Advice please - $700-$800 TP for college student

[ranchmom5]

Hoping to tap into the incredible wisdom of the members of the TP forum with some advice for a laptop for ds#2, who is a freshman in college.

We have become a family of TP users since purchasing the first R50 from underclocker about 1.5 years ago! Ds is currently using the R50 but feels a need for a newer, faster laptop for his college work. The beloved R50 will be passed down to ds#3.

We all love the flexview LCD and don't have experience with anything but flexviews since all of our other laptops are T42s (reminder: I have 5 children). I know that to stay with a flexview the choices become more limited (T42, T60). Will changing to a non-flexview screen be a huge shock??

My budget is $700-$800. I have been watching here on the forum and also on Ebay for T60s. Here is a really nice T60 . I probably should have bid on it, but got distracted with family and missed it.

So, do you think a T60 is the way to go? Is there another TP within my budget that would be better? Is there a lot of difference between a T42 and a T60? If not, maybe I should just stick with a T42?

I think he would prefer to stay with XP rather than move to Vista.

Thanks in advance!
Sharon

[Johan]

Sharon, my dear friend - how wonderful to see your ThinkPad family growing so steadily! Soon you will be "ThinkPadMom5"!

I assume that the R50 which your son #2 is presently using is this one and if so, and if it still has the original CPU (Pentium-M 1.6 GHz/Banias), as well as the original harddisk (60 GB/4200 rpm) that it came with when you bought it, then these two things in combination will certainly tend to make it feel somewhat slow, if compared to more modern ThinkPad's with faster CPU's (such as T42's with 1.8 GHz Pentium M's and upwards to e.g. T60's with newer Core Duo CPU's), and not the least when compared to machines with faster drives (either 7200 rpm's or the newest generation, almost-as-fast 5400 rpm with very bigger cache memory and higher data density).

Anyway, in order to be best able to comment your question, I kindly ask you let us know what of these requirements/specifications are most/least important, and which are perhaps even totally unimportant:

1) Any special requirements beyond normal college work (writing, misc. educational programs, surfing, watching movies)? What would you say is the anticipated use; now, and well as in, say, 3-4 years ahead?

2) Remaining IBM/Lenovo warranty: Is this don't-care/desirable/somewhat important/absolute requirement? Are you OK with buying an out-of-warranty laptop?

3) Size/weight/portability: Is small size (and/or low weight) an issue of importance, or will the laptop only be carried on shorter distances (e.g. within college), such that a relatively "big" and "heavy", say, 15" ThinkPad is no problem? In other words: Are all options open here – from the biggest, largest, heaviest 15.4” widescreen models and down to the small, ultraportable (but small LCD!) 12.1” models?

4) LCD size: Is of course strongly linked to the above; What do you think is sufficient and what will probably be too small; is e.g. the X-series ThinkPad’s (12.1” LCD’s) too small?

5) Display resolution: Will WUXGA or UXGA be acceptable, or do you prefer to stay with WSXGA+/SXGA+? Some users experience eye-strain when going to very-high resolution LCD’s, but high resolution may be acceptable to younger eyes, such as you sons? (I believe that the higher-resolutions however are more power-consuming, meaning slightly lower battery time).

6) Battery time: Is very long battery time a necessity, or will there be access to AC mains most of the places where the laptop is to be used?

7) Is a built-in CD/DVD-RW required, or is it acceptable that the laptop does not have this so that it needs to be placed in a dock that has a CD/DVD-drive?

8 ) Noise level? Some users are more picky about fan and disk noise than others; how's your son #2 about this? (if fan noise is a potential source of annoyance, laptops with so-called "integrated" graphics are better, since they consume less power compared to so-called "discrete graphics" models - but the latter are faster, and chosen by people with high requirements to graphical performance; be this either technical applications or gaming).

9) Operating system? Will the laptop need to be capable of running Vista (now or later), or is XP sufficient? If Vista-capability is not a requirement, then I would absolutely recommend XP; it runs faster, it is easy to use, and your son is already familiar with it from his present R50.

10) How long do you wish this laptop to last? Are we perhaps talking about getting another, newer, faster laptop in a year or two - or how long would you like this new laptop to remain usable?

These were just a few, quick questions – which may hopefully help to lead us onto the right track! And, hey, remember that we ALL surely want to see this, your "new baby" to be one of the absolutely most beautiful ones, ever!

Kind regards,

Johan

[ranchmom5]

[quote="Johan"]Sharon, my dear friend - how wonderful to see your ThinkPad family growing so steadily! Soon you will be "ThinkPadMom5"!
What a great username suggestion!!!

I assume that the R50 which your son #2 is presently using is this one and if so, and if it still has the original CPU (Pentium-M 1.6 GHz/Banias), as well as the original harddisk (60 GB/4200 rpm)
Yes, this is the laptop I am referring to and there have been no major changes made on it.

Anyway, in order to be best able to comment your question, I kindly ask you let us know what of these requirements/specifications are most/least important, and which are perhaps even totally unimportant:

1) Any special requirements beyond normal college work (writing, misc. educational programs, surfing, watching movies)? What would you say is the anticipated use; now, and well as in, say, 3-4 years ahead?
Most definitely the normal college work and also surfing, watching movies, music storage. I do know that his math class was all done on the computer - not sure if it was online or software. I would anticipate that he will eventually have some business software.

2) Remaining IBM/Lenovo warranty: Is this don't-care/desirable/somewhat important/absolute requirement? Are you OK with buying an out-of-warranty laptop?
A warranty would always be nice, especially for a poor college boy (and mother!), but I would feel more comfortable buying w/o warranty if it was from a trusted member of this forum. If I end up purchasing on Ebay, a warranty becomes somewhat more important.

3) Size/weight/portability: Is small size (and/or low weight) an issue of importance, or will the laptop only be carried on shorter distances (e.g. within college), such that a relatively "big" and "heavy", say, 15" ThinkPad is no problem? In other words: Are all options open here – from the biggest, largest, heaviest 15.4” widescreen models and down to the small, ultraportable (but small LCD!) 12.1” models?
Portability isn't a big issue at this point as he mostly uses it in his dorm room or library. There is quite a bit of difference though between the weight and thickness of the R50 compared to the T42, so if we are moving toward a newer model, I would guess it would be thinner and weigh less than the R50.

4) LCD size: Is of course strongly linked to the above; What do you think is sufficient and what will probably be too small; is e.g. the X-series ThinkPad’s (12.1” LCD’s) too small?
Funny thing with kids...they think the little ultraportables are "cool"! They are always drawn to them at stores, but they haven't had to work long hours on one either. I am ignorant about this myself so would have to defer to others with more knowledge. Just using logic, it would seem to me that for long use (writing papers, doing math) and watching movies the larger LCD screens would be a wiser choice.

5) Display resolution: Will WUXGA or UXGA be acceptable, or do you prefer to stay with WSXGA+/SXGA+? Some users experience eye-strain when going to very-high resolution LCD’s, but high resolution may be acceptable to younger eyes, such as you sons? (I believe that the higher-resolutions however are more power-consuming, meaning slightly lower battery time).
Again, I am not sure about this. My only experience is with my lovely T42, which I belive is SVGA+. But you are correct that young eyes might be different!

6) Battery time: Is very long battery time a necessity, or will there be access to AC mains most of the places where the laptop is to be used?
For the most part, he will work where there is AC access.

7) Is a built-in CD/DVD-RW required, or is it acceptable that the laptop does not have this so that it needs to be placed in a dock that has a CD/DVD-drive?
Cd/DVD-RW is essential. Well, it doesn't have to be able to write a DVD, just play one. CD-RW is a necessity. I am sure he would prefer it to be built in rather than in a dock.

8 ) Noise level? Some users are more picky about fan and disk noise than others; how's your son #2 about this? (if fan noise is a potential source of annoyance, laptops with so-called "integrated" graphics are better, since they consume less power compared to so-called "discrete graphics" models - but the latter are faster, and chosen by people with high requirements to graphical performance; be this either technical applications or gaming).
He is rather sensitive to noise and distraction, so that should be considered. He is not a gamer nor does he have any other high graphic requirements.

9) Operating system? Will the laptop need to be capable of running Vista (now or later), or is XP sufficient? If Vista-capability is not a requirement, then I would absolutely recommend XP; it runs faster, it is easy to use, and your son is already familiar with it from his present R50.
We talked about this and he said he would prefer to stay with XP because of his familiarity with it. Also, I have heard that MS will be releasing another version of Windows in the early part of 2009.

10) How long do you wish this laptop to last? Are we perhaps talking about getting another, newer, faster laptop in a year or two - or how long would you like this new laptop to remain usable?
Hmmm....is "as long as possible" an ok answer! Due to limited funds in our family, we have a tendency to keep using our computers as long as possible. It will be at least 3 years before he is done with college and in the working world, so it will need to last at least that long...hopefully!

Thank you so much, Johan, for helping me out with these questions. I knew I should give more detail in my original post, but didn't know exactly what to say. Thanks for coming to my rescue!!

Blessings!
ThinkPadMom5/Sharon

[kosse]

Sounds like a 15" T60 with a Flexview LCD would suit your son well. Considering that he'll be using it most likely for 3 years I wouldn't go with anything older/slower. I believe T60 can be found with some warranty remaining as well unlike the T4x series.

[mgo]

Hoping to tap into the incredible wisdom of the members of the TP forum with some advice for a laptop for ds#2, who is a freshman in college.
Thanks in advance!
Sharon

I'm a dyed in the wool T60 fan, so that's my recommendation. Spend the small amount of money to put 2 gig of RAM in there. XP or Vista both like that. Equip him with a USB external drive and the Acronis program for disaster recovery.

Put his documents folder on a separate partition on the ThinkPad and tell him to do frequent backups to the external USB drive. It will save a lot of grief during the stresses of school. The freeware version of SyncBack is terrific for rocket fast backups. RoboCopy comes with Vista and it is excellent, to, but requires the ability to create little "batch jobs" to run it. (pretty easy, really)

[underclocker]

I don't think you can beat a 15" FlexView T60. The one you linked in the original post was unbelieveable - warranty, great spec.'s & price!

The T60 is my suggestion and what I use.

[Jozef]

There are some sweet deals to be had at Lenovo Outlet, although I am still waiting for my T61 so can't say if their refurbished machines are worth the money or not.

Anyway, I bought this baby for $680 and it comes with 1-year warranty. It comes with integrated graphics but as your budget is in $700-$800 range you can probably find something similar with dedicated graphics, or better screen, if that's what you need.

T61 type 7661-ZND
Original description: Based on 7661-CTO: T9300(2.5GHz), 4GB RAM, 250GB 5400rpm HD, 14.1in 1440x900 LCD, Intel X3100, CDRW/DVDRW, Intel 802.11abgn wireless, Bluetooth, Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure chip, Camera, 6c Li-Ion, WinVista Ultimate 32

[Jozef]

Oh, and someone swiped this one in front of my nose. I was staring at it in disbelief for 10 seconds and then it was gone...

T400 with P8600, 14.1'' WXGA+ LED with camera, 2Gb RAM, 160Gb 7200rpm (this one I am not 100% sure about), Intel 5300, DVDRW and switchable graphics, for $780.

[ajkula66]

Another vote for T60, the last FlexView-equipped ThinkPad...

[nykobing06]

Though I can't offer you advice on the T6X (I jumped from a T42 to a T400), I can say a few words about what your son may be facing.

Do not underestimate battery time...even if he thinks he'll be plugged in most of the time. I can't say how many times I wish I had the 9-cell instead of 6-cell. Group projects, studying with friends, packed library with no available outlets..he'll run into a plethora of scenarios where he will have to rely on the battery. Keep in mind that he's not likely to live in the dorm setting for the entire duration of his tenure in college, so plan for an apartment setting where the laptop may become a completely on-the-go machine. And frankly, for a young kid... I really don't think weight is the top issue. I think most students just adapt to what they have as long as its not grossly overweight. The T42 is lighter than most, if not all, my major textbooks and I never found its weight cumbersome. I rather have a slightly heavier computer with a longer battery lifetime than the opposite.

If he's not a gamer then T42 and up will completely suffice for his work. I'm an grad student in engineering and have yet to use a program that my T42 cannot handle. Sure Matlab is a tad slower when dealing with massive files but thats rare...and the few times I do CAD work, I use school computers.

Other than that, best of luck to you and your son!

[sparta.rising]

You can buy a new T400 with LED screen in the mid-800's (with 10% off coupon) or a T61 from the Outlet from 500-800. A flexview T60 would a great option as well, but if he wants to keep the same computer for 4 years, it might be best to get a machine that's as new as possible. For a student, I wouldn't recommend a 15" or 15.4" machine because they can be heavy to schlep around campus. But 14" sacrifices the possibility of a flexview.

To be really portable, a 12" model would be good, but you said a DVD drive is a must, maybe you should look at harry's HP NC2400 which is an ultraportable with an optical drive:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=70909

[nykobing06]

You can buy a new T400 with LED screen in the mid-800's (with 10% off coupon) or a T61 from the Outlet from 500-800. A flexview T60 would a great option as well, but if he wants to keep the same computer for 4 years, it might be best to get a machine that's as new as possible. For a student, I wouldn't recommend a 15" or 15.4" machine because they can be heavy to schlep around campus. But 14" sacrifices the possibility of a flexview.

To be really portable, a 12" model would be good, but you said a DVD drive is a must, maybe you should look at harry's HP NC2400 which is an ultraportable with an optical drive:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=70909

I think things like flexview and weight, especially the former, are things someone can easily get used to. I went down from a 15.4" T42 to a 14.1" T400 and I adapted. With regards to the weight, its going to minuscule compared to his books...I strongly believe its going to be negligible. I would go with a fairly new laptop with modest to good screen size and a long battery lifetime. After a year, if not less, those are the only things that will matter to him.

[ranchmom5]

Thanks for all the input thus far. It seems to me that we have come down to screen, battery life, newest model/budget as the most important issues to consider.

Which TP meets these requirements the best?

Also, can someone compare the LED vs. Flexview? I remember reading one review a while ago and it wasn't very favorable to the LED.

Thanks

[ajkula66]

LED-lit LCDs are the same old crappy TN panels with a better lighting...so colours are going to be as atrocious as they normally are...this doesn't apply to X200T which has AFFS technology that is pretty much FlexView's first cousin.

Hope this helps.

[ranchmom5]

It helps in as much as it doesn't sound like I want one!

I guess we are just addicted to Flexviews!!:lol:

[bill bolton]

LED-lit LCDs are the same old crappy TN panels with a better lighting...so colours are going to be as atrocious as they normally are...

I'm using one.

The colours are fine, and the brightness is excellent... nothing at all crappy about them.

Cheers,

Bill B.

[Johan]

Well, Sharon, it seems that there is a general recommendation towards getting a 15” SXGA+ FlexView/IPS T60, so if you end up choosing to go this route you might want to read about the few ”T60-issues” to be aware of, if later on e.g. going to be asking question to potential T60-sellers… so here goes!

If searching the ThinkPad T6x Series forum here after "fan noise" (and checking the "Search for all terms") you will find... 261 hits!! Of course, as we all know, many people find and use the forum to have help for this or that problem, so therefore regardless of what ThinkPad you read about (on the forum), you will get the impression that it is truly troubled by lots of errors (people seldom gather to share experience like: "Wow, my ThinkPad simply runs perfectly and always did, and I am simply SO happy!"), so 261 hits does not necessarily mean that this or that model is purely defective and entirely useless, but may still point your attention to this or that aspect you should be aware of. Therefore, you might want to browse a few of the following threads:

T60 fan noise and heat:

LCDs on T60/T60p - types, availability and other discussions and

NEW T60 Temperature Thread - Especially high GPU Temperature and

Fan noise problem and

Help purchasing decision (T60 vs T42p) and

Noise comments on 15" T60/T60p? ("It seems that Radeon X1400 is dissipating heat much more than X1300") and

*The T60 Fan Thread* (indicating that Core Duo's are more low-noise than Core 2 Duo's? and/or that T60 BIOS ver. 1.11 will result in low-noise fan operation) and

T60 fan assembly (41w6405) -- how to purchase?? and

Fan swap between T60p & T61? and

How does the T61 fan noise/heat compare to the T60? and

Any final word on noisy fan? and

Core Duo vs. Pentium M in this scenario...??? and

Replacing my T41p : T60, T60p or wait for T61p?… just to name a few related to the very commonly discussed issue ”fan noise”.

A few T60 reviews:

You may want to read some reviews also, so have a look in e.g. Lenovo ThinkPad T60 Review (15” SXGA+ FlexView/IPS, Core Duo) or 14" vs 15" T60 - a detailed comparison and Lenovo ThinkPad T60 Core 2 Duo Review (Core 2 Duo, 14.1 SXGA+, non-FlexView) and Lenovo's ThinkPad T60 laptop PC (Core Duo T2400, 1.83 GHz,14.1” SXGA, non-FlexView) and Laptops galore - 5 Thinkpads in for evaluation.

Errors/issues with the T60 FlexView/IPS LCD’s:

There has been some discussing about in particular ”sparkling effects” in T60’s, so also that is useful to know of – to best prepare you for the BIG decision! Hence, see LCD stains ... but on the inside? and Flexview and eye strain and T60 flexview display sparkling and Disappointing 15" Flexview screen and Lenovo blog: It’s a feature, not a defect!

Sparkling effects in X60’s:

If you consider getting an ”X”-model, you also should read X61t, SXGA+, what is the sparkly?

T400 with LED LCD:

If you budget allows this, there are plenty of information in the T400/T500 Section – such as e.g. Reviews? and I was going to buy T400 until I saw this review....

I think I’ll better leave it with this – plenty of reading for you now!

Johan

[ranchmom5]

If I am going to go with a T60 w/flexview, what are the opinions on core duo vs. core 2 duo?

Thanks

[ajkula66]

To me, the key things would be:

a) Perfect LCD

b) Warranty remaining

For most people and purposes, Core Duo (assuming we're running XP) with 2-3GB of RAM is plenty, and will be for the next few years.

Of course, if one could find one of the later units with C2D CPU, even better. But this can, in most cases, be upgraded later if the need arises, which it likely won't IMO.

Hope this helps.

[ranchmom5]

Does anyone know much about the new Windows that is going to be released in 09? I wonder if it is going to be an energy hog like Vista. I had heard they were going to stop giving patches and upgrades for XP once the new one was out.

[ajkula66]

Well, I know for a fact that several people are running "windows 7" beta on machines with PM CPUs...some of them even low voltage ones...so it shouldn't be that difficult to run on a Core Duo...haven't had a chance to test it myself, though.

However, I don't foresee the world in general accepting another OS from MS after all the Vista-related issues to fully replace XP for another few years anyway...so there'll be SP4 and maybe even SP5 before the new OS fully plant its roots everywhere...

My $0.02 only...

[Mike Blake]

Johan, that message full of links must have taken a lot of
work, and was very helpful reading. I may not have any of
those systems, but it was very educational none the less.

Thanks!

[Johan]

I am not sure if a ”conclusion” was ever reached here – was it, Sharon? Did you end up with a very specific idea of what you are going to look for… or are you still blowing in the wind? If you are, then a few comments may hopefully get you back on the ground so let’s try to straighten out a couple of remaining, pending questions:

Choice of operating system?
I’d say: Stay with Windows XP as long as you can; your son knows it, it works very well (fast, stable!) and require far fewer resources (RAM) compared to Vista, and it will work for many years to come. Then, for how long will XP be around? Answer: Until April 2014 (that’s almost 6 years from now!) according to e.g. What’s happening to Windows XP on June 30th? saying:

Support for Windows XP will continue, in accordance with the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy. This means that the Mainstream Support phase will end on April 14, 2009 and the Extended Support phase will end on April 8, 2014

and How to make Windows XP last for the next seven years and Windows XP extended support retired: 08/04/2014. Actually, there are high-end laptops today being shipped with XP (such as e.g. HP’s new EliteBook 8730w workstations), which tells a bit about how popular XP is (and vice versa for Vista). XP will serve your son’s needs, I am certain.

Apart from XP a T60 will run Vista, this become necessary, but since the chipset in all T60’s (Core Duo or Core 2 Duo) will ”only” support up approx. 3.2 GB RAM (see the sticky in the T6x forum T60/T61/p memory limitations -- the definitive answer [pics]) that’s a limitation which will prevent ”larger programs” (or tasks) to be run on both Vista and Windows 7, so no point in upgrading because of that. According to Windows 7 to have same hardware requirements as Vista a T60 will also run the Vista-replacement ”Windows 7” which is planned for release ”early 2010” – see Windows 7 FAQ, Again; what’s the need for anything else than XP at this time and for years to come? In any case, I honestly believe that the hardware in a T60 will be sufficient for many, many years for the anticipated needs of a college student.

”Core Duo” versus ”Core 2 Duo”?
Well, what’s really the reported difference between these two? Not much in actual use (10 % is typically being said), as reported in many reviews etc. – see e.g. Mobile CPU Wars: Core 2 Duo vs. Core Duo and Intel Core Duo vs. Core 2 Duo: What's the Difference? or Core 2 Duo vs. Core Duo - Difference and Comparison and Core 2 Duo Vs. Core Duo: Merom and Yonah square off and Review Core Duo vs. Core 2 Duo and Choosing a Core Duo or Core 2 Duo Laptop and Test Report: Mobile Core 2 Duo Okay, Not Great. From these reviews it does not seem that it is a question of or death to get the Core 2 Duo rather than the Core Duo… don’t you agree to this? Apart from the limited performance-advantage of the Core 2 Duo’s these have the ability to support 64-bit processing (EM64T) which the Core Duo does not have , but since the memory limitation in T60’s in any case won’t allow you to break the 32-bit (3 GB) barrier, then what’s the benefit of getting the Core 2 Duo, from this perspective? A T60 with a newer motherboard can have the CPU upgraded (although this will void the warranty, if discovered by Lenovo, since CPU’s are not exactly a CRU – Customer Replicable Unit). See e.g. the thread T60 Core Duo --> Core 2 Duo about upgrading CPU’s in T60’s.

You can find detailed specifications about the different CPU’s in the Personal Systems Reference - Intel PC Processors, withdrawn, December 2008 - Version 349 (the Core Duo’s) and in Personal Systems Reference - Intel PC Processors - December 2008 - Version 349 (the Core 2 Duo’s).

GPU?
T60’s are available with both ”integrated” and ”discrete” GPU’s – see the Personal Systems Reference, Lenovo ThinkPad Notebooks, 2005 to present - withdrawn - November 2008 - Version 348 for the different models, but for the 15” SXGA+ (FlexView/IPS) T60’s you are interested in only these two (discrete) GPU’s are available:

a) ATI MOBILITY Radeon X1300 M52 / PCI Express x16 / 64MB GDDR1

b) ATI MOBILITY Radeon X1400 M54 / PCI Express x16 / 128MB GDDR1

As mentioned above, some users have reported X1300’s to be less noisy than X1400’s (reason probably being that the X1400’s are consuming more power, hence creating more heat which will more often trigger the fan to go ”on” compared to the X1300). I have no experience with X1300’s versus X1400’s myself, so I suggest you Search this forum – and quite a few threads will come up, incl. these: X1300 vs X1400 and Purchase Advice--Graphics Question and Received Core 2 Duo T60 today - a few changes, one question and T60 - Configuration/Price Tradeoffs - Help Me Decide! and Noise(~heat)-comparison X1300 vs Intel GMA and Purchase Advice--Graphics Question and NEW T60 Temperature Thread - Especially high GPU Temperature.

Harddisk?
Don’t give this any priority; it can easily be upgraded and is fairly cheap. There is certainly a performance advantage of 7200 rpm HDD’s over 5400 rpm ones, so eventually get a 7200 rpm. In principle SSD’s (Solid State Disks) are also available; these are completely silent, but quite expensive.

LED’s versus FlexView?
LED displays are currently offered on T400’s and T500’s and since you have stated your budget to be in the $700-800 range I don’t believe that neither of these are realistic to get for this amount. But, anyway, see the threads LED vs FlexView and Random Impressions: T400 and SCREEN quality of the T500's?? LED vs. IPS? No IPS comeback! and New T400- My review and Questions.

Conclusion? Please let us know what you end up looking for!

Johan, that message full of links must have taken a lot of work, and was very helpful reading. I may not have any of those systems, but it was very educational none the less.

Thanks!

You’re very welcome, Mike (much appreciated, actually!) and yes, sure, all in all I have used a good bit of time on this thread… but the reason is very simple: I often find pleasure in doing things thorough - and hence useful and hopefully helpful! - in stead of perhaps fast and more or less superficial… and I also kind of dislike very brief replies to questions which really would be better answered with a few details and/or some explanation. Also, I have learned so much from this forum (and keep learning!), so for me - as no doubt for you too! - it’s just a pleasure being able to share a bit of knowledge from time to time – that’s what this forum is all about!

But there’s another equally true reason: I very much like women in general (and my good friend Sharon in particular!), and I really think there are by far too few of them here on this forum, so therefore I simply do my utmost to have them stay around!

Johan

[ranchmom5]

Johan,

Once again you have done a wonderful job of getting me back on track with this. I got a little distracted over the holidays, but it is time to get focused and find a laptop!

OS - Will definitely stay with XP.

CD vs. C2D - I don't see that there is a big need for a C2D over a CD. It appears that the Ghz is the more important factor.

GPU - it sounds like the x1300 would be the preferred if just running XP since it seems to run quieter and cooler. From what I read, however, I don't see this as a huge factor.

HDD - as you said, this isn't really an issue since they are easily upgraded at a later date.

LCD - Ds seems quite firm on the flexview LCD. Another convert!

Here is what I have come up with: (let me know if I am missing something)

T60
Core Duo (with upper end GHz) or Core 2 Duo
GPU - x1300
HDD - prefer 7200, but not absolutely necessary
LCD - 15" IPS FlexView
CD-RW/DVD
OS - Windows XP
with remaining warranty!

So there it is - the perfect configuration for ds's T60 - does anyone have one they would like to sell me??!!!

Thanks again, Johan, for all of your informative posts here. What would I do without you!!

Sharon
p.s. I changed the subject line to better reflect the content of the thread. Hopefully, our discussion here will be a benefit to some future TPer!

[Mike Blake]

Sharon,

You might want to summarize the reasoning
in your last reply, and post it as a "WTB"
(Want To Buy) or "LF" (Looking For) message
in the MarketPlace forum.