Replacement for Lenovo T60

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#1 Post by **ryengineer** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 11:52 am

I have recently sold my T60 (with Core Duo processor) and am looking to buy a new notebook other than Lenovo with particularly following specs:

Processor : At least 2Ghz Core 2 Duo (open to AMD Turion 64)
Memory: Atleast 2GB- Upgradable to 3GB
Screen: 15.4'' Widescreen
Budget in hand: $1200 US.
Weight: Any (it would not be carried around)

Also, this notebook would be used as a family computer and would replace my desktop pc as well.

Cheers!

P.S. Hey, I sold T60 because I already own 4 ibm's in our family and not because I don't like IBM, I love it.

#2 Post by **ryengineer** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 10:44 pm

ryengineer wrote:I have recently sold my T60 (with Core Duo processor) and am looking to buy a new notebook other than Lenovo with particularly following specs:

Processor : At least 2Ghz Core 2 Duo (open to AMD Turion 64)
Memory: Atleast 2GB- Upgradable to 3GB
Screen: 15.4'' Widescreen
Budget in hand: $1200 US.
Weight: Any (it would not be carried around)

Also, this notebook would be used as a family computer and would replace my desktop pc as well.

Cheers!

P.S. Hey, I sold T60 because I already own 4 ibm's in our family and not because I don't like IBM, I love it.

Ok here are the two brands that I find appealing. Can anybody please advise which one is better? share any known experience with these brands?

1. Acer Aspire 5630-6943 - Core 2 Duo T5500 1.66 GHz - 15.4" TFT
Dimensions (WxDxH) 14.1 in x 10.4 in x 1.1 in
Weight 6.2 lbs
Localization Canada
Platform Technology Intel Centrino Duo
System Type Notebook
Built-in Devices Stereo speakers, wireless LAN antenna, Bluetooth antenna
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 / 1.66 GHz ( Dual-Core )
Cache Memory 2 MB - L2 cache
RAM 2 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR II SDRAM - 533 MHz ( 2 x 1 GB )
Card Reader 5 in 1
Hard Drive 160 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm
Optical Storage DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM - integrated
Display 15.4" TFT active matrix 1280 x 800 ( WXGA ) - 24-bit (16.7 million colors)
Graphics Controller NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 - 128 MB
Audio Output Sound card
Telecom Fax / modem - 56 Kbps
Networking Network adapter - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
Wireless NIC Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG
Notebook Camera Integrated - 1.3 Megapixel - CMOS
Input Device Keyboard, touchpad, 4-way scroll button
Power AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
Battery Lithium ion
Run Time (Up To) 3.5 hour(s)
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
Manufacturer Warranty 1 year warranty

2. Toshiba Satellite A100-TA7 - Core 2 Duo T5500 1.66 GHz - 15.4" TFT
Dimensions (WxDxH) 14.2 in x 10.5 in x 1.5 in
Weight 6.2 lbs (shipping weight is 11 lbs)
Localization Canada
Platform Technology Intel Centrino Duo
System Type Notebook
Built-in Devices Stereo speakers, wireless LAN antenna
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 / 1.66 GHz ( Dual-Core )
Cache Memory 2 MB - L2 cache
RAM 2 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR II SDRAM - 533 MHz ( 2 x 1 GB )
Card Reader 5 in 1
Hard Drive 120 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm
Optical Storage DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM - integrated
Display 15.4" TFT active matrix 1280 x 800 ( WXGA ) - 24-bit (16.7 million colors)
Graphics Controller Intel GMA 950
Audio Output Sound card
Telecom Fax / modem - 56 Kbps
Networking Network adapter - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g
Wireless NIC Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG
Input Device Keyboard, touchpad
Power AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
Battery Lithium ion
Run Time (Up To) 3.5 hour(s)
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
Manufacturer Warranty 1 year warranty

Cheers!

Stargate199 · #3 Post by **Stargate199** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 10:12 am

Go with the Toshiba. If you don't already know, Acer made the i series thinkpads, and the few I have seen were not that great in build quality. I have looked at Acers at my Microcenter, and they had a cheap look and feel to them. Toshibas generally have good build quality, but in my opinion, nothing can beat a Thinkpad.

#4 Post by **ryengineer** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 2:15 pm

Stargate199 wrote: nothing can beat a Thinkpad.

I second to that.

The only reason I am buying a notebook other than Thinkpad is because in my family we own 4 of them and have never bought any; other than it and just looking for a change. Also, we are kind of on a fixed budget.

pianowizard · #5 Post by **pianowizard** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 2:37 pm

ryengineer wrote:Processor : At least 2Ghz Core 2 Duo (open to AMD Turion 64)
Memory: Atleast 2GB- Upgradable to 3GB
Screen: 15.4'' Widescreen
Budget in hand: $1200 US.

There are lots of options besides the Toshiba and Acer that you found. Have you looked at HP's business line? I suggest that you use Newegg's Power Search feature. If you check "Core 2 Duo", "AMD Turion 64", and "15.4"", and indicate "1200" as the highest price, you'll get 28 results. They all have less than 2GB RAM, but it's very easy to order additional modules separately. It's cheaper to upgrade the RAM yourself, too.

BTW, I noticed that both laptops you're considering have only WXGA resolution. Have you tried higher resolutions? I bet you'd enjoy having more pixels i.e. working area.

ryengineer wrote:P.S. Hey, I sold T60 because I already own 4 ibm's in our family and not because I don't like IBM, I love it.

I agree that you should try a non-Thinkpad. As much as I like Thinkpads, I find it boring to be using Thinkpads all the time. That's why I use my Dell Inspiron 6000 at work, and my T43 at home. Speaking of Dell, the E1505 meets your criteria. Dell's customer support and laptop quality are comparable to Toshiba's. The E1505 gets very good reviews from both editors and users on CNET.com.

#6 Post by **tomh009** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:10 pm

pianowizard wrote:Speaking of Dell, the E1505 meets your criteria. Dell's customer support and laptop quality are comparable to Toshiba's. The E1505 gets very good reviews from both editors and users on CNET.com.

Err, Toshiba's quality used to be very good. Has it really dropped down to Dell level?

I'll cast a vote in favour of the quality of HP's business line, though. And they have pointing sticks! The nx7400 looks pretty good ...

pianowizard · #7 Post by **pianowizard** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:29 pm

tomh009 wrote:Err, Toshiba's quality used to be very good. Has it really dropped down to Dell level?

In fact, according to surveys like this one, Dell is now much better than Toshiba.

The Dell E1505 seems to be especially good. On CNET, it gets a rating of 7.1 from the users, slightly higher than the Thinkpad T60's 7.0.

#8 Post by **tomh009** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 5:09 pm

pianowizard wrote:In fact, according to surveys like this one, Dell is now much better than Toshiba.

The Dell E1505 seems to be especially good. On CNET, it gets a rating of 7.1 from the users, slightly higher than the Thinkpad T60's 7.0.

Dell and Toshiba looked identical in that PCWorld survey?

Every single Dell I know (and we have hundreds at work) of has problems with hinges. My dad's Latitude C400 display would not even stand up any more after three years. My personal C400 needed repairs seven times in three years. Ugh. And the Inspirons have only a touchpad.

pianowizard · #9 Post by **pianowizard** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 5:25 pm

tomh009 wrote:Dell and Toshiba looked identical in that PCWorld survey?

You're right. I didn't realize that the seven rows in the middle are in alphabetical order.

tomh009 wrote:Every single Dell I know (and we have hundreds at work) of has problems with hinges.

I have owned four Dell laptops, all of them Inspirons (supposedly inferior to the Latitudes), and none of them had hinge problems after two or more years of use. So now you know of four Dells that don't have problems with their hinges! But I do believe that some Dell models are worse than others, which is why it's important to look up user opinions for each model individually.

k2jsv · #10 Post by **k2jsv** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 11:45 pm

IF I had to choose between a Dell, an Acer or a Toshiba the Toshiba wins HANDS DOWN. Dell would be second place.

I forget the exact model, but I bought a Toshiba in 2000. At the time it was tip top.. 900 mhz P3, 512 MB of RAM, Windows 2000 yakitty yakitty. I paid, open box, at Circuit City $789 plus tax and the pile of other stupid accessories that I bought at the time.

My first real laptop... it is still in use to this day. And it went through hell. Bouncing around in my backpack in an ambulance, bounced down the highway on my lap riding shotgun to Key West and back from NY. Went camping in Maine a couple of times. Oh yeah... and my dog ate it.

#11 Post by **tomh009** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 11:57 pm

Not my first, but my second laptop was a Toshiba 1960CT (before the "Satellite" brand), with a lovely clip-on trackball and a powerhouse 486DX2/50 CPU. Paid extra to get an active-matrix (VGA) display, too. Followed that with a Tecra 500CDT, Portege 610CT and Portege 4020CT. All well-built and reliable.
(we also had a bunch more Tecras and Satellites at work back then, and they worked well).

But when the time came to replace the 4020CT, Toshiba had switched to touchpads only, and my employer was pushing Dells very hard, so I ended up with my infamous C400.

Apart from my current X31, the 4020CT was the nicest laptop I have owned ... but I don't know how relevant an eight-year-old laptop is to today's purchase decisions.

MrPats · #12 Post by **MrPats** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 6:07 am

Take a look at the Asus range of laptops.

People here in Aus are raving about considering you can get them for under A$2k which should be around US$1200

#13 Post by **ryengineer** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 12:01 am

Thanks all for replying.

I have purchased a brand new HP Pavilion dv5000 for $835 US from a local store with following specs:

AMD Turion 64 X2, 2Ghz, 2GB Ram, 120GB HDD, 17'' WXGA High-Definition Display, DVD+/-RW, Windows XP Media Center.

This notebook was on clearance with 6 months of warranty from HP.

Cheers!

pianowizard · #14 Post by **pianowizard** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 12:12 am

ryengineer wrote:I have purchased a brand new HP Pavilion dv5000 for $835 US from a local store with following specs:

I am glad that you found what you needed. Is it the same as the Pavilion dv5000z? It has extremely good ratings on CNET, from both the editors and users (the latter are usually more reliable).

#15 Post by **ryengineer** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 12:16 am

pianowizard wrote:
ryengineer wrote:I have purchased a brand new HP Pavilion dv5000 for $835 US from a local store with following specs:
I am glad that you found what you needed. Is it the same as the Pavilion dv5000z? It has extremely good ratings on CNET, from both the editors and users (the latter are usually more reliable).

Thanks.

Yes, it is the same notebook. The only difference is that it has a 17'' screen.

Stargate199 · #16 Post by **Stargate199** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 12:25 pm

I personally have not used a newer HP notebook. The last one I used/worked on was 3 years ago. I have heard they had gotten a lot thinner and more reliable than they were 3-4 years ago. At least they were smart enough to not use Sony batteries

. HP was one of the few manufactures not affected by the Sony battery recall last year.

pianowizard · #17 Post by **pianowizard** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 12:31 pm

Stargate199 wrote:I have heard they had gotten a lot thinner and more reliable than they were 3-4 years ago.

Did you see the CNET video of the Pavilion dv5000z that's similar to what the OP bought? It looks very nice.

Replacement for Lenovo T60

Replacement for Lenovo T60

Re: Replacement for Lenovo T60

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