Tell me which ThinkPad to choose next after owning a T41 ?

[Jules Tohpipi]

I absolutely adore my T41, but it's time to move on because the GPU and slow USB ports problems are proving over-whelming. Which of the ThinkPads should I upgrade to ?

Key things I like about my T41:
Thin and lightweight
Great keyboard and useability (e.g. love the light for the keyboard !)
Long battery life

Will be used for:
Basic stuff. Office apps, email, and web-browsing
Used around the house and as a companion on regular long-haul travel
Stutter-free playback of x264 material would be a nice extra - but no deal-breaker

Not interested in:
Widescreen displays, very high resolution displays, or reflective displays
Vista. I'll be running XP.
Anything that gets too hot
Wasting more time getting my T41 working reliably
Netbooks

Would be a pleasant bonus if:
I could use some of the T41 hardware on my next laptop e.g. my excellent battery with Panasonic cells, 7200RPM hard drive, extra chargers, etc

Cheaper is better and I'll be buying secondhand. T43, T60, T61 ?? What's their pro and cons for someone like me ?

Would really appreciate any feedback before I make the jump.

[t20user]

I am in the exact same situation, except I chose to stiay with my T41 for a while. I rehabbed my T41 and bought a new battery, new slim DVDRW, new keyboard and palmrest. For me I can't really justify getting a new machine since the power of the T41 is still fine for my needs.

However, I was in the market for a T60 with standard display recently. They seem to be the best thing you can get without widescreen. They also seem every bit as reliable as the T4x series. I personally wouldn't mess with a T43, but since you would like to use your HD and battery, that might be OK. They are about $200 cheaper than a T60.

[jdhurst]

I don't know if one can get a 4:3 screen anymore, but I replaced my T41 with a 4:3 14" T61p. It is a smidgen larger in all dimensions and a smidgen heavier, but fairly stated it is a direct replacement. I already had a 7200 rpm drive in my T41 and I have a 3x bigger 7200 rprm drive in my T61.

I took the opportunity to move to Vista Business 64-bit. After I beat the sucker into submission, I have it working well and comparably to Windows XP. The big payoff was the dual processor and 64-bit capability. It is much much faster than my T41. ..... JDH

[ajkula66]

The last machine made that would fit the bill would be a T61 with a 14" standard 4:3 LCD and integrated graphics.

Even if they're not officially available from Lenovo in the UK, sourcing one on eBay shouldn't be much of a problem.

My $0.02 only...