Thinkpads Forum

Hello all,

I'm new here so I hope I posted my question in the right forum.

Presently I have Thinkpad R40 (P4M-1.8, 20G, 256DDR ram) at home for home use and T23 for work.

R40 seems to be well built (not as sturdy but T23, but still solid), however, I don't like the fact that the speakers on the R40 are about half as powerfull as the T23 speakers.

I'm in the market for a new laptop, and would like to get most bang for my buck. Ideally, I'd like to spend less than $1500 for a new laptop with a 3 year warranty.

Question #1 - does IBM warranty cover screen? Say if a screen were to go out on me, would IBM replace it free? How about if I had a dark spot at the bottom? Any info would be appreciated?

Question #2 - If I don't mind bulkier design of the notebook (actually, I like to have 14.1" screen, not more) will R51 be as good as T42/T43?

Question #3 - How are the speakers on T42/T43 compared to R51/R52?

Question #4 - I hope I won't offend anyone here, but how is Dell Latitude D810 compared to R51 notebook? I know that Dell's are not as sturdy as thinkpads, but how is their business class notebook compared to R51?

Thanks in advance,

VK

1. Yes, somewhat. If the panel or backlight or whatever fails, it is covered, but not if you cause the damage. Unless you get the accidental damage protection, which is not a bad idea.

2. The newer T and R series are pretty comparable as far as specs go, but the T is a little sturdier and lighter, being designed for someone who travels with it a lot. I have a good friend with an R50 who is perfectly happy with it, but I do prefer the T series because it is a little lighter and has the rubber grip on the LCD backing.

3. I think they are pretty much the same. I noticed that they don't compare to my T30 for quality, but then again, they are trying to make the whole laptop as slim as possible, so I can understand it's hard to get good speakers in there.

4. I'm not impressed with Dell, even the Latitudes. Their lack of R&D dollars is evident in the lack of innovation in the models.

I think that the T and R series use many common internal components. The T series has some options for better CPU, Graphics, and Display, but all in all the major difference is the build materials and weight. The T series is sturdier and lighter.

I have also been comparing these models. Part of my confusion is coming from PCWorld giving the R51 a better rating than the T42 (see http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/ ... 580,00.asp). I was under the impression that the T series was supposed to be vastly superior to the R series, so I found this somewhat puzzling.

Other than size/weight, is there any compelling reason to go with the T over the R?

Other than durability, probably not, although some of the faster CPUs and graphics chips are on the T series only.

vjack wrote: Other than size/weight, is there any compelling reason to go with the T over the R?

for the best bang of the buck...an R51 would be ideal, if you don't mind the plastic casing, that is.