Advice? T60, T43, or Z60?

[jdebord]

Hello,

I've been researching Thinkpads, and am trying to decide the best one to acquire.

I recently got rid of my home desktop, and am looking to replace my Fujitsu laptop with a Thinkpad. I'm set on a Thinkpad primarily because of the quality of the keyboard.

The laptop I'm accustomed to has a 13.3" screen and is maybe 4-5 lbs. I'd like a bigger screen, but also a notebook light enough overall to do some websurfing on the couch without it getting uncomfortable from weight or heat.

I was going to go with the new T60's, but it looks like they are likely a few months out from delivery. So now I'm looking at the T43 and Z60. The fact that they are cheaper and readily available is a plus. I don't plan to do any gaming - just Office applications and a bit of Photoshop and other Adobe graphics programs.

I'd like something with a faster harddrive - 5400 rpm+ - as well as 80+ GB of space.

I like that the Z60 has the wide screen and looking at the specs, it seems as though certain models are brighter.

I went into an Office Depot today - one drawback I noticed on the Z60 is the there is less surface space below the keyboard - I have big hands, so typing seemed like it might be more comfortable on the T43. Having said that, the T43 had a 15" screen, and the Z60 was 14", so maybe they'd even out if the screen sizes were the same? If anyone could provide some onsight on that in particular, I'd really appreciate it.

Anyway, if anyone has any input, that would be great. The new T60s sound really cool, but I don't know that I need that much more power either. I've "overbought" on PCs many times, and then never use the extra horsepower...

Jason

[christopher_wolf]

Hello and Welcome to the Thinkpad Forums

Well; it depends. I have a T43 and I really love it for what I do (some serious rendering in PyMol, CAD work, MATLAB, and custom OpenGL apps). The keyboard quality is amazing, I also compared it to a Z60t at Office Depot the other day and didn't notice much of a difference. The biggest differences are the screes and the weight. Is this going to be a desktop replacement that has to be mobile as well?

[jdebord]

Thanks for the welcome and reply.

I think it will be mobile mostly just within my house. It will replace my desktop, but I really don't do any powerhouse sorts of things with my home PC anymore; having said that, I like to get a couple years at least out of any system.

It's too bad you can't pick up the ones at Office Depot - I'd like to have handled them to get a better idea of the weight, but they wouldn't take them out.

Also, long battery life is a nice bonus.

The keyboard is the biggest selling factor to me though. I do a lot of creative writing, so now that my desktop is gone, I'd like to go with the best in terms of keyboard, and I've heard nothing but great things about Thinkpads all these years, so I figure now is the time...

Thanks again,

Jason

[asiafish]

If it rarely leaves the house and is used mainly for text input, I'd say go with the cheapest T-series you can get, or even an R. I think Lenovo has some R-series models for under $700 brand-new, and any of those will do every bit as well for creative writing as the highest-spec, most expensive T60p.

Where the more expensive machines shine is in size and weight (X-series and T to a lesser extent), durability (again X and T) and raw speed (T). For what you want, none of those qualities make much of a difference, so get an R5x at hte lowest price possible or a good used T40 and enjoy the best keyboard in the business.

Of course, if you want to save even more money and get the very best keyboard ever put on ANY computer, find yourself a clean used 600-series, any model will do. The 13.3" LCD will seem small and dim compared to the modern stuff, but it was good enough then and it remains good enough now. The keyboard, however, is so far beyond the very best of today that many people still use them as their main computers. The 600X is even fast enough to be your main computer if your needs are light.

[w0qj]

Or how about T42?

Main problem with T43 is upgrading non-IBM-supplied hard drives... which you would probably run into (especially since you've even considered older models of Thinkpads & upgrade yourself).

Also, T43 battery consumption slightly higher due to CPU, and has an ExpressCard slot instead of a PC Card for one of the slots.

Have you seen an ExpressCard accessory?
Neither have I.


T42's prices have dropped to a more reasonable level, and performance is still quite good, and it's only a 1 year old model...
(T43 was introduced in May'05 if I remember correctly...)

[christopher_wolf]

Asiafish's reply was right on the money; an R Series would be a really good bet, so would a mid-range T Series.

[jdebord]

Thanks for all of the great advice and ideas.

I think I'm pretty set on the Z60m, T43p, ot a T60 model. If I'm going to buy new hardware, I think I'm pretty set on getting something newer and something more powerful than I need, just so I feel I can get several years of use out of it (even if I could save some money getting an older model).

I noticed looking that the tabook that there is a Z60m model with a higher res screen - the 2530-EU9 has a 1680x1050 screen.

I also noticed the T43p (like the 2668-Q2U) can cost upward of $1K more than some of the Z60m models I was leaning toward if I went that route...

So while I think I might like the form factor of the T43 a bit better, the Z60m seems a little more economical (and the widescreen can have some benefits).

Also, I should note that I currently lug around a 12 pound Fujitsu 17" laptop that is 100% dedicated to work, so I guess anything would seem much lighter compared to that!

Anyway, I appreciate the comments, and welcome more if you have them.

Thanks again,

Jason

[dr_st]

I think I'm pretty set on the Z60m, T43p, ot a T60 model.

Nobody suggested you to buy older hardware. The hardware used in the R series is the same as in the T series. The R series is heavier and not as slim as the T series, and costs somewhat less because of that. The T43p is of course going to be ridiculously expensive because of the FireGL card.

[jdebord]

I see - I never really looked at the R series, so just figured it was older - I'll take a look at it!


Thanks!

Jason

[asiafish]

Are series are current models, just a bit bulkier and heavier due to their plastic as opposed to magnesium enclosures. They actually look almost the same on first glance and are every bit as pleasant to use and fast (depending on the options you get). Like the T series, they range from cheap models with integrated video and low resolution screens up to workstations with FireGL cards and massive high-resolution displays.

[wantathinkpad]

Isn't the Z series quality a hyrid of the T and R series?

[jdebord]

I think I'm leaning toward the T60-2007 76U.

I think I like the added portability of the T series, and battery life sounds like it might be a little better.

I don't think the widescreen on the Z's are as practical, and I didn't like that the wrist pad areas aren't as deep as the T's.

The pricing on the T43 series and T60 series seem pretty comparable.

I picked out the model number in the first line because it has the 15" FlexView, the 7200rpm 100GB hard drive, BlueTooth and the finger scanner, no Verizon built in, and the DVD burner included...

Make sense?

Thanks again for all the advice. I still may change my mind, but i"m thinking maybe I should just wait for the newer T60?

Jason

[asiafish]

The T-series are usually a good bet. While there have been a few problem models (T30 memory slot and T43 fan issues come to mind), for the most part they are very well made, reliable, and relatively thin and light compared to their competition.

All that, and they are an ergonomic delight. I still remember when back in late 1999 I bought a new Toshiba laptop and then got to use a friend's new T20 for a few minutes. I don't recall ever being jealous over a mere product like that before or since.

[jdebord]

So I finally decided and ordered the T60 today - the 2007-76U. He said it would be about 5 weeks.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm really looking forward to this machine...

Jason