Looking to buy T42 2379

[parthj26]

I'm going to college soon and I bet lots of people have been asking about college laptops, but I think I've found the right one for me. It will mostly be used for office applications, maybe very minimal gaming and surfing the web.

Let me know if there is anything that I should Add/Take Away from this... I'm trying not to spend too much more than maybe 1500$

T42 2379R1U $1449
Processor: Intel Pentium M processor 725 (1.6GHz 2MB L2 Cache 400MHz FSB) (Standard)
Display type: 14.1 inch XGA (1024x768) TFT Display (Standard
512MB RAM
Hard drive: ThinkPad 40GB 5400rpm Hard Disk Drive
ThinkPad 24X/24X/24X/8X Max CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo V Ultrabay Slim Drive
Windows XP Professional

Oh yeah, any way to lower the price would be greatly appreciated.

[EatMorGlue]

I'm entering my second year of grad school, and I just picked up a 2379 R1U this summer. I think it's great.

The fingerprint reader was a small but not insignificant factor in my choosing a ThinkPad over other manufacturers. If you're living in the dorms or hauling it around campus, the added sense of security will be comforting if nothing else. And speaking of hauling it everywhere, at just under 5lbs it's pretty portable without being back-breaking. Look into getting a good sleeve case for it, and there are several threads about that here. I got a Waterfield for mine, and it's terrific.

I think your price includes a factory-installed memory upgrade? I bumped mine up to 1.25GB RAM, and this is cheaper to do on your own rather than ordering the upgrade from IBM. You can probably get a 1GB stick for between $100 and $150, as opposed to the $440 IBM charges. If you're going to upgrade the RAM, and I think you have to, I'd say it's cheaper to upgrade it yourself, and you can get a lot more for a lot less. And I think if you're going to spend money on RAM, you should definitely get as much as you can.

Also, after the recovery partition, XP, and all the IBM programs, you're looking at losing upwards of 5GB off that 40GB HD right off the bat. Since the R1U is an express model, I don't think you can upgrade the HD to a larger capacity one, but it might be worthwhile to look at other T42 models that either allow you to upgrade or come with a larger standard HD.

My laptop isn't my primary computer, as I have an Aptiva which holds most of my files, so losing that storage wasn't a huge issue for me. But I assume the R1U will be your primary machine, so space could be more important for you, especially if you're looking to put games on there, mp3s, programs for classes perhaps, etc. The 30-35GB you'll actually start off with out of the box won't seem like a lot after a couple of years in school. Of course, another option would be to wait until you actually need more storage, and get a USB hard drive then, which will keep your costs down now.

As far as lowering the price, I used a friend's IBM employee discount which pushed my total (including taxes) down to around $1175, and shipping was free since I ordered online. At the time, the EPP base price for the 2379 R1U was $1099. I ordered it as-is basically, since I already had a copy of MS Office and did the RAM upgrade myself. If you or your family knows anybody who works for IBM, ask them for a discount. Barring the EPP discount, I believe they also offer educational discounts, but since I didn't go that route I'm not entirely sure how it works.

[mysbca]

Have you checked with your school to see if they have any discounts?

If not, go here:
www.ibm.com/education/us

Select "Student PC purchases" on the right column.

The 2379R1U should be $1259 with the base 256MB RAM. It also includes a free extra 6 cell battery, or for $49 more, a 9 cell battery. Go to add options to choose this. I would buy the extra RAM at Crucial or somewhere else.

There seems to be a bug in their system. When placed in the cart, the price changes to $1286. You might need to call them.

Also, after the recovery partition, XP, and all the IBM programs, you're looking at losing upwards of 5GB off that 40GB HD right off the bat.

You can reclaim about 4GB of the lost disk space by removing the hidden partition. Just make sure you make a set of recovery discs first.

[parthj26]

Thanks guys,

The educational discount deal helped alot, and I'm not very good at DIY stuff, so I think I'll stick to the upgrade to 512MB because its only like $42.50. I was also wondering if I could do both the educational and the employee discount. Yeah, I know I'm getting a little silly with the money issue but I'm paying for it with my own money.

Thanks Again

[mysbca]

I'm not very good at DIY stuff, so I think I'll stick to the upgrade to 512MB because its only like $42.50.

Actually, adding RAM is the easiest thing to do. Unscrew the cover in the bottom and plop the RAM in there. Replace the cover and you are done; less than a minute. 256MB is currently $30 and 512MB is $63 at Crucial.com. You probably can find the 512MB cheaper elsewhere.

Edit: Kingmax 512MB PC2700 Sodimm at Newegg for $44 before $5 rebate, similar price to the 256MB from IBM/Lenovo.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820155122

Remember that you only have two slots, once you fill the second slot with a 256MB, you will have to remove one to add more memory. From your intended usage, 512MB is probably sufficient, but personally, I would add at least a 512MB stick for not much more money.

I could do both the educational and the employee discount.

No, you can not. If you have access to the employee discount, use that. It has the bigger discount.