Which Thinkpad?

[thinkpad1]

Yep, I have another 'Which Thinkpad' question to ask.

I did search the forum and did find some good threads with various comments from similar questions but I'm still undecided!

Could anyone who doesn't mind these same series of questions and requests for advice and recommendations add their own responses to mine, too?

I was considering a few options including these:

T42p from online seller, T60 from online seller

T30 from local private seller

Any other ideas are most welcome! Any opinions on the ones I suggest and consider, please comment!

I am a bit concerned about the T30 memory issue and the public concerns and complaints about the GPU problem with T4x model Thinkpads but does that cover the entire line or just certain ones? What does the GPU problem mean for T42p models and if that model might potentially have the issue, should I eliminate it from my options?

Okay, the reason I am considering reburbished and older, used models is that I just need something basic for now. I also have been recommended to get a Thinkpad if I get a notebook and I've been wanting one for a while now. I need something somewhat portable but I realize most are not the most thin and light laptops unless I spend a bit more to get one of the X3x or similar models. But, I am only using a budget limit of $500 and even then that is probably more than enough. I would only spend that on a T6x model and only if I was convinced that is worth it. I was leaning most towards the T42p but need more opinions on that option.

I found a local seller listing T30 for sale and it is under $300. But, I just read about the memory problem and it doesn't seem to be a very popular model on here but maybe that is justified?

So, I think I babbled on long enough here so please, if you don't mind, recommend a model and I also have one seller as a guide as to what may be available and a potential seller I was considering buying from. What do you think?:

http://www.portafixe.com/laptops-c-21.html?language=en

Do they look like a good contender or? I am in Canada so I am only looking at Canadian sellers whether they be private (especially local since it's easier and more convenient) or online from a reputable dealer (hopefully). I wanted to find a seller in which I could personally check out the laptop but I guess I'd take a chance and order. Is that safe though? I want to avoid lemons and I suspect it's easy to find laptops with flaws or problems because they're used and older. What are the chances of a good experience?

Okay, that is it for questions for now. Sorry, if it a bit lengthy and rambles on.

Summary:
Uses include: surfing, reading text, watching video including movies, avi files, videos from youtube etc., word processing

no gaming but I prefer good quality of display and would like a good resolution/screen although it's not essential (to get a high res).

[ssd_thinkpad]

no gaming but I prefer good quality of display and would like a good resolution/screen although it's not essential (to get a high res).

Welcome to the forums! I am in the same situation as you, I am searching for a good thinkpad for the same purposes as you. I did not found the right now but hope to help you with some informations.

The T4x series is in your budget. This series can do what you want, you can also put vista on it. If you prefer a good display, you should go with non-xga 15 inch models: In this case the screen is an IPS (Flexview) model and not the standard TN model. This gives you an improved screen quality. T4x series and X3 series share the same docking connector and use standard 2,5'' pata hdds if you want to upgrade them. So if you want to take a cheap x3 model later you can share the docking station. From T4x series the T43(p) is the most powerful, but the T42(p) is more quiet because of its lower gpu and you can in most situations disable its cpu fan with a software tool. T41-T42(p) series are known for a motherboard "flexing" issue, that means that if you move your thinkpad too fast there can be an issue with motherboard and then your notebook is gone. This issue was very much resolved in T43 series, which is louder. T42(p) seems to be the best choice. For more information about T42 with Flexview displays search within this forum for all posts from forum moderator Johan.

The T6x series can be in your budget, you'd like to take a model with ATI x1300 discrete graphics as it is colder and therefore quieter as the other discrete graphic cards. This series in general seem to be a bit hotter than the T4x series as its gpus are hotties. Remember that you'll need another docking station which is a bit more expensive than the one from the T4 / X3 series, but this docking will be compatible to most modern thinkpads from T6x / T400 / T500 series. This series uses 2,5'' sata hdds. If you like display quality, also take a 4:3 15'' non-xga model for having Flexview.

The 15 '' models are around 2,6 kg where 14 '' models are about 2,2 kg. With the x-series, you can go lighter. It depends whether you travel a lot or if you want to use your thinkpad display also as a desktop replacement display: In this case I would go 15 ''. If you travel a lot you'll need a new original battery which is more or less around 70-100 € for all series.

For your money you can also get a x3 series (where I do not know much about, but it is good compatible and therefore cheaper to upgrade) and a x4 series model which is beautiful, cheap to buy but you'll pay around the same money one more time to only upgrade it with an original battery and a fitting ssd to make it completely noise free.

[thinkpad1]

Welcome to the forums! I am in the same situation as you, I am searching for a good thinkpad for the same purposes as you. I did not found the right now but hope to help you with some informations.
The T4x series is in your budget. This series can do what you want, you can also put vista on it. If you prefer a good display, you should go with non-xga 15 inch models: In this case the screen is an IPS (Flexview) model and not the standard TN model. This gives you an improved screen quality. T4x series and X3 series share the same docking connector and use standard 2,5'' pata hdds if you want to upgrade them. So if you want to take a cheap x3 model later you can share the docking station. From T4x series the T43(p) is the most powerful, but the T42(p) is more quiet because of its lower gpu and you can in most situations disable its cpu fan with a software tool. T41-T42(p) series are known for a motherboard "flexing" issue, that means that if you move your thinkpad too fast there can be an issue with motherboard and then your notebook is gone. This issue was very much resolved in T43 series, which is louder. T42(p) seems to be the best choice. For more information about T42 with Flexview displays search within this forum for all posts from forum moderator Johan.

The T6x series can be in your budget, you'd like to take a model with ATI x1300 discrete graphics as it is colder and therefore quieter as the other discrete graphic cards. This series in general seem to be a bit hotter than the T4x series as its gpus are hotties. Remember that you'll need another docking station which is a bit more expensive than the one from the T4 / X3 series, but this docking will be compatible to most modern thinkpads from T6x / T400 / T500 series. This series uses 2,5'' sata hdds. If you like display quality, also take a 4:3 15'' non-xga model for having Flexview.

The 15 '' models are around 2,6 kg where 14 '' models are about 2,2 kg. With the x-series, you can go lighter. It depends whether you travel a lot or if you want to use your thinkpad display also as a desktop replacement display: In this case I would go 15 ''. If you travel a lot you'll need a new original battery which is more or less around 70-100 € for all series.

For your money you can also get a x3 series (where I do not know much about, but it is good compatible and therefore cheaper to upgrade) and a x4 series model which is beautiful, cheap to buy but you'll pay around the same money one more time to only upgrade it with an original battery and a fitting ssd to make it completely noise free.

Thanks for these comments and ideas!

I will check out the T42p discussions and search related topics regarding Flexview displays!

Quick question, though: Are the Flexview IPS displays always included with the higher resolutions?

I was wondering whether these are good options (although I don't have to choose only these or from this seller necessarily: I just thought they were decent examples):

http://www.portafixe.com/thinkpad-t60-p ... anguage=en

or?

http://www.portafixe.com/thinkpad-t42p- ... anguage=en

There is also a XGA version of the T43:

http://www.portafixe.com/thinkpad-t43-p ... anguage=en

But, that screen wouldn't be as good? Also, what about the flaws/potential issues with it compared to the other two?

Should I base my choice heavily on which one may be least likely to have an isssue (i.e. a defect or potential cpu/gpu issue?)? The T6x series is a bit costly so I was wondering if it is worth it or should I mostly look at T4x series? The T60 I listed above seems like it includes a lot of good features and maybe provides a Thinkpad model that might avoid many of the potential issues?

[ssd_thinkpad]

Every non-xga T40/T60 15 inch model has Flexview. Anything else has no Flexview. ATI Firefly gpu is very fast, I do not know if it will be hot, too. I'd very much prefer a cool gpu as you do not need its power anyway.

For your needs regarding power there will be no big difference in T42 / T60 models. Displays can fade within use, a T60 model can have a less used display and therefore better display quality. If you have around same price and can confirm that your T60 can be as cool as a standard T42 then I'd vote for T60 as hdd, keyboard, docking are compatible with modern T400/T500 series.

[Marin85]

I can confirm that ATI FireGL (both 3200 and 5200) tends to run quite hot. So powerful it is not, either

[TheRedFox]

I believe the T30 has no usb 2.0 (not positive), so in that sense it's not good. I don't know too much about T series though. X3 series is quite good with a good compromise between power and portability (X31 ranges between 1.3 and 1.7ghz Pentium M processors, X32 can get up to I think 2ghz, though I'm not certain. both can be upgraded to a max of 2gb RAM and 250gb HDD. the X31 has a fairly weak ATI Radeon 16mb graphics card with a 144mhz gpu. it's discrete though, so better than the X4x series). they also have fairly good battery life, though you would likely need a new battery, as batteries lose charge over their lifespans. X31 gets about 4.5h (5h with tweaking) and you could get the extended life battery which clips onto the dock connector and provides an ergonomic typing angle and would give you up to 8h (maybe 9 with tweaking, I don't really know). The X32 has 3.5h battery, I think, and I'm not sure if the extended life battery is compatible, though it uses the same connector.
my $0.02

[thinkpad1]

If the T30 doesn't have/support usb 2.0, I didn't know. That sucks. I think the X3x series might be too small. I like portable but I might want a bigger screen.

I would like the 15" Flexview screen but it is difficult to find one. I think a T42p has one but it has the ATI FireGL 2 (is that the one?) GPU and that runs hot? So hard to find something ideal!

I would like a decent battery life, at least 2 hours or more so that I could watch a movie or video without it being plugged in.

I mostly need to be able to surf or do whatever but the video watching is a major bonus that I would like included.

I thought the T42p would be the best compromise but I don't like potential GPU problems and I don't want anything that runs particularly hot.

Thanks for the info and comments so far, though! I appreciate it and thank you for the feedback!

[ajkula66]

Any ThinkPad with a "p" designation will run hotter than an equivalent non-p unit, because of the high-end GPUs used in them.

T42p units are nice, but you may want to consider a regular T42 with a 15" SXGA+ LCD and 9600 GPU, which run nice and quite cool compared to FireGl T2 on T42p. Now, these are prone to GPU failures, although less than their 14" siblings.

T60 with 15" SXGA+ are also a viable alternative. I'll agree that X1300 runs cooler than the rest of the bunch, but it's quite a weak performer. If you don't do anything graphic-intensive, you're not likely to notice. The good thing about T60s is that they're not prone to GPU failures like T4x units, quite a few have some warranty remaining, and use SATA drives along with cheaper DDR2 RAM, so upgrades are more cost-effective.

As for the older machines, T30 doesn't have USB 2.0, but you can always add a PCMCIA card. However, if you like your machines cool, T30 is not the one for you.

[dr_st]

You don't need dedicated GPU, so the lowest you can go the better. Integrated GPU would be the best for you probably.

If you want Flexview, you are pretty much stuck with dedicated though, unless you stumble upon some very rare T60 CTO model with 15" SXGA+ and Intel GPU, which I am not sure even exists.

14" T60s with SXGA+ resolution and Intel GPU seem to be more common, because they are often ordered by corporations, which go for 14" over 15" 95% of the time. The screen is pretty awful compared to a Flexview though.

If you can afford a T60, take it, unless it is a really low-specked one, and you can get a high-specked T42/T43 for the same price.

Stay away from the overpriced and overheating T42p/T43p models. Their only tangible advantage is the powerful GPU, which you don't need, and which is more likely to fail too.