<p>I posted this in the Engineering forum, but thought that some parents might have experience/opinions on which laptop to purchase also.</p>
<p>My son, who will be a freshman engineering major in the fall, needs a new laptop and we are currently debating between the Lenovo 420 or the Lenovo Edge. Does anyone have an opinion on which one is better to buy? The Edge is several hundred dollars cheaper, has an HDMI port (but has flimsier hinges and a flimsier build from what I’m told). The new 420 and 520 (coming out this week) will have HDMI ports (important to my son), are clunkier, but are supposed to be great quality. He is not a gamer, but will watch “TV”, listen to music, and do school-related stuff on his laptop. I’ve seen the other thread on expensive laptops versus cheap laptops, but didn’t want to hijack it with my question. Thanks!</p>
<p>I use a couple of Lenovo laptops - a T400 and a T4x0 (can’t remember what the x is). In the past I’ve used Dell and others. The Lenovos are built quite sturdily (on the Dells I’ve had the hinges were weak and broke but fixed under warranty) and I haven’t had any problems with them but I’m not too rough on them either. </p>
<p>On the T420 vs the Edge, I checked Lenovo’s website and it appears that the T series may be more durably built than the edge. Whether he needs this durability depends on his usage and care since they say the T series is tested according to mil specs for durability but not the Edge. </p>
<p>When you compare the to make sure you compare like/like since with any one of these they can be optioned many ways from lower end to higher end. Also keep in mind the specs for something like the graphics can be a big difference but it also might be something he doesn’t notice if he’s not using it for gaming.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t buy a laptop without an HDMI port on it since it’s too handy to have to watch slideshows, etc. with.</p>
<p>If Lenovo offers a 4 year onsite coverage and 4 year accidental damage coverage (in case he drops it, spills a drink on it, etc.) then consider those. There’s major frustration from owners of all brands when they have to send the laptop in for repair and spend weeks to get it back and even then it often has the disk wiped (don’t ever send it without doing a full backup to an external disk).</p>
<p>Thanks for the input, GladGradDad. Love your user name by the way! Yes, we’ve already budgeted for the four-year all-inclusive warranty - it was truly a life-saver with another one of our college kiddos.</p>
<p>Always go for the more study well-built notebooks…especially for undergrads. Trust me…even if they’re careful…roommates, classmates, and even clumsy Profs/adults* can do a number on notebooks. </p>
<ul>
<li>Had a close call with a Prof. at another university during a conference who needed to borrow my notebook at the last minute and almost dropped it from his lecturn to a hard classroom floor in the middle of his presentation. :(</li>
</ul>
<p>I was waffling between the T420 and the E420 earlier this year. I decided to go with the less expensive E model because I use it mainly as a desktop substitute. It’s attached to a port replicator so I can plug in my monitor, keyboard and mouse. I keep the lid closed so the hinges don’t get much of a workout. </p>
<p>If I had planned to use the laptop by itself more often than I do, I would definitely have gone for the sturdier T420. That’s not to say that the Edge is flimsy, by any means. It’s a good solid computer. </p>
<p>My son had a T420 when he was in college and it’s still going strong 3 years later. My husband uses a T420 for his work computer and it gets very heavy use. He travels frequently and always brings it along.</p>
<p>The T’s are a business-class machine - ugly as sin but very sturdy.</p>
<p>For an engineering major, if you have the budget, take a look at the W class laptops. Same case as the T series but the innards are a lot more powerful.</p>
<p>I got DS a W from the lenovo outlet site 3 years ago for around 40% off, it was a return that had never been opened. Because it was on the outlet I couldn’t get an extended warranty, but 3+ years later there have been no issues, and it is still powerful enough to run all the engineering software he needs.</p>
<p>My son just finished his first year in engineering with a T420S and has been very, very happy with it. He’s not a particularly careful kid and it still looks brand new. He didn’t consider the edge so I can’t give you a comparison, although you’ve gotten lots of advise there.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help! My oldest just graduated from college and is heading to grad school in the fall. She had a Dell in college (with the four year on-site repair warranty) that just had a ton of problems (hard drive replaced, mother board replaced, and the list goes on and on). In all fairness, though, she was rough on that laptop. My middle child just finished her freshman engineering year with a Lenovo t520 and has had no issues whatsoever with her laptop. We bought the super warranty for her because she is OOS and it made any anticipated repairs pretty easy, but she never had to use it. Still nice to have it though.</p>