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Lenovo ThinkPad X230 $449.00 Delivered, Brand New According to Lenovo's Description

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This is a pretty good deal for a while, but why not on OZB yet?

Note:

  • i3-3120M as fast as i5-4200U (current x240), but use lots more power. GPU might faster as well
  • Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
  • NO bluetooth and fingerprint scanner

ThinkPad X230
Model Highlights
Part number: 23247L5
Processor
Intel® Core™ i3-3120M Processor (3M Cache, 2.5GHz)
Operating system
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
System Graphics
Intel® HD Graphics 4000
Total memory
4GB (1 DIMM)
Display type
12.5" HD (1366x768) with integrated 720p HD webcam
Hard drive device
320GB 5400rpm
Network card
1Gb Ethernet
Optical device
None
Bluetooth
None
Form Factor
Laptop
Finger print reader
No Fingerprint Reader
Warranty
1 Year Depot
WWAN
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6205 (2x2, 802.11a/b/g/n)
Pointing device
TrackPoint
Battery
6 Cell

Referral Links

Referral: random (5)

Referrer and referee get $20 after referee's 1st purchase of $90+.

Related Stores

Lenovo
Lenovo

closed Comments

  • +21

    This is a pretty good deal for a while, but why not on OZB yet?

    I think there was some unpleasantness between OzB and Lenovo in the past

    • -1

      How well do you think the HD 4000 would run Sims 4?

      • +6

        unfair, whoever down-voted. i'd also like to know the same.

        • +2

          i thought it was a legit question… the system requirements on the box i got from dicksmith today for $59 states Intel GMA X4500 or better

        • +2

          @vid_ghost:

          4000 is easily better than the x4500 so if it can run on a X4500 then yes it should work

        • +8

          The reason it was down-voted is that he was replying to a comment with something completely unrelated just to get his comment at the top of the page.

      • HD4000 can handle CS:GO at reasonable quality.

        • +2

          30-60 fps is pretty bad with lag spikes during heavy battles for a competitive fps.

  • +20

    Lenovo's customer service is :thumbdown:

    • I was thinking of Lenovo originally but decided to go with acer after reading pages and pages of horror stories on Whirlpool..

      In the end decided to buy the ACER which I posted here. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/155404

      Slightly better specs for 49 $ more

      Aspire E1-570 $558 ($499 after ACER Cashback) + Optional $9 Extended Warranty @ MSY

      CPU: Intel 3rd Generation Core i5-3337U 1.8GHz(Turbo 2.7GHz)
      OS: Windows 8 64bit
      RAM: 4GB DDR3
      HDD: 750GB SATA
      Graphic: Intel HD 4000 Graphics
      Integrated VGA
      Screen: 15.6” LED Screen
      1yr WarrantyDVD Writer USB3HDMIBluetooth
      *Wifi 11N *Webcam,Spk,MicCard Reader *2.35k

      • +1

        Acer over a ThinkPad?

        Brr!

        • Not just that. I can understand why someone might prefer the Acer. But really, 1.2 vs 2.35 kg, 12.5 vs 15.6" screen? A Commodore is nice, but some people buy a Ford Fiesta because they want one! It's not about specs.

      • Which post in that thread is about horror stories? X series should be a business grade notebook.

        Durability and design of the business grade lenovos is excellent. The only downside i noticed was that ive personally found that a lot of the equipment used to be to SLIGHTLY older specs.

        Purchased a number of business grade lenovos in the past and never had a problem. People are more likely to post complaints than to complement.
        That said Acer is not as bad a brand as it was say 5-10 years ago.

        • My experience with Lenovo's local repairer, teleplan has been less than stellar.

          The laptops themselves break down rarely, but getting them fixed with teleplan has been awful.

          My fault description to them: battery clips have broken off the metal housing, and now the battery falls out of the laptop. Please replace bottom cover.

          Their fault description: No audio. Reseated speaker cable and tested ok.

          Laptop was sent back and the battery kept falling out.


          Next laptop:
          User has dropped laptop and cracked the top lid. Please replace top cover.

          Their fault description: motherboard replaced.

          Laptop was sent back with the lid still cracked.


          They continue to send us wrong parts. Faulty charger? Send them one that won't fit the X230 (Sent an X240 charger instead)

          Faulty keyboard? Doesn't matter you purchased one with backlit keys, here's one without backlighting, even when you went to the trouble of specifying exactly which CRU to send.


          As much as I love the hardware, the support from teleplan has been awful. Unisys who do the onsite repair have been great.

  • +3

    Cute little X with user upgrade able everything? Sounds good to me

    ..pity about the grotesque display but still nice

  • +10

    LAMEOVO never forget.

    • +5

      The other expression was NO LOVE.
      Ozbargainers have long memories.
      There were those that were "burnt" in the scam of…. now when was it - 2013? 2012?
      Won't be getting my business.

      • How were they burnt?

        • +2

          From memory, there was a deal on the website, everyone jumped on it. Lenovo turned around and said it was a pricing error and cancelled every order (but took ages to return the money).

          I could be wrong though.

        • +1

          @Passa: Pretty much what happened, you can find the thread if you need more info.
          But I bought a laptop at their real price anyway, only to run into a brick wall with their non-service when I tried to return it after it failed at 2 weeks.
          Once bitten …

      • +1

        never forget

  • Doesn't the Lenovo Outlet sell refurbs? So this is not actually brand new?

    • Not sure, but beware this has been superceeded by X240.

      • +3

        beware that X240 cost nearly 3 times more, with a slower CPU too, not to mention click pad

        abc:

        condition definition reckons it is brand new discontinued stock

        really tempted, but not quite sure about the new style keyboard……….

  • +11

    1366x768 should be illegal

    • +7

      Not really. its a 12.5" screen.
      Higher res doesn't always suit everybody.

      Watching Movies = Yes high res.
      Doing work = High res not always good. Only situation that i could imagine is Video & Photo Editing. Then again you wouldn't do this on a laptop… you would use a color calibrated monitor for this.

      I find issues with high Res Screens on 13" laptops then you gotta up the DPI to make things legible, then the DPI gets applied to both monitors, so your external monitor also have to adopt the same DPI setting as in Windows…. It is extremely annoying.

      Or you leave the DPI setting and setting the res on lower for the laptop screen. Haha both have its advantages and disadvantages.

      • +6

        Watching Movies = Yes high res.
        Doing work = High res not always good.

        I actually think the opposite. With movies you're looking at moving video so less-sharp images won't be as noticeable. For example, 720p YouTube video looks perfectly fine to many people.

        When doing anything text-related, users with good eyesight will clearly see the blocky jagged letters caused by low-res screens. The low resolution also means you have much less desktop space to place your toolbars and timelines. You can't fit as many open windows on the screen either as they will turn out blurry or jagged.

        Then again you wouldn't do this on a laptop… you would use a color calibrated monitor for this.

        I just color-calibrate my laptop screen as well. People do photo and video work out of the office or home - they're not about to carry a monitor around with them.

        I find issues with high Res Screens on 13" laptops then you gotta up the DPI to make things legible

        To each their own! I love my 12.5" full HD screen at its default 125%.

        then the DPI gets applied to both monitors,

        Not correct anymore. Windows 8.1 supports per-display DPI scaling.

        Scroll down to "Optimizing Multi-Mon DPI Scaling" on this page:
        http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2013/07/15/windows-…

        • +2

          1080p @ 24" is 91.79 PPI - typical desktop monitor
          768p @ 12.5" is 125.37 PPI - X230
          4k @ 28" is 157.35 PPI

          Granted people may sit closer to laptop screens than desktop screens, 768p is a decent resolution for the screen size

        • @bentan77:

          Granted people may sit closer to laptop screens than desktop screens

          That is the exact reason why comparing the PPI of a laptop to a desktop monitor doesn't work.

        • That is the exact reason why comparing the PPI of a laptop to a desktop monitor doesn't work.

          Of course it's comparable, it just depends how much closer you'd sit. It still has a ~36% higher DPI than regular desktop screens so unless you're sitting more than that much closer (which doesn't sound that likely) then there shouldn't be a problem with DPI.

        • +1

          @bentan77: It doesn't work because laptop screens are where your keyboard is. Desktop monitors are farther back than your keyboard. You don't hunch over your desktop monitor either.

          From your comment I'm guessing you don't do much work on a laptop. Having a higher resolution means you can fit more windows and toolbars on the screen. That is not possible with a low-res screen as smaller screen elements will just appear blurry or jagged.

          768p is a decent resolution for the screen size if all you do is watch videos, play games, type a doc or powerpoint, or surf the web and don't care about jagged fonts.

          It is definitely not a decent resolution for doing any work that involves multiple windows or toolbars.

          You may not understand why it's such a big deal and you certainly don't have to, but you need to realize that different people use their laptops differently. Something that's ok for you might not be ok for someone else.

        • If you sit at 75% distance from a desktop screen for a laptop screen, you'd want the laptop screen to have a 25% (or 33%?) higher DPI for it to be "comparable".

          I use an x220 with the same type of screen, I've never had a problem with things being blurry or jaggy. Whether it has the workspace to fit multiple windows or toolbars is a completely different topic, which you seem to be confusing with DPI.

        • -1

          @bentan77:

          I use an x220 with the same type of screen,

          I have an X201t (125ppi) and a TP Yoga (176ppi). The difference between the two screens in terms of clarity and amount of information that can be displayed is significant. I also have a Nexus 10 (296ppi) and it is amazing - I can use it close-up and still see smooth elements.

          I've never had a problem with things being blurry or jaggy.

          Once again, as I have mentioned before, you need to realize that there are other people in this world too. What looks fine to you might not look fine to people with sharper vision, prefer a closer screen distance, or prefer smoother, clearer elements for example. Just because you can't see jagged letters doesn't mean nobody in the world can.

          Whether it has the workspace to fit multiple windows or toolbars is a completely different topic, which you seem to be confusing with DPI.

          Perhaps you don't realize that the amount of information you can fit on a screen is related to the screen's PPI.

          To fit more data (windows, toolbars, excel cells, small text, etc) onto a screen, you reduce the size of those elements. You cannot fit a lot of data onto a screen with low PPI and keep them sharp because there simply aren't enough pixels to form a sharp screen element that is small.

          Sure you can try and squeeze the same amount of information in, it's just going to look very jagged and become a chore to read.

          Some people, like yourself, don't mind lower-resolution screens. Some people, like myself, find lower-res screens restrictive to productivity, and greatly prefer higher-res screens, with screen sizes being equal.

          Surely you can see how there's more than one type of person in this world.

  • +2

    Cheapest on static ice is $702

    Lenovo states that we save $610.00

    looks good for the price.

  • -1

    Anybody interested in this might want to look at a 12.5" HP Elitebook 2570P. It's a much better machine in terms of build quality, looks and upgradability. They can be had from ebay-US for US$400in faster i5/i7 form with remaining 3yr NBD global warranty.

    2570P betters a X230 by offering an upgradable CPU up to i7-quad (smallest most powerful i7-quad machine), RAID-0 storage. More details at 12.5" HP Elitebook 2570P Owner's Lounge if interested.

    X230 has had numerous owner complaints of the chassis disintegrating/cracking prematurely.

    • Used only?

    • +5

      second hand and no warranty?

    • It's $476 including delivery.

    • :I Disingenuous. The $400 is used with marks, the one with warranty is $600

  • Is it new….

  • +1

    Bought one

  • -6

    No fingerprint reader is the deal breaker…I'm too lazy to ctrl alt del to unlock the PC.

    • +3

      You could just set it up to not lock itself up <_<

    • +1

      i have fingerprint reader on an old X200. i found it's quicker to type a password to unlock the pc… by the time you have a mis-scan every so often.

      • +2

        You can configure it to replace a power-on password. That means instead of pressing the power button and typing in a password before the OS loads, just swipe your finger and it authenticates and switches on.

        Some skin types don't work well with fingerprint readers. Mine works great, fortunately.

  • Will adding an OzBargain SSD void the warranty?

    • +2

      No. As long as it isn't discovered that the SSD caused a short which caused the issue.

      • Don't wipe old hhd for 12 months, so you can swap back if need to return under warranty claim to be safe. Stand corrected on this though if anyone has more info.??

        • never really matters. Unless they can prove the software caused the issues you are experiencing. I've had several Laptops which are RMA'd with different HDD's.

          No issues at all. They expect that users will change the HDD, if they didn't then they will solder it in.

        • Thanks. Good reasoning. Looks like I am being over cautious then.

  • +2

    Lenovo has worst customer care's reputation ever! I'm using U410, although it looks nice and fair price, it has heaps of driver/hardware issues, and customer service is bs

    • +2

      just get generic drivers from the web, it usually solves the issue. lol. Or read forums.
      Any laptop company is like that. They only read scripted stuff to you over the phone, go online to forums to solve a issue is the best way.

      I've owned laptops from many companies and none of their customer service can actually solve my technical issues, however online forums usually solve them quickly.

      Only company which you can get somebody else to fix it for ya, is Apple. But you pay like 2-3x the price for that sorta service.

      • +2

        I was pleasantly surprised with Dell. Got a discounted Vostro which came with two years on-site warranty. When something went wrong, phone operator was helpful and dispatched a technician for the next day. Free.

        • +2

          Was about to say the same. Had a dell laptop fail. Within 24 hours, someone was on site. They ended up replacing ram, mobo and CPU.
          Mind you, the phone staff are not good.
          "Sir, have you reinstalled windows?"
          "No, the laptop fails before it even tries to boot windows"
          "I'm sorry sir, we can't help you until you reinstall windows"
          "Can I please speak to someone who knows about computers?"

          FYI, never had a problem with Dell since that call … It most probably says "prick" on my account ;)

    • +1

      I won't be surprised if I have any technical problem and call them, all they could do is asking me to step1 restart the computer, step2 restore to factory mode.

    • +1

      IdeaPad U410 is not even available in Australia. If you order it from overseas it would be difficult for Lenovo AU to get parts.

  • Doesn't look like it's available any more? Clicking "Add to cart" takes you to an error page, and browsing to the outlet store at http://shopap.lenovo.com/au-outlet/laptops it doesn't show any X230's.

    • Your right, me too now. Could have been an error, or was Ozbargained already :-) Over 900 clicks, if 1% bought that would be 9 to 10 units sold, probably all the stock on hand.

    • +1

      Looks like it is up available again now… Maybe not for long!

  • This is a great price for a small/light portable computer that is fairly powerful with a decent keyboard and trackpad. For the condition in case any one is unsure, states on the official website: "New Products that are discontinued, overstocked, or returned unopened. These items are in their original factory sealed packaging and have never been used or opened."
    Should be able to easily swap hhd to a ssd to get faster performance/stamina. Also upgrade the ram to 8GB. Would recommend not to wipe the old hhd for warranty period, just in case. Although this is an older 3rd gen cpu, keep in mind this is the faster full voltage mobile as opposed to most of the newer 4th gen low voltage U range from Intel. The newer cpu's use less power, but that is then offset with a smaller non removable battery. You end up with a slightly smaller/lighter unit, similar stamina but less powerful. It is done primarily to compete with tablets/hybrids and save money for the manufacturers, in the name of fashion and the environment. They both have their pros and cons, but as this is fairly small and light anyway, this would suit the people who want more power for their dollar.

  • I've been using a Lenovo Y500 SLI for more than a year without issue. Lenovo seem to have a good price point for the specs. Not too keen to try their customer service if the comments here are anything to go by.

  • +5

    I've been running a X220 for a couple of years and its easily been the best laptop I've owned.

    • +2

      Same, got 3 years world wide warranty as a student. Next business day service with UPS express worked awesome so far. Running a SSD + 8GB Ram in mine it is still faster than most other laptops people have at uni and really small / light. At home I dock it into the docking station I grabbed of Ebay for $80 connecting it to HD's, keyboard / mouse, screens etc.
      Even survived a drop from 2m falling out of a shelf! Quality!

      • +2

        Been running my x220 since 2011. Case cracked quickly but otherwise still holds up to everyday tasks with a SSD. Been using a vidock for gaming too.

        • +1

          I just retired the oldest laptop in the office this year - a ThinkPad T43 from 2005. It still works… slowly!

    • I wish X230/X240 has X220's keyboard. Can't stand chiclets :(

    • +1

      Basically same here. I love my X220. I've been running LINUX Mint on it for years. Started with Mint 13 and just upgraded to he newest version of Mint (Mint 16 or 17). It really flies!

      The original HDD died fast, probably because I left it in hibernation mode whilst carrying it around and the heads crashed. Anyway, Lenovo replaced it with no dramas and as soon as I got it back from them I replaced it with a Crucial SSD. The screen developed a white spot (not a dead pixel but a light blotch) which Googling indicated was a problem with many X220s. Lenovo replaced the screen quickly with no dramas.

      Everything has been great since then and I recently upgraded the SSD to a larger Samsung SSD which I found here on OB :-)

      This is a great notebook for work and some light gaming. The key board is great, I love the track point. People tend to love or hate the track point but it has both a track point and a touch pad. I disable my touch pad and just use the track point. The small form factor makes it great for using on trains or planes because it's the maximum size screen where you can open the screen without hitting the back of the seat in front of you.

      The mate screen is wonderful as it prevents glare.

      It's a perfect size for writing and I even use it for small bits of video editing and casual gaming. But obviously, if you seriously want a gaming or video editing rig then you'll be after an entirely different product.

      As far as the X230 I'm not clear on whether it has the same keyboard as the X220 but that's something to consider.

      I'll admit that whilst my customer service experience with the X220 was fine I've found Lenovo to be Slooow at fixing my tablet. This may have been because they had to wait for a new mobo. So it is a bit hit and miss.

  • +5

    Very tempted, but I believe it doesn't have IPS screen which is an ultimate deal breaker.

    • The reviews I've read (mostly for i5 version granted) state that it does have an IPS matte screen. Is there any reason to believe that the screen is different on this model?

      • +1

        It was a $50ish option, same rez but IPS. Most don't have it.

        • Ah fair enough - thanks for the info.

    • +2

      It's NOT IPS screen. I've called them and asked, they said it's HP TN panel, don't remember the exact model… nearly bought one.

  • It might be another price error. I'll never forget about it.

    • +2

      Although myself and many others tried to purchase one at that crazy low price ( especially for FHD screen ), it was too good to be true. Not many other companies would honour such a low price. JB HiFi honoured the $29.99 delivered price of those Sony power banks, but my $25 delivered Xiaomi is proving to be better. Point is that cost price of the lower capacity Sony's would have been under $30 I would say. After all, mass produced in China. Yes, this laptop ( including Apple & most other brands ) was also made in China, but these were priced between double to triple, which is $350 to $700 more. Can't expect a company to honour hundreds of online sales of this kind. When orders were cancelled, I also was disappointed but that outcome was predictable. I will not bar the company for that reason. They are making some good quality, well innovated products, and their support service would be similar to most others.

      • +1

        Thats all true what you say but my gripe isnt that they cancelled the order but how they did it and then how long it took to pay back the money they took from my credit card.

        • I can empathise. 42 days and labelled as a criminal, hence my name.

  • Are Lenovo still part of IBM?

    • +1

      No. They were never owned by IBM, just manufacturing for em.

      They bought out IBM's consumer hardware lines 8+ years back, no association at all.

    • +1

      Er, did you get things mixed up?
      Lenovo bought the ThinkPad brand in 2005. Lenovo and IBM are separate companies.

      edit: damn Merlict, 37 seconds ahead! :)

  • I got one from this deal: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/111598 and still unopened as I never sold (family member promised to take it and then backed out, still pissed off at that one). How much can I expect for it now. Is this X230 better because of newer gen processor?

    PS: I'm only trying to understand the difference and price to be expected. Its not a classified listing.

    • X230 is in a different league of laptop, can't really be compared to an E series thinkpad.

      • As in X230 is in a much better league compared to the E series? If so why? Better processor, SSD? Speed?

        • +1

          X and T class are arguably the "best" thinkpads made.

          Its not necessarily the specifications on paper that make them better, they are built to be business grade quality. They are much more durable than other thinkpads.

        • @sweefu: Thank You sweefu. So there is no way I'll get $500 for it? Will make my decision to actually open and use it easier. As I'm still using an archaic core 2 duo .. LOL

        • @sk280:

          Not on ozbargain. MAybe if you find someone gullible. Just use it…

    • Your Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E330 - Intel Core i5-3230M should run nice and quick, quicker than most under $700 laptop/ultrabooks. All I would do is double your ram and swap to ssd, not hard to do with often included cloning software. Should make it nice and responsive.

  • Pretty good deal, superior to the X240 in my opinion (the clickpad/buttonless trackpoint is a disaster on the X240). That price is great.

  • I don't think this is a good deal. It's an obsolete model.

    • A lot of the full voltage gen 2/3 i3's and i5's, if your lucky definately i7's are quite a bit more powerful than the newer smaller Ultra Low Voltage gen 4's. Unless you have discreet graphics, there has been an improvement there, not everyone needs that though. Also these 2012/2013 models are easy to access the hhd to upgrade to ssd. For the price, this has great potential, and still is very light and compact. Lot's of people including myself prefer W7 over W8/8.1. Yes I have both, but happy to use W7 until Microsoft improves with W9.

  • LENOVO = NO LOVE

  • -3

    Get a Mac Air or a Macbook Pro, you won't regret it. I left Lenovo as a loyal customer when they started doing stupid things with their keyboard.

    • +2

      windows blows it away bro..! .. mac os is so limiting and so much more behing a pay wall then Microsoft

    • I'm with you regarding the keyboard. But how are you getting on without trackpoint and hit-and-miss Windows resolution scaling?

  • -1

    How come this is a bargain?

    • +1

      RRP is $1100 and some people have paid that much when not on sale in the past.

  • +1

    I bought one… my 8 year old X200 is on it's way out… i use an X230 for work and love it (with 1366x768).

    Despite apparent short-comings mentioned above… i still need a computer for random usage so this fits my needs and budget very well. let's see if it lasts me until another 8 years like the previous one.

    Thanks OP.

    • X200 was released in 2008, making it at most a 6 year old notebook. X230 has had numerous owner reported crumbling/cracking of the chassis. I'm doubtful it's build could last three years let alone the six you previously enjoyed.

      If you're after that longevity then suggest look at a HP 2570P instead as previously recommended.

      • +2

        Ha, good point. X200 was purchased in 2010 to replace a T43 that was purchase in 2006.
        Probably shows my age and failing memory…

  • 1yr depot.. is it world-wide/international warranty ?

  • Bought one

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