Some of you may require a laptop, while others prefer a 2 in 1 laptop/tablet. You might prefer a mini desktop to fit into your cramped university accommodations. As such, we've ranked some great Computers from Lenovo based on performance, price, and portability.
Thinkpad T460 ($935)
Coming in first on our list is Lenovo's Thinkpad T460. It's the standard for their Ultrabook line, and offers tons of productivity packed in a 14" laptop. It's got variations like the T460p and T460s, but these largely have unnecessary added luxuries that bump up the price and drain your battery life. The T460s, for example, is slightly thinner and lighter but this is insignificant for the $100 jump in price. A 14" laptop isn't going to break your back. If you're looking to spend that extra money, you might as well just upgrade the RAM or the hard drive in the regular model. It'll give you more bang for your buck.
The recommended $935 version comes equipped with Windows 10, an Intel i5 2.8 GHz processor, 500GB HDD, and 8 GB RAM.
Ideapad 310 Touch 15'' at $479
Next on our list is the Lenovo's Ideapad 310. It's a considerable drop in price, and maintains pretty stellar performance at that. The main difference here is the switch in processing power and hard drive build quality. The Thinkpad's hard drive and processor are higher quality, but the ones present in this model are still commonly used and incredibly reliable. I'd definitely recommend this Ideapad if you're primarily using your laptop for note taking and word processing, with mild internet use. There's a model at $349 with an i3 processor and 4 GB RAM, but I'd still recommend the bump in RAM and upgrade to the i5. Savings are important, but so is performance. You'll want this laptop to last, and some higher-grade hardware will guarantee a solid investment in future performance.
This 15'' Laptop includes a touch screen, i5 2.3 GHz processor, 500 GB HDD, and 8 GB RAM.
Thinkcentre Small Form Factor Desktop at $575
You'll lose your portability factor if you choose to go with this desktop, but you'll save a couple hundred dollars on similarly performing laptops. The ThinkCentre SFF is a small desktop that can be portable if you needed to move it. It'll fit well into cramped college spaces, and deliver a bit more than it's portable counterparts can offer.
This compact desktop boasts an i5 3.3 GHz Processor, 8 GB RAM, and a 1 TB hard drive.
Lenovo ThinkPad 13 for $836
Although smaller than the previously mentioned laptops, this Thinkpad is still among the top rated and most durable for professionals and students. It's offered in the $700 range, but I'd recommend upgrading to an i5 processor. i3 processors still perform well, but it's like I said with the IdeaPad: if you want this investment to last, you should at least be going with an i5. A 256 GB SSD means you're sacrificing storage space compared to the other computers on this list, but things run smoother and faster on SSD drives. A simple example: it takes your computer 30 seconds to a minute to boot up with a standard hard drive. With an SSD, it might take 8. SSDs are still developing, and that's why they run a bit more expensive. But if you purchase this instead of the #1 recommendation, for example, you could use some of the money you save and put it toward an external hard drive to keep all your important files on. With purchase of this laptop, you make sacrifices in some areas while you gain in others.
Our recommended version of the Lenovo Thinkpad 13 comes in at $836 with 256 SSD, 4GB RAM, and an i5 2.8 GHz processor.
Yoga 11'' at $549
If true tablet flexibility is what you want, you should choose the Lenovo Yoga 11". Make sure to choose the $549 version; it's got twice the storage and an upgraded processor for just $100 more. That's entirely worth the jump, considering the cheaper version runs on a Pentium processor – a rather low-performance chip. The upgraded model still doesn't have the processing power of the others, but you've got flexibility and convenience that comes with a tablet. If that capability necessary or advantageous to your lifestyle and study habits, then this is a great buy for you.
The Yoga features an 11.6'' screen, 4GB ram, a 256 SSD, and an Intel Core 900 MHz processor.
ThinkPad 11e at 445.55
If you're looking for a rugged, no-nonsense, bare-bones laptop, you should consider the Lenovo Thinkpad 11e. It's built to endure a lot more abuse than the other recommended laptops. If you're an active individual that takes your computer with you everywhere you go, and you don't require much performance from your laptop, this is a great option.
The ThinkPad 11e comes in at $445 and features an 11'' Screen, Intel Celeron 2.08 GHz processor 128 GB SSD, and 4 GB RAM.
OPTIONS FOR GAMERS
If you're a serious gamer, then added performance is worth some extra cash. Lenovo's got a lot of options for you to choose from but I've checked them all out and narrowed it down.
First thing's first – don't get anything from the the Erazer series. If you want to seriously game, it's advisable to have at least 12 GB DDR3 Memory. None of the models provide anything higher than 8 GB. There are other reasons why I wouldn't recommend the Erazer series, that's not the focus of this article.
If you're looking for a good gaming desktop, The Y Series offers the performance that you're looking for. I wanted to recommend upgrading and M series and buying a video card after market to save some cash, but as I tried to customize it with comparable specs, this method rendred a computer at exactly the same price (I also considered beefing up the Ideacentre 700, but it's sold out, and would have run into the same issue). If you want gaming performance, save yourself the hassle and grab the
Ideacentre Y700. With its Nvidia 8GB dedicated graphics card along with all its other great hardware, your games will effortlessly play at their optimum performance. This desktop comes in at $1349.99.
If you're looking in the way of laptops, the
IdeaPad Y700 is the way to go. The 15 inch is what I would recommend; it's capable of the same specs as its 17" counterpart. Plus, 17” laptops begin to get a little chunky to carry around, and so your portability factor suffers. Make sure to upgrade to a 4gb dedicated graphics card and 1TB HDD + 128 GB SSD storage, and your total price comes in at $1143, with remarkably similar specs to the Y-series desktop. It's true you'll lose out on some RAM compared to the desktop, but you can upgrade to 12GB RAM to cover your bases. If you want, you could spend another 150 to get a total of 16 GB ram and an i7 processor. That would put the Y700 IdeaPad in serious contention with its desktop counterpart and still come in less expensive. Your graphics card isn't as powerful, but you've covered your losses with an increase in processing power and more overall RAM. If a gaming computer is what you're looking for, I'd recommend the IdeaPad slightly over the IdeaCentre.
Those are our top recommendations, but be sure to browse all that Lenovo has to offer. In addition to the selections we've mentioned here, Lenovo has some
great deals on computers you chould check out. They've got a bunch of computers, and many with customizable options so you can get the exact performance and price bracket that you're looking for. Prepare yourself for the new school year with a computer that can handle all your specific needs!
Verified
