Ho Ho Ho!

Laptops of this caliber go for way less at other places. I bought a Sony Vaio Core i5 with a 650GB HDD, 4GB, Blue-ray RW, better keyboard layout for $730 a YEAR ago. I was expecting to see SSD when i read the review, this is a complete ripoff. Sorry.

Actually, the name ThinkPad did come on the first try, Mr. Woot writer. IBM's motto is Think, and the first notebook after the coolly named PS/2 Model 57 SLC (I have one of these in my desk) was a tablet - so they named it the ThinkPad 710T, and it was joined by the clamshell ThinkPad 700.

I agree this is a bit overpriced, but for the guy comparing it to Sony - it is a ThinkPad after all.

agree, a total ripoff. I just saw on newegg a pretty nice gaming laptop with gt645m for 699$... thats 4-5 times better than what u get with this laptop. And even that laptop wasnt enough of a deal for me!

you can get an L530 with a 500GBHD for less....directly from Lenovo.

Why are all the laptops nowadays equipped with an LCD resolution from the 90's? This screen is barely better than the 1024x768 I had in 1998.

Why are ThinkPads always so ugly and bulky?

I just bought a Lenovo IdeaPad y580 directly from Lenovo with:

1TB memory
Better video card
i7 processor
19x1080 screen
8 GB RAM
Blu Ray

For 869

What I am trying to say, is that there are probably better deals out there, but the computer I got is fantastic, and I would reccomend it

Thinkpads when bought new are very expensive.

Used thinkpads, however, are very good and can go for cheap.

I hate to jump on the bashing bandwagon here but this is really NOT a good deal. To keep this comment from being pruned for linking to another site let's just say that a certain site that deals primarily in tech systems and parts has an IBM ideapad that beats the pants off this thing for 629 shipped. Same speed CPU, 6GB Ram, 500GB HDD, Nvidia (way better) graphics. I love woot but they should not be proud of this deal at all.

15.6" LED-backlit high-definition widescreen display with 1366x768 resolution [ ... ]

AAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!

There was a T410 the other day with a 14" screen and 1440x900 resolution.

Seriously, the guy who organized this 1366x768 thing needs to be hunted down like a rabid dog.

I agree, I like Lenovo and just got my wife one. But this one isn't any special deal, I'd say average at best.

This deal is very bad fellas.

Here's another Lenovo for 700$ and practically kills it in every segment.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-+IdeaPad+15.6%26%2334%3B+Laptop+-+8GB+Memory+-+1TB+Hard+Drive+-+Graphite+Gray/6747396.p?id=1218792108689&skuId=6747396

Deal Fail Friday

After building a replica ThinkPad L530 (one model newer) on the official Lenovo page, here's what you can get:

-Higher resolution LED screen (1600x900)
-500GB Hard Drive
$861.90 shipped

The ThinkPad series is a specific niche for professionals, and this line is specifically made to be "green" for the environment and be cool and durable. Comparing it to other laptops isn't completely fair, but this still isn't the best deal you could find either.

ThunderThighs wrote:They're built for corporate/business use which means tons of use and carting around. They're built to be durable.

I want to confirm the durability of Thinkpads. I retired from the computer business after 42 years and it seems like I used Thinkpads from day one, traveling and teaching computer classes. I'm typing my personal machine now - a T410. This L520 is a very good value for the price. I want it and I looked for a long time, but it's just a bit out of reach of my retirement income. In my experience, Thinkpad's are as durable as Timex watches and my current Thinkpad is doing fine. *sigh*

Not the greatest price, but OK. These are extremely durable business class notebooks, and should not be compared spec by spec to regular consumer class books. So please, stop comparing them to ideapads.

You can go to Lenovo website get an i7 L530 same specs or better for 535.00 just saying....only if you like IBM

What a clunky outdated looking machine. Specs are terrible for the price as well. This thing should be sub-$500.

doctorgonzosghost wrote:Not the greatest price, but OK. These are extremely durable business class notebooks, and should not be compared spec by spec to regular consumer class books. So please, stop comparing them to ideapads.

Agreed. I have been using Thinkpads for the last 8 years, carrying them home and/or on the road daily. Previously an IBM brand with Lenovo as the OEM, then IBM sold the brand to Lenovo, who is still making the same excellent machines. Spec for spec, these will not compare on price to a consumer grade machine. But if you get one, it will very likely outperform such a machine in durability, because they are built like a tank. They are a little heavy, too, but again, it's not designed to be ultralight. I guess you could say it's an International Business Machine, or at least it was (sorry).

doctorgonzosghost wrote:Not the greatest price, but OK. These are extremely durable business class notebooks, and should not be compared spec by spec to regular consumer class books. So please, stop comparing them to ideapads.

THIS!!!

It never fails on Woot though, anytime a business-class machine is posted people compare them price-wise to consumer-class machines and declare them a bad deal.

Next time they go get a coffee, they should complain to their coffee shop as to why they paid so much for their coffee makers when Wally world sells them for $20.

I have been in IT for 15 plus years now and during that time have used almost every major PC manufacturer out there. The Lenovo Thinkpad line is not designed to play WOW or watch movies on, although it will certainly do both. What it is designed to do is withstand the rigors of business travel and the constant use required of a heavy user. these have metal frames surrounding the entire device so a drop from your desk isnt even going to phase it. There are buikt in protections for your HD to save it from being banged around. I have seen these fall from the roof of a moving car, slide across the road and bang into the curb and then boot right up as if nothing had happened. Your sexy, shiny, gaming rig is not going to do that. So yes, they're ugly and expensive but they are top notch in terms of durability. These can't even be considered in the same discussion as consumer grade laptops. Even the Lenovo Idea Pad is a consumer grade and shouldn't be used as a comparison.

1. Thinkpads rock. They just feel great, are so well built, and so easy to get inside and upgrade.

2. The 'nub' kicks ass. It is the next best thing to Apple's unmatched multitouch, once you get to know how to use it. I've actually come to prefer it.

3. They are very, very linux friendly. Expect everything to work out of the box.

4. This deal stinks. If you want a ThinkPad, you can get some killer ones for a couple hundred all day long. The thing is, they are durable, so there are many, many survivors from any generation to choose from. A Core2Duo will do business tasks just as well as this. I got a highly portable X61 with 4GB and 500GB for $200 the other day.

5. What gets me on this: why can't you go to 16GB RAM?? I find that very surprising. My 2008 or so X61 maxes out at 8GB. 8GB is still a lot of RAM, but for future expandability or real power processing such as video editing, it's an odd oversight.

Totally agree - not a deal. I picked up a L512 with nearly identical stats for $200 on ebay. Sure, I had to boost the RAM - that cost $35 to move to 8Gb. Nothing to see here, move along.

Lenovo rules!

My office recently made the switch from Dell to Lenovo, best decision we've made in a while. The Dells we had been using were plasticy, flimsy, and just couldn't handle the constant abuse they saw in a real mobile environment. What people do with laptops that they own is far different from what people do to laptops that the company owns. I think Lenovo understands that, and they really capitalized on it. They make great machines; they're well-built, use solid parts, and if something goes wrong they have an amazing 3 year warranty.

While I'm not 100% sure that this is the best deal; you folks still can't compare a commercial and consumer grade laptops and think that they'll price even remotely the same.

mrellimist wrote:I just bought a Lenovo IdeaPad y580 directly from Lenovo with:

1TB memory
Better video card
i7 processor
19x1080 screen
8 GB RAM
Blu Ray

For 869

What I am trying to say, is that there are probably better deals out there, but the computer I got is fantastic, and I would reccomend it

How did you do that? The 869 model has nowhere near the screen resolution nor does it have blu ray. For 869 you get 1368 x 768 on the screen and a regular optical drive. The features you describe cost $1,099. Might you have had a coupon?

Woot sold this for $499 new, back on 4/13/12:

Lenovo ThinkPad L512 Notebook, 15” LED Display, Dual-Core i5-520M 2.4GHz, 4GB, 320GB, W7Pro

I know this is a newer generation of core processor and slightly different model, but don't see this as a good deal. Now, if this was a T series Thinkpad at this price....

Complete and total worst deal I've ever seen on Woot.

Seconding and expanding on previous posts that point out current L530 models have better screens, better processors, are less bulky, and most of all, cost less with coupon code BIGSAVINGS (automatically applied) -- $662.15. Even without the coupon the L530 is exactly the same price as the L520 in today's deal.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?GroupID=37&Code=L530_ADVANCED_SAP&category_id=A9B2994C947761B07BD3549DE2318051#.UMskZG_oSJQ

For you non-link clickers here are a few highlights:

Processor - Intel Core i5-3210M
Operating System - Windows 8 64
Display Type - 15.6" (1600 x 900) LED Backlit
System Graphics - Intel HD Graphics 4000
Total Memory - 4 GB DDR3 - 1600MHz (1 DIMM)
Hard Drive - 500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm

This is like going to Budget Rental and paying full MSRP on a 2011 Volvo XC70.

zyodei wrote:5. What gets me on this: why can't you go to 16GB RAM?? I find that very surprising. My 2008 or so X61 maxes out at 8GB. 8GB is still a lot of RAM, but for future expandability or real power processing such as video editing, it's an odd oversight.

I don't know this for sure, but my feeling is this that the HM65 chipset in my notebook supports 16GB on four slots, but only two slots physically exist.

The question is this: are modern memory controllers limited to addressing a maximum amount of memory per slot? If so, that is why we can only have 8GB (2x4) instead of 16 (4x4).

I have seen examples of HM65 based boards that to support 8GB in single slot and 16 GB in dual slot configurations. . .

So, you have to ask yourself one question, "Do I feel lucky. . . "

mechanicsc wrote:THIS!!!

It never fails on Woot though, anytime a business-class machine is posted people compare them price-wise to consumer-class machines and declare them a bad deal.

This IS a bad deal though. The "business-class" angle is overplayed here. Durable or not, this isn't a Toughbook or something like that which would justify the high price. The build quality may be better than most laptops but it certainly doesn't make a laptop with $500 specs worth nearly $800.

love ThinkPad

I used to like ThinkPads when they were made by IBM. Since they have sold that operation to the Chinese, the quality has gone into the crapper. Not as crappy as others, but crappier than it once was.

RocRizzo wrote:I used to like ThinkPads when they were made by IBM. Since they have sold that operation to the Chinese, the quality has gone into the crapper. Not as crappy as others, but crappier than it once was.

Check the country of origin on your old 'IBM-made' ThinkPad. Lenovo was their third-party OEM for a long time before they sold the brand to them.

mechanicsc wrote:THIS!!!

It never fails on Woot though, anytime a business-class machine is posted people compare them price-wise to consumer-class machines and declare them a bad deal.

Next time they go get a coffee, they should complain to their coffee shop as to why they paid so much for their coffee makers when Wally world sells them for $20.

I understand it is a business-class machine, but what happened to the "WOOT" that had great deals, this is a below average deal, BRING BACK MY OLD WOOT!!!!

mechanicsc wrote:THIS!!!

It never fails on Woot though, anytime a business-class machine is posted people compare them price-wise to consumer-class machines and declare them a bad deal.

Next time they go get a coffee, they should complain to their coffee shop as to why they paid so much for their coffee makers when Wally world sells them for $20.

You seem to be missing the posts about being able to buy a newer and better model ThinkPad for the same price or even cheaper.

cubby96 wrote:Check the country of origin on your old 'IBM-made' ThinkPad. Lenovo was their third-party OEM for a long time before they sold the brand to them.

My old IBM branded Thinkpad T40 was made in Mexico. It's about 6+ years old and still works great and has run XP, Linux, and currently Win 7 Ultimate with no issues. Built like a tank. Best laptop I've ever used.

Brian48216 wrote:you can get an L530 with a 500GBHD for less....directly from Lenovo.

To build similar spec on Lenovo.com for a L530 is $1048 / $905.65 after WebCoupon BIGSAVINGS (though that gets you the newer Core I5 & 500GB HDD). Not really less when you actually build it up to compare side by side.