Case cracked again......arrrrr!!

[mainer]

Well this is a first post for me, and not a happy one. I've had my Thinkpad G41 since July. Back in December I had to send it back for a crack in the screen case. They sent it back and I figured all was well. Well again it is cracked. The same place. The same crack. You couldn't tell a difference if you put the 2 cases next to each other.

I have NEVER droped this computer. I dont beat it. I use it on my lap on the couch and thats it. It hardly ever travles and when it does its in a padded case with nothing else in the case.

The hinge below the crack can be pushed back. Its loose. I told them this when I first sent it in and they didn't fix it. I called when i got it back and told them, they said they could take a look at it again. I just kept it, cant be with out a computer for work, and school.

I called them today, the box will be here tomarrow. I told them that this is the second time and that the hinge isn't working correct. They said to send it in and they would replace the case, and look at the hinge. I told the person that I dont want this to happen again.

I didn't buy a extended warrenty, didn't think i would need one with the IBM product. My warrenty is up in July, and I dont want this to happen again.

SO what do I do? Just hope for the best? Do I call back and give the guy hell and get my self a different computer? Do i fix it and sell it?

Other thing is My fan runs about all the time I'm on it. I can put it on a table and it does the same thing. I purchesed one of the cooling pads, says it moves 40cfm. But it does nothing. Is this normal?

I really want to get a IBM tablet, but after the trubles I have had with this thing IDK if I want another IBM product.

Has this happened to anyone else? they known for it?

So what do I do?

here is a pic of the crack.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v624/ ... omp004.jpg

Coop....Sory for the long first post, but need to get it out.

[bhtooefr]

The fan running all the time is caused by the ThinkPad G series having a barnburner Pentium 4 desktop processor.

The ULV and LV Pentium Ms used in the X41 Tablets are *MUCH* cooler running processors.

For comparison, the CPUs in the G series have a TDP (Typical Design Power) of 85-100 watts.

The CPUs in the X41T models have a TDP of approximately 6 or 15W, depending on model.

As for the build quality, don't worry about it. Keep in mind that the G series was the [censored] child of the ThinkPads. The X (what you're looking at, after all) and T series are the flagship models in the ThinkPad lineup. The Z series is near flagship status. The R series is a solid budget model that's actually just a T series built with cheaper materials (exception: R50e has a different mobo with no docking connector ,and a "fixed" bay, R51e has a TOTALLY different mobo with a different CHIPSET, and no docking connector, and the fixed bay. Still, both are solid budget models with a chassis design derived from that of the T4x line.)

[schen]

A couple of years ago, I decided against purchasing G series IBMs due to the fact that they were not an "IBM" product, but a contracted piece produced by Quanta who is the primary contractor for Dell notebooks. I did this purposefully since I've had bad experiences with having to support Dell notebooks as well as what I felt to be second-rate build quality. Especially in the plastics. In fact I had a student worker who's working Dell 3500 basically fell apart due to poor plastics. As it turned out, it was a good decision to pay an extra couple of hundred per unit to get R series machines.

For some time, IBM always had a "low-end" line manufactured to a price-point to that they could make in-roads into the "consumer" market. The previous models were the "i" series contracted by Acer.

[bhtooefr]

And now it's the Lenovo 3000C.

[schen]

I'll have to check that out. I'm kinda facinated by the "[censored]" child laptops. One day, I may try and collect them. I have a good start. My wife's grandparents have a i14xx (of the bad AC connector fame). I also have strong suspicions about the 500/510s as well. They also had really bad plastics too.

[schen]

WOW!!! (in a bad way) Other than the Z-like brushed aluminum cover, it looks and is spec'd exactly like the low-end Dells! At least they had sense enough to NOT call it a ThinkPad.....yet.

[bhtooefr]

Rumor has it that the 3000C is a rather durable machine, though...

And, we're finally getting the 12.1"-with-integrated-optical model that everyone's been waiting for. In a 3000-series model, though. Actually, I wouldn't be too surprised if it's a rebadged Inspiron 700m or something.

[mainer]

Got a little off topic there, but what ever.

So what I do? From what I have read above I should just get it fixed and sell it. It dosen't seem like it is worth keeping. I have wanted a tablet for awhile now, but just cant see buying one when I just got my G41. BTW I've got the lowest model g41 with the celeron D, and a 30gig, I upgraded to a CD-RW DVD drive, 128mb ram. Whats the thing worth now? 500?

Coop

[ThinkPad R]

I think something's wrong with IBM design. Seriously.

Perhaps they got off quality recently (before purchase by Lenovo) and the quality got worse with Lenovo.


For example, I read an article written by a scientist who went in a trip to African jungle, and his thinkpad slipped into the jungle water while on a boat during a heavy thunderstorm (it was posted in IBM's website long time ago).

And when he retrieved it, the computer, soaked, still worked.


Nowadays thinkpads wouldn't do that.

------------

Also, my school used to give all teachers laptops, and, at least, three years ago, it was A31p.

What I noticed was that my world geography teacher had A31p that had a crack near the hinge.

Also my jazz band teacher's A31p had a crack at the exact, same spot.


Also, my world geography teacher's A31p had the steel hinges really loose (there were two screws that held each of the hinges that could be adjusted b/c they were surfaced; now, you can't touch them).


What I notice with my R40 is that the hinge is getting loose too.

-----------Here are things I don't like about Lenovo.

1) Icons, graphics for softwares, etc. They are so badly drawn. They don't have professional touch to them. Look at the download manager, for example. The icon is all red and rough.

Also, the background THINK is eye-piercing bright. They're supposed to be dark & dull so that you don't get distracted.

2) Colorcoding- blue & red colorcoding are gone. Now, Lenovo is using white and silver.

I hate thos white buttons & miss the red marks on the mouse keys.

Those silver buttons look so cheap.

Look at the new T60 &X60. The buttons for the latches are silver!

It looks so cheap on a black case.

The new thinkpads have rounded edges & don't have the "cliff" along the either sides of the thinkpads.