Should I stick with my Z60t order?

[jagged]

I ordered a Thinkpad Z60t from Lenovo (2513MHU) for an office staff over 2 weeks ago but shipping was moved from 8/11 to 8/23. The laptop will be used mainly for internet, MS Word, Excel, emails, and Quickbooks so I don't need a very powerful laptop but pricing and warranty terms are important.

Z60t specs ($817 net):
Pentium M 740 1.73Ghz, 1GB 533mhz RAM, 14" WXGA, Intel GMA 900, 60GB HD, DVD/CDRW, Win XP Pro, 3 years international warranty

HP nx7400 specs ($838 net and readily available):
Core Duo T2300 1.66Ghz, 512MB 667mhz RAM, 15.4" WXGA, Intel 950, 60GB HD, DVD/CDRW, Win XP Pro, 1 year international warranty

I like z60t because I have confidence in Thinkpad quality (have 2 T60's now) it has a long 3 year international warranty. Downside of course is that processor is obsolete especially with Core Duo 2 coming out soon.

The HP, however, has Core Duo processor and one of the forum guys mentioned that base Core Duo T2300 performance is like a Pentium M 760 and 770. Downside is that warranty is only 1 year warranty and I'm unsure how good HP's business line quality is.

I know this is a Thinkpad forum but what would you do if you were in my shoes? Would you continue to wait and go for a Thinkpad Pentium M with 1GB RAM and 3-year warranty? Or an HP Core Duo with 1-yr warranty (RAM upgradable)?

[captmiddy]

Well at least by sticking with your current order you get a consistent support model and some accessories can be shared between the units. I will say that at the lower end, HP and Dell have a decided advantage in machines at those levels. At the higher end of the spectrum, they all come in at similar prices and that gives the Lenovo devices an advantage because their build quality tends to be better accepted than the others. I am also not sure that the version you specified is a business quality machine or if it is more in line with the N series from the 3000 machines. I don't really know the HP product line.

[snife]

I think a core duo would be wasted on this type of usage and having the extra memory would be much more benefitial.

I also think it is important not to underestimate the value of the additional 2 years warranty as the original expenditure on a system is only a small part of what it actually costs to run.

The form factor (14" vs 15") comes down to preference, 15" panels of the same resolution are actually cheaper for the manufacturers to buy but I personally always prefer a 14" (at least when comparing thinkpads with thinkpads).

The one upsetting point is the graphics chipset as the 900 will not run aero on vista if you were ever thinking about that - are there no Z61s at a decent price?

I'm a thinkpad fanboy so obviously biased but the number one reason not to buy the HP : No TrackPoint, I cannot stress to people how much faster using a machine becomes with one, touch typists especially prefer it.

[christopher_wolf]

I would recommend sticking with your Z60t order; I can't see where Core Duo is going to help you out alot for what you will be doing.

[smek]

I wouldnt call that CPU obsolete, some people buy brand new PCs with slowed perfroming processors than that today. I can run evrything perfectly with a celeron 1.4 in my z60t with no lag in between, so that set up should be great. Besides your getting the Lenovo support with that order, probably the best out there, same cant be said for HP.

[Buccaneerfan]

For the mentioned purposes i'd rather not take a Z series, especially on the Z60t the display is due to it being widescreen too small to read on the internet and also office apps don't look to good on the relatively small screen.
The 14" WXGA feels more like something between 11" and 12" XGA imho...
Why not look for a T42 or T43 if you could still find one?

[Tigsman]

The laptop will be used mainly for internet, MS Word, Excel, emails, and Quickbooks so I don't need a very powerful laptop but pricing and warranty terms are important.

I think you already answered your own question.



T

[jagged]

Thanks for the response guys!

The reason I'm kinda confused is because delivery is taking too long and while waiting, I just found the HP Core Duo business laptop deal for roughly the same price.

Anyways, I decided to stick with the Z60t order for now.The extra warranty is a big plus for me and hope shipping date wont be moved again.