Lenovo X121e or HP Pavilion dm1-4125ea?

[jammy07]

I've just ordered the HP Pavilion dm1-4125ea, but I'm considering cancelling it and going with the Lenovo X121e instead.

They're pretty similar in terms of their specification and price, though there are several different versions of the Lenovo available. The main difference is in terms of the CPU & graphics. The HP comes with the AMD E-450, while the Lenovo can come with either the AMD E-350 (w/ AMD Radeon HD 6310) or E-450 (w/ AMD Radeon HD 6320), or the Intel Core i3-2367M ULV (w/ Intel GMA HD Gfx 3000).

The Intel beats the AMDs in most of the benchmarks I've seen, but I was also wondering about the effect on battery life. Since the Lenovo is now using the ULV Intel, would this be better for battery life than the AMDs?

Moreover, does anyone know what the battery life is like in general for either the HP or Lenovo? I've seen a few reviews with figures, but it's hard to get a side-by-side comparison for these models. HP doesn't provide a figure for theirs, but resellers list it as up to 5 hours, while Lenovo gives a figure of around 8.5 hours (I know, these figures are almost always meaningless).

Aside from that, does anyone else have any advice on choosing between them? One issue is the trackpad; I'm not keen on the 'rough' texture of the HP's but I understand the Lenovo's is similar, and that a lot of people don't like the built-in buttons. Unfortunately, there's nowhere nearby that stocks the Lenovo, so I can't try it out for myself.

 

[Bigsy]

I have the i3 core x121e with a 6 cell and I regularly get over 6hrs without even trying to save on battery life.

I personally wouldn't even consider the E450 its very underpowered compared with the i3 core with no real hit on battery life at all, in fact its probably better.

 

[Nephand]

Another vote for the Lenovo x121e [Intel]. At uni, I only ever plugged it in during a full day for 'just in case' measures. Lenovo's power management options work a treat as well if you need to push it as far as it can go.

Like you I'd placed an order for a dm1 but cancelled. That was after I tried the dm1 and disliked the keyboard. I still found the x121e a bit weird, but once you have a "nipple" in your life you'll find yourself leaving rub marks on other keyboards as you reach for it. (You learn to love it as the x121e's trackpad is dire in my experience - it may have been improved in a refresh but I don't use it) The mouse buttons are perfectly placed to use with your thumbs while you push/stroke the nipple around.

 

[jammy07]

Another vote for the Lenovo x121e [Intel]. At uni, I only ever plugged it in during a full day for 'just in case' measures. Lenovo's power management options work a treat as well if you need to push it as far as it can go.

Like you I'd placed an order for a dm1 but cancelled. That was after I tried the dm1 and disliked the keyboard. I still found the x121e a bit weird, but once you have a "nipple" in your life you'll find yourself leaving rub marks on other keyboards as you reach for it. (You learn to love it as the x121e's trackpad is dire in my experience - it may have been improved in a refresh but I don't use it) The mouse buttons are perfectly placed to use with your thumbs while you push/stroke the nipple around.

Is it worse than the HP trackpad? I will probably only use the trackpad when I'm on the train or something like that, and I'll probably stick to a wireless mouse wherever possible, so it's not a HUGE issue, just an annoyance really.

With the discount, I've paid just under £300 for the HP, and using another discount code, for about £15 more I could get the Intel version of the Lenovo (albeit with only 2gb, but that's easily upgraded). Am I right in thinking the Lenovo also has built in 3G? If so is it any good compared with a USB dongle?

Aside from what I've mentioned, are there any other significant differences between the two machines that I should consider? Bear in mind I'm not planning on using them for anything too intensive (i.e. no gaming, mainly web browsing, films, typing & other office stuff). I just want a nice reliable machine with decent battery life that's portable.

 

[Ben Cole]

stroke the nipple around.

Cheers

Seriously I fancy one of these. I've got mobile devices coming out of my ears but since selling my netbook because it was underpowered I really miss a highly portable windows device. Despite people constantly ****ging off windows it's still the best OS that can do everything I want it to.

 

[Nephand]

I can't make a reliable comparison against the dm1. I bought the first generation of intel x121e last year (I imagine there's a refresh by now..), and while I'd heard the dm1 / AMD based was better for gaming it wasn't a needed feature for this.

I just didn't like the plastic look of the dm1, even though it is still very well rated. The Lenovo is understated, very nicely so on the external. They're not as solidly put together as Lenovo's upper models, but still nice.

Not sure about 3G, there's this line: - Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable in my invoice. It wasn't a concern for me so I can't help, sorry. I suspect it's an upgrade when you configure...

I used Quidco to get a discount, which worked nicely. The whole thing cost ~£250, with a base price of £287 on the Lenovo site. I stuck in 8 GB RAM just because I could and it was cheap. It's been a great machine, and if it wasn't for wanting something gaming capable I'd happily buy Lenovo again.

Re: Trackpad. I don't recall how the dm1's was, but the mouse pointer in amongst the keys works just fine in place of the trackpad on the Lenovo.

 

[Ben Cole]

Ram upgrade straightforward? I ask because I jut configured one and it was 80 quid for the extra 6gb to make 8gb. This seems ridiculous when 8gb ram is closer to 30 quid!!!!

 

[Nephand]

Yeah, if I can do it anyone can. Panel access directly to the two slots if I recall. I bought mine from elsewhere too - the 'being too lazy to install myself' tax was way too high from Lenovo!

 

[haz_pro]

How much noise does the lenovo generate during modest use? (word, Internet browsing etc.)? Acceptable level to not disturb others in library/uni lectures?

 

[Borden]

Not much noise at all. I use tpfancontrol (google it) and the fan only turns on when it really has to. Even then it only stays on for a minute or so and isn't very loud until it cools down a bit and switches off. I also have an SSD in mine so most of the time it makes no noise at all.

 

[Bigsy]

I actually run very high threshold in tpfancontrol which means the fan never actually comes on at all during office use/interweb browsing.

I admit it gets a little warm but it's still going strong.