ThinkPad Edge E430 (3254ACU) Notebook Intel Core i3 2350M(2.30GHz) 14" 4GB Memory DDR3 1600 320GB HDD 7200rpm DVD±R/RW Intel HD Graphics 3000

Pros: I'm purchasing these laptops to act as quick access machines for our warehouse employees and also to serve as temp machines/travel laptops. Them being so inexpensive was hard to pass up, and knowing of the quality of Lenovo/IBM Thinkpads, I wanted to give them a shot.

These guys, while leaving a lot to be desired in aesthetics, definitely are solid. They are mostly plastic, but T=they aren't made a flimsy plastics like most HP/Dell cheap machines you get for this price point. The fact that they come with a 7200 RPM drive, DDR3 1600 and USB 3.0 also sweeten the deal. The Docks they make from Lenovo that are USB 3.0 actually support dual monitors, and do a very good job at it. The USB docks of yore were terrible, and the only true way to dock was to get the more expensive Dell Latitudes, Thinkpad T Series or HP Pro/Elitebooks. With a USB 3.0 dock and this machine, you're only going to spend around $750, which is hard to pass up.

Some people hate the chicklet keyboards on these, I find them pretty decent. Then again, i'm perfectly fine with the stock keyboard/mice i get with desktops.

Windows, once reimaged, ran like a champ. I was able to completely load this laptop from scratch with minimal lenovo bloatware in about 2 hours, which includes all the windows updates being downloaded, moving it to service pack 1, and getting the three drivers windows didnt get from the lenovo website.

This computer is light! Perfect for folks moving about or

Cons: Lenovo, this is directed at you! Stop loading your PC's with garbage! If you get this machine, just reload it. I didn't even bother using the utilities that came with, I took a USB Boot Disc with Windows 7 Pro, formatted the drive, and started from scratch. Windows missed the Audio drivers, SD card reader, and the USB 3.0 drivers. You will also want to load the lenovo comm manager from their site. After that, the machine was as bare as it gets, and all the hot keys worked.

Aesthetics are definitely not the primary focus, but that's ok! Thinkpads are known for being the ugly duckling, but they perform well and have a lot of features that make them durable. The edge series while not as durable as the T series, still have some protection to them. Free fall sensors on the hard drive, a chassis that may most feel plastic but seems pretty sturdy, and the spill resistant keyboard are a few mentions. This won't wow anyone against a mac, but I actually like it look wise.

Other Thoughts: This machine is meant to be cheap laptop, and performs well at that task, a little better than expected. It sure beats pays $1300 for a Latitude E6430, and these are so cheap that instead of paying for a 4 year warranty I will just keep a few extra of these machines in the back in case one dies. Once you image these with a base of Windows, they fly and offer plenty of bang for the buck

Pros: Inexpensive compared to most.

Good for traveling with a 14" screen if you don't like the smaller displays.

Reliable

Cons: Not very rugged, but that's not what this model is known for.

The edge's keyboard leaves something to be desired.

Other Thoughts: I set up our whole sales team with these laptops, and would recommend them to anyone looking for standard functionality, with a few bonus options. USB3 is nice, as are the HD graphics.

Still buying these.

Pros: Excellent laptop and great value.

-USB3
-hdmi and vga
-great keyboard and track pad

Most importantly this laptop is easily serviceable.

The battery allows for easy battery swaps and the ability to keep multiple batteries. In addition battery life is good and charge is quick.

Gotta love the 14" form factor.

Cons: Laptop:

-Well it doesn't have an excellent resolution, but you knew that.

Service:

-See other thoughts.

Other Thoughts: My Mother needed to purchase two laptops for my little brothers in college, I of course think, "the egg, Lenovvo". So that's what I recommended and my Mother purchased them.

Unfortunately one little brother had an issue with his. I inspected the laptop and upon boot up the machine asked me for a boot device (displayed the boot menu). When I selected the main HDD, the system displayed the same boot menu.

Further inspection showed that the HDD in the machine was actually a WD blue 500gb as apposed to the advertised 320gb seagate.

Great a better HDD right? Wrong! The HDD did not have win 7 installed, nor did it have the lenovo recovery partition on the drive! It had nothing...

In addition to all of this, I noticed that the lid of the laptop was terribly scratched.

This laptop was obviously used! Newegg...I order a lot of product from you. I deserve an explanation.

Thank you.