Question about 2373H6U on sale at Lenovo

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Edward Mendelson · #1 Post by **Edward Mendelson** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 8:20 am

The 2373H6U on sale for $1500 at Lenovo's site looks very appealing. One question about it - it seems to say that it's upgradeable to integrated bluetooth, but that it doesn't have it in there. Is that correct? And does the upgrade involve installing a clear plate and a replacement modem card (which looks fairly simple) or is it more complicated than that?

Thanks for any advice on this one.

kendalf · #2 Post by **kendalf** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 8:27 am

I just received my 2373-H6U yesterday night, and haven't had much time to play with it yet, but it does come with Bluetooth integrated. Here is the specific model info from IBM:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... y=2373-h6u

Very sweet deal, if you ask me, which can be made even sweeter by ordering it w/ WinXP Home if you already have the CDs for WinXP Pro and plan to do a fresh install. I also went w/ 256Mb RAM (upgrading w/ Crucial memory from Mwave or Newegg.com) and the Intel b/g wifi card instead of the standard a/b/g. Total price before taxes and fees: $1341.

EDIT: Oh, and I also dropped down to the 6 cell battery to get that price.

stanmocek · #3 Post by **stanmocek** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 8:41 am

Edward Mendelson wrote:The 2373H6U on sale for $1500 at Lenovo's site looks very appealing. One question about it - it seems to say that it's upgradeable to integrated bluetooth, but that it doesn't have it in there. Is that correct? And does the upgrade involve installing a clear plate and a replacement modem card (which looks fairly simple) or is it more complicated than that?

I thought it was a good deal, too - so mine is due here in a few days.

I ordered mine much like Kendalf did, with the exception of opting for XP Pro. The parts list for mine as shipped does show a bluetooth card as standard:

27R1879 27R1880 BLUETOOTH/MODEM DAUGHTER CARD FRU, (BMDC YES)

Stan Mocek

elee102 · #4 Post by **elee102** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 8:56 am

kendalf or stanmocek:

since you have already recieved or are close to recieving your 2373H6U, could you maybe mention when you ordered it?

I just ordered mine on Monday 26th to replace a dead dell.

Thanks!

Edward Mendelson · #5 Post by **Edward Mendelson** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 9:16 am

Thanks to everyone - I'm about to order...

stanmocek · #6 Post by **stanmocek** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 9:36 am

elee102 wrote:
since you have already recieved or are close to recieving your 2373H6U, could you maybe mention when you ordered it?

I just ordered mine on Monday 26th to replace a dead dell.

Thanks!

I ordered mine on the 26th also - it went into "shipping" status late last night (28th), but the UPS tracking number that is being used has yet to show as valid. So while I have a serial number, I'm not certain that it has actually "shipped".

Stan Mocek

elee102 · #7 Post by **elee102** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 9:48 am

stanmocek wrote:
elee102 wrote:
since you have already recieved or are close to recieving your 2373H6U, could you maybe mention when you ordered it?

I just ordered mine on Monday 26th to replace a dead dell.

Thanks!
I ordered mine on the 26th also - it went into "shipping" status late last night (28th), but the UPS tracking number that is being used has yet to show as valid. So while I have a serial number, I'm not certain that it has actually "shipped".

Stan Mocek

Thanks for the update Stan. Mine is still in the packing stage...hopefully that will change in the next day or so.

Edward Mendelson · #8 Post by **Edward Mendelson** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 10:19 am

By the way, my estimated ship date is November 24th (no joke). Not really that much of a problem, because it's replacing a slower machine, and there's nothing urgent about it. And I suppose that if a better deal shows up before then, then there's still plenty of time to cancel this one...

stanmocek · #9 Post by **stanmocek** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 1:25 pm

Edward Mendelson wrote:By the way, my estimated ship date is November 24th (no joke). Not really that much of a problem, because it's replacing a slower machine, and there's nothing urgent about it. And I suppose that if a better deal shows up before then, then there's still plenty of time to cancel this one...

Heh, it's been over 4 years since I ordered a ThinkPad (T21), so I had no idea how fast it was going to be. There seems to be a lot of variability in how they ship like in this thread:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... highlight=

and FWIW the UPS tracking number has now gone live.

Stan Mocek

hoya · #10 Post by **hoya** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 1:56 pm

I bought the same machine and LOVE it. Bluetooth is standard, as is a fingerprint reader and 3-year warranty. I got a HYDIS display which is supposedly superior to the Samsung panel, but I honestly can't tell the difference. I even took some pictures comparing a 15" FlexView (center) to both Hydis and Samsung 14" SXGA+ panels in case you're interested:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11221256@N00/

I would say the Hydis and Samsung 14" SXGA+ panels are nearly identical, though the Hydis is slightly brighter (maybe 5%) and has slightly better contrast (blacks are a little blacker if you look closely)

here are some more shots comparing two 15" FlexViews (LG & ID Tech) with a Hydis non-flexview SXGA+ panel:
http://home.att.net/~murphj/wsb/html/vi ... html-.html

kendalf · #11 Post by **kendalf** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 6:06 pm

Regarding the order to ship date:
I placed my order on 9/8; original ship date was supposed to be 10/15, but I received a shipping e-mail and serial # last Friday. However, the tracking # that was given on the order status page was ~not~ for the notebook, and I spent four hours this past Monday waiting for the UPS driver to arrive with what turned out to be the free carrying case...

I finally called Lenovo Wednesday and they gave me the tracking # for the computer itself and I picked it up directly from UPS in the evening.

So if you're waiting for your system to be shipped, from what I've gathered from posts on this forum, the estimated shipping date is generally bogus and you will most likely receive the system earlier. I guess they prefer surprising people with an "earlier" ship date than expected, rather than disappointing them with an overly optimistic estimate.

kendalf · #12 Post by **kendalf** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 6:12 pm

stanmocek wrote:
I ordered mine on the 26th also - it went into "shipping" status late last night (28th), but the UPS tracking number that is being used has yet to show as valid. So while I have a serial number, I'm not certain that it has actually "shipped".

Stan Mocek

Stan, you lucky man. Two days from order to ship?

If you received your shipping e-mail w/ serial # but the tracking # isn't valid yet, I would wait one more day and then try giving Lenovo a call with your order #. You may be seeing what happened to me, where the notebook is actually on its way but Lenovo just hasn't correctly updated the tracking # on the order status page. By the time that I called, UPS had attempted delivery two times already, and if I had waited another day the package would have been sent back to Lenovo.

stanmocek · #13 Post by **stanmocek** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 7:32 pm

kendalf wrote:
Stan, you lucky man. Two days from order to ship?

If you received your shipping e-mail w/ serial # but the tracking # isn't valid yet, I would wait one more day and then try giving Lenovo a call with your order #. You may be seeing what happened to me, where the notebook is actually on its way but Lenovo just hasn't correctly updated the tracking # on the order status page. By the time that I called, UPS had attempted delivery two times already, and if I had waited another day the package would have been sent back to Lenovo.

Heh - I'll feel lucky when I have it in my hands.

As I mentioned above, the tracking number is live now, and I have to keep myself from checking it too often. The other interesting thing for me is that the case has not shipped as yet - still listed as "within two weeks" - the exact opposite of your experience.

Stan Mocek

chikin03 · #14 Post by **chikin03** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 9:57 pm

I ordered mine yesterday, after agonizing publicly in the thread just below this...

No mention of bluetooth on the invoice, but it does have a weird line:
1 2373H6U ** EXP T42 FINGER PRT RDR 14.1" S

From what I can tell on the site, this means it'll have a reader. Guess we'll see (ship date 10/19/05)

stanmocek · #15 Post by **stanmocek** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 10:03 pm

chikin03 wrote:I ordered mine yesterday, after agonizing publicly in the thread just below this...

No mention of bluetooth on the invoice, but it does have a weird line:
1 2373H6U ** EXP T42 FINGER PRT RDR 14.1" S

From what I can tell on the site, this means it'll have a reader. Guess we'll see (ship date 10/19/05)

That's what shows on my invoice also. Once you get an email showing your unit's serial number you can input it at:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... sLookup.vm

to see all the parts that are shipping.

Stan Mocek

chikin03 · #16 Post by **chikin03** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 4:55 pm

Hey, mine arrived this afternoon. It's gorgeous

Hydis display (have to remember that vertical display doesn't work--I'm tall, and can notice banding--duh)
Fingerprint reader was a nice bonus (though I haven't used yet)
Wireless available before I even recovered from the shock of opening it
Touchpad is pretty sensitive for pseudo-click (will have to get used to it, or maybe software adjusts it)

Repartitioning/installing pro now

Tried listening for noise, but my desktop--which is helpful for instructions etc.--is swamping it.

Guess I need to buy a stick of RAM and a kensington lock before I take it on campus.

No case atm, but hopefully my "notebook backpack" will fit.

Lots of extra stickers (bluetooth mac, etc) that maybe I should figure out what to do with.

Later,
Chi

NJ_IT · #17 Post by **NJ_IT** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 7:52 pm

I ordered a minimum configuration of this 2373H6U on the last day of the first sale (10/3 night) ,which are WinXPPro,256MB,40GB/5400,No WLAN,6 cell.
Total was $1330(w/o Tax).Very good deal!,Shiipping estimation is 10/21.(I already have 100GB/5400,1GBRAM,IBM a/b/c Mini2,9cell)
Sale is extended until 10/31,but $80 higher than the first sale price in same configuration.
Still good deal!

stanmocek · #18 Post by **stanmocek** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 8:08 pm

chikin03 wrote:Hey, mine arrived this afternoon. It's gorgeous

Chi

Woot! Mine arrived yesterday too along with 2GB of ram from NewEgg. Great timing.

Got home too late to do anything, so it had to wait until today.

Hydis display and NMB keyboard. Already disabled the touchpad.

The last new Thinkpad I bought was a T21 and I have to say that this is one beautiful machine in comparison. Nice, bright screen, no dead pixels, no creaking from the palmrest. Runs cool and quiet, too.

Keyboard is not quite up to 600x standards, but doesn't miss by much. I'm one happy camper.

Stan Mocek

SteveDC · #19 Post by **SteveDC** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 10:34 am

Speaking of memory, I ordered one also with 256k. I figured I would swap it with the 1 gig in my T40. If that will not work, please let me know.

I fouled up the online order and called a sales rep to cancel, and he walked me through a new online order. I agreed to put his sales rep number on the online order so he get's credit, and he gave me a "free" shipping upgrade to 2-day from standard ($50 value). (Not that it makes much difference -- that is shipping after it gets to the US, I think.)

Delivery date estimate? The rep said an accurate estimate cannot be made. Yes, the dates shown when checking order status on the web are bogus.

stanmocek · #20 Post by **stanmocek** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 1:30 pm

SteveDC wrote:Speaking of memory, I ordered one also with 256k. I figured I would swap it with the 1 gig in my T40. If that will not work, please let me know.

Someone else may want to chime in here, but that may be a problem. The memory on my T42 is listed as DDR2700/DDR333 and the T40 takes DDR2100/DDR266. So all *I* can say is that it's different. Whether it it'll work - -

Stan Mocek

#21 Post by **aamsel** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 1:11 am

The ground vs upgrade shipping is apparently a "dirty little secret" of Lenovo and formerly IBM. The reason...I have paid the $50 several times for 2 day shipping, and I have paid zero for the ground shipping.
Guess what...EVERY order ships International Priority.
If you pay the $50 extra you have just given Lenovo $50 extra.
Why...
Well, every Thinkpad that ships out of China goes on the same planes to USA.
After the box clears customs, the Thinkpad will be delivered to you usually the next business day by 10:30am. If it clears customs too late at night or too early in the morning, it may be the following business day by 10:30am.
I have not seen any exception to this, has anyone???
Look at the UPS shipping label when your Thinkpad arrives. It will say "International Priority" on it.
Ground, 2 day, doesn't matter. It will ship International Priority.

Andrew
Austin, TX

SteveDC wrote:...he gave me a "free" shipping upgrade to 2-day from standard ($50 value)...

karmasoft · #22 Post by **karmasoft** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 8:59 am

Hi. First post here on Thinkpads.com. Ordered the 2373H6U a couple weeks ago. Ordered it with 256MB RAM for ~$1500 then ordered 2GB Crucial RAM from newegg for $240. Lenovo reported it would ship on 10/14. But it actually arrived on 10/4!

So for roughly ~$1750 here's the rig I'm typing on:

T42 14.1 SXGA
1.8 Ghz Pentium M
ATI Radeon 9600
60GB 7.2k RPM
2GB Crucial CL2.5 DDR PC2700
6 cell battery

First impressions so far.
1. RAM was super easy to install
2. Machine is very quiet
3. Keyboard is just fantastic

Haven't used the fingerprint reader or bluetooth yet. I think this is the best notebook computer value on the market at this time. Well, I guess I would naturally think that.

ddutta · #23 Post by **ddutta** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:07 am

aamsel wrote:The ground vs upgrade shipping is apparently a "dirty little secret" of Lenovo and formerly IBM. The reason...I have paid the $50 several times for 2 day shipping, and I have paid zero for the ground shipping.
Guess what...EVERY order ships International Priority.
If you pay the $50 extra you have just given Lenovo $50 extra.
Why...
Well, every Thinkpad that ships out of China goes on the same planes to USA.
After the box clears customs, the Thinkpad will be delivered to you usually the next business day by 10:30am. If it clears customs too late at night or too early in the morning, it may be the following business day by 10:30am.
I have not seen any exception to this, has anyone???
Look at the UPS shipping label when your Thinkpad arrives. It will say "International Priority" on it.
Ground, 2 day, doesn't matter. It will ship International Priority.

Andrew
Austin, TX

SteveDC wrote:...he gave me a "free" shipping upgrade to 2-day from standard ($50 value)...

I agree. I have always opted for cheap slow ground shipping since I checked the label of my 1st thinkpad that was shipped from Kowloon HK and arrived in 3 days

NJ_IT · #24 Post by **NJ_IT** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:58 am

aamsel wrote:Look at the UPS shipping label when your Thinkpad arrives. It will say "International Priority" on it.
Ground, 2 day, doesn't matter. It will ship International Priority.

SteveDC wrote:...he gave me a "free" shipping upgrade to 2-day from standard ($50 value)...

I agree with you too.
I ordered it by free UPS ground, and it's now 'in transit' via Korea from HongKong .
UPS tracking shows "(International) EXPRESS"

DIGITALgimpus · #25 Post by **DIGITALgimpus** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 12:50 pm

Lots of companies do that for international shipping. Especially if they use an exclusive shipper, and/or if they have lots of shipments.

They get a better deal that way, since it's cheaper for the shipper to just ship, rather than sort and ship things according to priority. This way, only 1 plane is needed, rather than sorting, and perhaps sending things in different ways.

That's why newegg.com uses FedEx almost exclusively, and shipping is pretty cheap.

ZipZoomFly often offers 2day shipping free, but UPS ground can cost $6 (that's what it was for my last order)... why? Same reason. It sounds silly, but they want to get that bulk discount.

Apple does something similar too... Virtually everything ships via FedEx. Exact same reason. Legend has it, for several months there was litterally an iPod flight from Shanghai China --> Anchorage Alaska by FedEx every day. Alaska is where it went through customs, then on to the big FedEx hub (I believe it's indianapolis)... and to the customer.

Logistics is big business. It can make or break your company. If you can keep those costs down, you can save millions and millions.

vespadaddy · #26 Post by **vespadaddy** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 1:38 pm

kendalf wrote:
Very sweet deal, if you ask me, which can be made even sweeter by ordering it w/ WinXP Home if you already have the CDs for WinXP Pro and plan to do a fresh install.

This really grabs my attention.

I have XP Pro on a Dell laptop I plan to replace with a new laptop. Can I somehow use the XP Pro disc from my old Dell system to install XP Pro on a new Thinkpad? Does Microsoft allow this, or will the registration system they use not allow this?

Appologies in advance for the simple question, and the brief threadjack.

Vespadaddy

#27 Post by **aamsel** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 12:42 am

So, I noticed that you put 2GB of RAM in your H6U.
Did you simply want to max out the memory or are there specific applications that you plan to run where you felt that 2GB would be advantageous??

Andrew
Austin, TX

karmasoft wrote:
So for roughly ~$1750 here's the rig I'm typing on:

T42 14.1 SXGA
1.8 Ghz Pentium M
ATI Radeon 9600
60GB 7.2k RPM
2GB Crucial CL2.5 DDR PC2700
6 cell battery

NJ_IT · #28 Post by **NJ_IT** » Wed Oct 12, 2005 1:07 pm

Not a hot topic ,,,,, but ,,,
I received a H6U on 10/10 AM from HK(ordered on 10/3 Midnight). After I swapped HDD with 100GB/5400rpm(Toshiba) and added 1GB Crucial Memory + IBM 512MB memory(Total 1.5GB),made a comparison of HDBench result between H6U and previously owned T42P(1.8GHz/15"),got a almost same result as I expected.
Toshiba HDD MK1032GAX did a good job as same as 7K60,because 16MB buffer is effective to improve 'Write cycle' performance.
I believe T42P's FireGL-T2 is equivalent to Radeon9600 except OPEN-GL application.
14"SXGA+ is bright and No dead pixel! But keytouch is little bit looser than my T43P,I like tight keytouch.(Should be swapped!)
CPU operated in not so hot condition during 'Hot CPU Tester Pro4 Lite',less than 60deg C,and FAN was very quiet!!
Very good and cheap machine, H6U will be my main office machine, but T43P will work for Video encoding in home as desktop.

Edward Mendelson · #29 Post by **Edward Mendelson** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 10:22 am

BTW, I ordered mine on Sept 29, and the order status page kept pushing the estimated shipping date back until it reached November 30th. This morning (Oct 15) I got an e-mail saying it had shipped.

NJ_IT · #30 Post by **NJ_IT** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 1:15 pm

When I orderd H6U on 10/03 in Lenovo web, I forgot to order Free battery(6cell) in web.
I noticed it two days later(10/5), and immediately called Lenovo order help desk to add Free battery shipping.
On receiving H6U,No Free battery included,so I was disappointed.
But I just received shipping notification mail of Free Battery shipping from HK on 10/14 !!
Help desk guy did good work!

Question about 2373H6U on sale at Lenovo

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