[Advice][General] Weird requirements

[Phenitei]

Hi,
I've bought a Thinkpad X220 a some time back because I needed a computer that could follow me everywhere (meaning outdoors a lot). I've ever since been very happy of it, and when a friend of mine came asking with the following requirements I thought that maybe there was a thinkpad that could do the trick, but I don't know the brand well enough (especially older models) to say. We are looking for a computer with :
*Must-haves*

• A long battery life (> 10h), as my friend lives in an area with frequent power shortages and no easy access to power when on the move
• Resistant : it will probably be exposed to harsh mechanical conditions (heat, mud, shocks...) and should be more resistant to wear-and-tear than the usual laptop (Old-style thinkpad-like)
• Lightweight : because it is going to be taken everywhere, it mustn't be too heavy

*Nice-to-have*

• Webcam + CD/DVD reader/burner : the laptop will be primarily used for multimedia and webcam communication
• A big HDD ( > 750GiB, 1TiB is nice)

*Candy*

• A firewire port (don't ask me why I have no idea, maybe for compatibility with already possessed hardware)

It doesn't have to be new (as in recent and as in unused) hardware (which is why I'm asking here, if you can dig out and old thinkpad version that meets our requirements that'd just be awesome) and there are no particular requirements on the screen size or resolution, though I'd be surprised if anything smaller than a 14" had a dvd burner.

The budget would be around 500$, give or take a few.

I'll thankfully take any advice or ideas (even unthinkpadable ones, I'm no die-hard fan or what), and happily provide any additional info you think you might need.

Merry Christmas and all that stuff!

[theterminator93]

A machine that comes to mind that may fit the bill is a 14" T series, such as a T420 (if you are a fan of the classic design elements, it'd be about the same as your X220 in terms of keyboard/trackpad feel). With the 9 cell battery, 8-9 hours of battery is a realistic expectation, at about 5.5 lbs. Also you can install or keep a 9 cell slice battery handy which will attach to the underside and double battery runtime if desired (though it gets somewhat heavy/bulky at probably ~7 lbs). With the standard 6 cell you'll see about 5-6 hours, but at just under 5 lbs.

Systems with webcam and firewire are common, and all will have a DVD RW drive standard. Most came with 320 or 500 GB hard disks, however if the machine is going to be subjected to harsher physical environments I'd suggest ditching the mechanical hard disk altogether and installing an SSD in its place. You can have up to three disk drives in the T420 - mSATA SSD and 2x 2.5" SATA drives (HDD or SSD) via the 2.5" HDD bay and an UltraBay SATA HDD adapter.

Such a base machine could be purchased for about $200 USD (at least that's the going rate here), then be upgraded (SSD/larger HDD + extra battery if needed) well within the remaining budgetary allowance.

The biggest downside to the T420 is its lack of high quality displays. You are stuck with 1366x768 or 1600x900 TN only panels...

[rkawakami]

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

At first glance through your stated requirements, I'd say nothing in a Thinkpad would hit all your targets. What comes close would be something in the X line. They are the lightweight systems. I don't believe any of them have Firewire but most are available with a webcam. The X3xx (13" 1440x900) series have built-in optical drive but they also use the smaller 1.8" form factor hard drive. Most any of the other X systems can be docked to an Ultrabase if/when an optical drive is needed but that adds weight/size. If he wants it resistant to harsh conditions (i.e., shockproof) then that means an SSD and at 1TB, that's pretty much the entire $500 from a quick glance looking around for those drives.

[Phenitei]

@theterminator93:
Thanks for the quick answer, that looks a lot like what I am looking for! I hadn't considered an SSD drive because space was a requirement and large SSD's still cost quite a bit, but it's indeed something to consider against a mechanical drive... Fortunately a high-quality display was not discussed (that would've made the specs quite impossible for the price range!)

I'll look into the T-420 series

@rkawakami
Thanks for the welcome and the fast answer! I was indeed rather thinking about the X series rather than the T series. As stated above I don't see how we could fit an SSD with the required capacity into the budget, so I did not have much hope on that account. The firewire port could be overlooked : usb<-> firewire adaptators are easy and cheap to come by. The battery life was, I believe, the most important requirement : a 9-cell battery will probably be used. Can all X series laptops be upgraded with such a battery?

[rkawakami]

If/when you come back, look through some of the documents here: http://www.lenovo.com/psref/psrefs_withdrawn.shtml

In particular, the first four which are currently:

http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/ltwbook.pdf (ThinkPad Notebooks; 2013 to present (withdrawn models))
http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/ltwbook_2013.pdf (ThinkPad Notebooks; 2005 to 2013 (withdrawn models))
http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/ltwbook_WE.pdf (ThinkPad Notebooks; 2013 to present - Western Europe (withdrawn models))
http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/ltwbook_WE_2012.pdf (ThinkPad Notebooks; 2011 to 2012 - Western Europe (withdrawn models))

These PSREF sheets lists the major specs of selected systems (not all model types are listed). Personal opinion: Take the battery life estimates and multiply by .66 and you'll probably be closer to the real running times.

No, I don't think 9-cell packs are available for the X3xx systems. However, they do offer an OptionBay (the pseudo-Ultrabay in those systems) battery which extends life an extra hour or two.

9-cell batteries are available for X220 and probably others.

[Phenitei]

@rkawakami
Oh cool I was having trouble finding docs on the older Thinkpads, and as I come back to ask you already have a solution
I'll browse through these and come back (probably tomorrow, it's getting late in my neck of the woods) with what I find to run it against your experience.

Thank you for your help!

[brchan]

Resistant : it will probably be exposed to harsh mechanical conditions (heat, mud, shocks...) and should be more resistant to wear-and-tear than the usual laptop (Old-style thinkpad-like)

I would have said T420, but I can't see any thinkpad (maybe 770 or 600 models from the late 90s) withstanding drops and outdoor mud/dirt conditions for long. I would recommend a semi rugged model:
-cf 52 with WUXGA (includes firewire)
-cf 53 mk1 (1366x768 display only, optional firewire and webcam)

or fully rugged toughbooks for even harsher conditions (1024x768 resolutions only):

-cf 19 mk4/5 (includes firewire, optional bottom webcam)
-cf 30 mk3 (includes firewire)
-cf 31 mk1 (optional firewire and webcam, but costs a little more)

All models should meet the price, battery life, and rugged conditions. The lightest models are the Cf 19 (5 lbs) and cf 53 (5.6 lbs). Some cf 30/31 models can take bay batteries and easily last over 20+ hours on a single charge. All the screens on all models are much brighter than any thinkpad. All Semi rugged screens have slightly-better-than-average to above-average-quality, especially the WUXGA on the cf 52. Screens on the fully rugged models unfortunately have poor contrast, colors, viewing angles, and are limited to XGA resolutions.

Keyboard quality is suprisingly decent for the semi rugged models, excluding the rubber ones.

I would probably go with the mk1 cf 53. Decently portable, up to 10 hours battery, USB 3 (which t420 does not have), and durable.

[Phenitei]

@brchan
Thanks for your answer, I will look into the models you propose as well, as the 20+ battery life and ruggedness are definitely something we are looking for. I have never delved into that kind of laptop, so your help is much appreciated.

[Phenitei]

@brchan:
I've been looking around, and indeed the mk1 cf 53 seems to fit pretty well into what we are looking for - except for the drive size but external hard drives are getting cheaper and cheaper so that shouldn't be too much of a problem - but I can' t manage to find a model (even refurbished) under 1000$ (e.g. http://www.telrepco.com/toughbook-cf-53-mk1-core-i5) which is way over our price range...

All models should meet the price

Could you point me to where I could find the aforementioned models closer to the mentioned price?

Thank you

[brchan]

A majority of my machines are from Ebay, including my cf 53. Used Cf 53 mk1 models are selling from ~$300 to ~$625. You should be able to get nice condition ones with entry or mid specs for around $500 to $600.

As long as you look for a seller with a good rating (98 - 100%), you should be good. Here are some that I found (I am in no way affiliated with any of the sellers):

Very good specs and price (newer than mk1 and very recent):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PANASONIC-CF-53 ... SwKtlWhVDL ($600)

Another:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/panasonic-tough ... SwYaFWgfax (end bid will probably be around $300 - $400)

[rkawakami]

@brchan Note that the OP is in France. That probably eliminates most of the eBay sellers since they don't like to deal with international shipping. For your two examples the sellers have indicated that they only ship to US. Some sellers CAN be swayed into shipping offshore but obviously at a much more costly rate.

[Phenitei]

Hi,
after re-discussing with my friend he told me that being light was more important than shock resistance, so @brchan don't bother too much I think I'll go for one of the Thinkpads in @rkawakami's list. Thanks for the help though, it is very much appreciated!