lenovo IdeaPad Z570 (1024A3U) Notebook Intel Core i7 2670QM(2.20GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory DDR3 1333 500GB HDD 5400rpm DVD±R/RW Intel HD Graphics 3000

Pros: 1) the i7 is like a v12 in an old jaguar. almost too much power, but who's going to complain about that?

2) the keyboard is on par w/ thinkpad line, widely regarded as one of the best made.

3) eSata is still > usb 3.0 for externall HDD

4) Win 8 runs well on it, even for WiDi and Hyper-V

Cons: 1) Why do PC Mfr's continue to stick 10/100 Ethernet ports on consumer laptops? I'm sick of having to use USB 2.0 Gigabit adapters to reach quasi- gig LAN speeds.

2) 1366x768 is the norm for this class, but that doesn't make it suck any less.

3) the HDD is SATA III but is only 5400 RPM, do yourself a favor and get an SDD to replace it.

4) Battery starts decently but deteriorates awfully fast. I'm down to less than 90 minutes of juice running on battery saver mode now.

5) why even put a webcam on the thing if its such a low resolution? can't even call it a toy camera, because there's nothing fun about it.

Other Thoughts: here's the bottom line: when you can find this machine for $550 - $580, it's probably still a good buy in most cases. But the hardware limitations are only going to become more apparent with the coming onslaught of Metro Apps, Win 8 goodness, etc. Mine will soon be a fancy looking HTPC, once the Thinkpad Carbon X1 releases.

Pros: Computer looks nice, keyboard is high quality: I like the raised keys, keeps me from fatfingering as often as I did on my last Laptop, where all the keys were much closer together and all connected. Resolution is good, ready to operate out of the box.

Cons: The reason I've rated this with only 2 eggs is because it simply will NOT boot if there are ANY USB peripherals plugged in. Printers, extHDs, thumbdrives, etc. The computer hangs up at the "Lenovo/ EnergyStar/ Intel" Startup screen, and will stay there in an endless loop. I called customer support, before I had figured out that it was the USB port failure that was causing the hang, and they had me take out the battery, do an internal battery drain, replug, etc. At least then I could access my HD. Long story short: if your computer restarts and you've got anything plugged in to a USB port, you'll end up having to hard-reset your computer after you unplug it. Irritating at the least, exasperating when you are trying to access files in a hurry.
Also, the i7 processor isn't nearly as fast as I thought it would be. I'm not doing heavy gaming, but I seriously expected lightning performance: and I was very let down.

Other Thoughts: This laptop is my first non-Toshiba purchase: I've happily owned about 4-5 Toshiba products, and never had issues like these. Without fail, those purchases have been fabulous out of the box. As my first Lenovo experience has been nothing but frustrating, it will likely be my last. Although the customer support folks at Lenovo were pleasant, and even though they offered to exchange the product, I felt like they missed the point: you only get 1 first impression, and so far mine have been nothing but bad. Telling me I can ship it back (at my own expense, of course) and exchange it just amps that frustration up: I bought the laptop on high promises, I use it only for work, and I don't want to waste the time of exchanging the product, especially when there are no guarantees that the problem will be solved.

Pros: i7-2670QM processor, beautiful 15.6" 1366x768 screen, decent battery life (6 hours), metal/plastic chassis feels strong, integrated 10-key number pad. Overall I would recommend this laptop for general purpose computing.

Cons: no USB 3.0, only populated 1 stick of ram therefore running in single channel mode, Intel integrated graphics

Other Thoughts: With the addition of a speedy SSD and a second stick of ram this will be a nice general purpose laptop. Win Ex results: Proc: 7.5, Memory: 5.9, Aero: 4.8, Gaming: 6.2, Disk:5.9

Pros: just got it a few days ago. still need to check it out. my first laptop ever.

Cons: none yet aside from what i said in "other thoughts"

Other Thoughts: the ideapad i recieved failed to boot out of the box. as it turns out the screw that secures the hard drive in place was missing. when the hard drive was put back where it was supposed to be it boot right up.