 pixels
Processor 2.6 GHz Core i5 3230M
RAM 4 GB DDR3
Hard Drive 500 GB SATA
Graphics Coprocessor Intel HD 4000 Graphics
Wireless Type 802.11bgn
Number of USB 2.0 Ports 1
Number of USB 3.0 Ports 2
Average Battery Life (in hours) 5 hours
Expand
Other Technical Details
Brand Name Lenovo
Series Lenovo
Item model number 59373039
Hardware Platform PC
Operating System Windows 8
Item Weight 5.7 pounds
Item Dimensions L x W x H 14.80 x 9.84 x 1.34 inches
Color Black
Processor Brand Intel
Processor Count 1
Hard Drive Rotational Speed 5400 RPM
Optical Drive Type DVDRW
Batteries: 1 Lithium ion batteries required.

Toshiba Satellite L55-A5284NR - $550

Summary
Screen Size 15.6 inches
Screen Resolution 1366 x 768
Max Screen Resolution 1366x768 pixels
Processor 1.8 GHz Core i5 3337U
RAM 8 GB DIMM
Memory Speed 1600 MHz
Hard Drive 750 GB SATA
Graphics Coprocessor Mobile Intel® HD graphics
Wireless Type 802.11bgn
Number of USB 2.0 Ports 1
Number of USB 3.0 Ports 2
Expand
Other Technical Details
Brand Name Toshiba
Series Toshiba Satellite L55-A5284NR
Item model number PSKLAU-00H015
Hardware Platform PC
Operating System Windows 8
Item Weight 5.4 pounds
Item Dimensions L x W x H 9.60 x 1.13 x 14.87 inches
Color Mercury Silver in Fusion? Horizon
Processor Brand Intel
Processor Count 2
Computer Memory Type DDR3 SDRAM
Hard Drive Interface Ultra2 Wide SCSI
Hard Drive Rotational Speed 5400 RPM
Optical Drive Type DVD SuperMulti drive supporting 11 formats
Audio-out Ports (#) 1
Battery Type Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion)
Batteries: 1 Lithium ion batteries required. (included)

Hey gobarca. If no one replies, since I don't really have a definitive answer for you, try coming up with what kind of specs you truly need for school. For instance, if you have a laptop or desktop now, how do these two laptops' specifications compare to it. More examples: Do you think you'll really need the extra 250GB of space? Do you think you need the faster processor? It's good that you've narrowed down your search to just 2 laptops, but weigh the pro's and con's of having/not having the extras. The two seem to be fairly similar. Personally, I've never owned either manufacturer, but give everyone a better idea of what you need and maybe you'll get more answers. Hope this helps.
 

gobarca

New Member
Thanks demonikal for the advice. Basically I just need a good laptop that will last me the next 3-4 years. I didn't know if anyone knew if the Lenovo G500 was more durable than Toshiba Satellite or not. Also, I want a computer that will be fast and not crap out on me. I had a compaq that took about half an hour to actually do anything which was extremely frustrating. That why I am choosing to upgrade to an icore 5. I did not know however if the 3rd gen icore was better than the 2nd gen icore on the Lenovo. I know the 2nd gen is faster but I don't know much about processors. I also noticed that the toshiba has 8gb Ram compared to the 4 on the Lenovo and didn't know if that made a huge difference. Thanks everybody!
 

demonikal

New Member
Thanks demonikal for the advice. Basically I just need a good laptop that will last me the next 3-4 years. I didn't know if anyone knew if the Lenovo G500 was more durable than Toshiba Satellite or not. Also, I want a computer that will be fast and not crap out on me. I had a compaq that took about half an hour to actually do anything which was extremely frustrating. That why I am choosing to upgrade to an icore 5. I did not know however if the 3rd gen icore was better than the 2nd gen icore on the Lenovo. I know the 2nd gen is faster but I don't know much about processors. I also noticed that the toshiba has 8gb Ram compared to the 4 on the Lenovo and didn't know if that made a huge difference. Thanks everybody!

My desktop PC has 16 gigs of RAM. And I realized later that I totally should have stopped at 4-6 gigs. I didn't even notice much of a difference after that, but that's just me and it was built from new parts made around 2010, so today's stuff is different. My Dell XPS has a Core i5, but I don't even know if what gen it is. I was paying more attention to the fact that I could carry it around with one hand if I wanted. Whatever you do, IMO, just don't settle with a Dell. They're over-priced if you buy them new. By the way, people are totally knocking Windows 8, but a lot of it isn't that bad. I installed it on my mom's laptop and it takes about two weeks of continual use to really get used to. It's a big change and it's frustrating in the beginning. Also, Win 8 Pro does not come with a starter edition of MS Office. So, if you have a backup office disc, make sure you keep it and install it after you get your laptop. Secondly, never lose your product key. And there is a program called Start8 that you can buy for $5 if you really truly hate the Windows 8 desktop. It can put a normal start button in the lower left hand corner of the screen just like Win 7. Just give it a chance though. It is definitely frustrating, but the amount of overhead and processing power that Win 8 seems to use compared to Win 7 is far, far less...even battery consumption.
 

daisymtc

Active Member
CPU speed - Lenovo is faster

If you think you don't have enough RAM, You can easily upgrade yourself within $50.

I can't really comment on quality, brand wise both are OK. However, each brand has entry range and expensive range. You don't expect much on a $500 machine.
 
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DMGrier

VIP Member
I would personally go with with Lenovo since I have always heard good things about the quality of them, plus personally I just think they look more slick.
 

spynoodle

Active Member
I would be a little weary of Lenovo. From what I've seen, the lower-end Lenovos are actually pretty crappy. I think that the Thinkpads are still IBM-ish quality, but an organization in my area recently bought about ten low-end Lenovo Ideapads, and all of the laptops' screen assemblies have this awful cheap flex to them. I've seen a bit of a mixed bag with the Toshibas, but for the most part their mid-range Intel laptops seem pretty solid. Both laptops will give you more than enough computing power for any student-related task you could require, so that's not a concern.
 
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