PERFORMANCE ThinkPads: A contradiction in terms?

[Guest]

All,

Once upon a time, the IBM ThinkPad was the yardstick that all other laptops were measured against. IBM was known not only for its build quality, but for its superior engineering and unique feature sets. Every new 700-series model that was released set a new standard; they didn't compete against other laptops in their class because there WEREN'T any other laptops in their class. The 700-series was a class in-and-of-itself. I remember when the 755 and 760 series were released and IBM was asking $6-7K for their decked-out models. It may sound cliche anymore to say it, but they truly were the "Mercedes" of the PC world.

I'm about to finish my schooling, and I'm going to be looking for a new computer soon. As the proverbial "poor college student," I haven't really been able until this point to even begin to think about getting a new machine. My trusty 770 has been with me through thick-and-thin; it is easily the best computer I've ever had the pleasure of using, even if it is starting to get a bit long in the tooth. However, the fact that I've owned and continually used this computer for as long as I have is, I think, a testament to all that I just stated above.

I'm the sort of person who actually **LIKES** desktop-replacement models. I don't want two computers -- a laptop and a desktop -- that I'm constantly having to sync data between. Give me one computer that does everything. I'm a 700-series lover. However, even though for the longest time the 700-series was IBM's bread and butter, so to speak, it appears that they no longer cater to people like me. Perhaps I'm a dying breed.

I'm looking through IBM's ThinkPad web site right now, and I am very disappointed to see that they really don't have anything there that would seem to be the modern equivalent to my trusty 770. If I want a true desktop-replacement model, it looks like I'm going to have to shop elsewhere (such as Dell, heaven-forbid; oops, I just said the 'D' word). Please tell me I'm wrong and that I'm blind and completely overlooked my options.

It seems to me, though, that the more things change, the more they stay the same, and this is especially true with IBM's design and marketing strategies. Shortly after the 600-series came out, it became the popular model. Perhaps people felt that it was the perfect compromise between portability and power. Whatever the reason, after its release, it was the series that always got all of the new, cool technology such as faster processors and so on. IBM let the 770-series linger on at 400MHz and then eventually discontinued it in favor of the A-series.

Now, if I'm interpreting this correctly, the A-series is kaput with basically NOTHING else to replace it with (R-series? are you joking? give me a break!), and the T-series (the current incarnation of the 600) again gets all the cool new technology. You can get an R-series with an OK display, sure, but the T-series has faster CPUs paired up with faster graphics chipsets (on a lesser display). OR you could get an R51 with 1.6GHz and a Radeon 9000 but with no good Ethernet options (through Think Express). Or if I try to customize, I can get 1.7GHz but only paired up with Radeon 7500 or Intel Extreme 2 (puh-leeze). What's up with that?!

This is very frustrating. I want a desktop-replacement ThinkPad with all the trimmings, but IBM doesn't seem very intent on making one. Where is the laptop with the modular bays, built-in DVD+-RW drive, 1600x1200 screen, gigabit ethernet + wireless + bluetooth, 1.8GHz Pentium-M, ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 video, TV output, video capture, and a full range of extenal ports (serial, parallel, DVI and analog video, USB, PS/2)? How about the docking station with full-size PCI expansion slots, a second IDE bus, built-in SCSI, and full-size 5.25" drive bay? My 770 had all of this (of course, with the equivalent technology that was offered when it went on sale, so slower processor, slower video, no wireless or bluetooth, etc., and no DVI port...that one's just kind of a pipe dream of mine). Why should I have to give up the features that this 6-year-old laptop and docking station combo offers me when I purchase a newer and better computer?

When is the R-series going to offer something comparable to the T-series in terms of performance? Or when will the T-series start to include some exciting displays? (Heck, when will the R-series get the 1600x1200 screen BACK?) Am I doomed to having to go to someone like Dell or Acer to get what I want?

What does everyone else think?

-- Nathan

[NathanA]

Ah, poop...I could've sworn I was logged in when I posted that. What gives?

-- Nathan

[cynic]

Sorry, you're a little late for this rant. You've got the R50p and now the T42p with 15" screen (this month) Both do everything you ask for and more. (and prior to that, the A31p)

IBM ThinkPads are still the yardstick to every other laptop.

[hausman]

I have both the original P1-233 770 (with Select-a-Dock III that I no longer use) and an A21p, both of which I still use daily. The A21p, nevermind the newer models, are miles ahead of the 770. And today's models are 1/3 the price of the 770.

About the only thing that you'd lose with today's TPs is the 5-1/2" bay. I don't think it's fair to blame IBM for not supporting that today, but if you really need it, consider networking your 770 and dock with your new notebook.

As for PCI slots and SCSI, etc., what other vendor offers this on a notebook? (BTW IBM offers the PCI on their mini-dock.) Again, if you really need these features consider getting a cheap (used) desktop that you can network.

(such as Dell, heaven-forbid; oops, I just said the 'D' word).

You could have said "Duh'll"

[BillMorrow]

nothing really has ever been as cutting edge as the 770Z in its time..
the closest was the A31p..
the R50p comes close in todays standards but does not have a firewire port..

nathan, the auto logon feature does not seem to work.. for me, at least..
this might be why your rant came up as a guest posting..

[JHEM]

nathan, the auto logon feature does not seem to work.. for me, at least..
this might be why your rant came up as a guest posting..

You have to have cookies enabled for the site for Autologin to work.

Regards,

James

[NathanA]

nothing really has ever been as cutting edge as the 770Z in its time..

Amen to that! I'd actually say, though, that this pretty much has to go for all of the 700-series laptops as they were released. I remember thinking, at the time the 760s were released, "Wow! Pentium Tillamook CPU, 12.1" active matrix LCD and a built-in dedicated MPEG decoder!!" And then when the 770 was released, "14.1" XGA LCD, DVD!!, TV output, video capture, and a dedicated MPEG2 processor!"

For the high-end ThinkPads, the thing that I've always enjoyed seeing is just how much it is all the "little" things that enhance one's appreciation of the machine. The EXCELLENT keyboard (not only on touch and key travel, but also in layout...no Windows keys!, the arrows are in an inverted-'T', the function keys are in 3 groups of 4, the navigation keys [Insert/Delete, Home/End, PgUp/Down] are all together in a block just as they should be, relatively huge spacebar, the tilde ~ and backslash \ keys are JUST where they should be, and so on...the only laptop keyboard I've ever been able to touch-type on after sitting down with one for the very first time), the 3-button TrackPoint, the fit-and-finish of the case (though I have a love/hate relationship with the rubber finish on the 770), the little LCD status bar (whatever happened to these? I love my LCD status display on the 770...all the new models have LEDs), the software-configurable SMAPI BIOS...I could go on.

For these reasons, I cannot possibly see myself using another laptop from another manufacturer (what can I say...I've been spoiled; my first laptop was a ThinkPad!), which is why I started to despair a bit when I went to IBM's ThinkPad website and was unable to find the 770Z's modern-day equivalent. Computers have always been a passion of mine, and as a kid, I remember pouring over the Ziff-Davis computing tabloids trying to feed my "techno-lust." The computers were far out of my financial reach ("Mom? Dad? Won't you buy me this $6K laptop? What do you mean, 'No!'???"), which just made them all the more desireable. And except for a brief fling I remember having with Toshiba (remember the T4400C? It was a 486! and had an 8.5" 640x480 active matrix LCD!!), the ThinkPads almost always managed to satisfy.

However, it appears that perhaps, as "cynic" pointed out, I was a bit late for this rant, or at least not properly informed. Shortly after posting it, I did go back to IBM's site and discovered that there were indeed models in the T series that had better video chipsets than I thought could be had (as well with the R series...the R50p seems pretty much like what I was looking for). It's just that a lot of these models don't appear to listed for sale any longer on IBM's web store (including the R50p), so I missed them.

And NOW that I've seen the specs on the T42p 2373-KXU, my "techno-lust" is back in a bad way. It's also ~$4,600, so it's currently out of my college-student-budget reach (hopefully not for long ), but also seems to be on-par with IBM's high-end laptop pricing.

So, welcome back, IBM!

-- Nathan

[erik]

And NOW that I've seen the specs on the T42p 2373-KXU, my "techno-lust" is back in a bad way. It's also ~$4,600, so it's currently out of my college-student-budget reach (hopefully not for long ), but also seems to be on-par with IBM's high-end laptop pricing.

the next-best option may be the T42p express model 2379-DYU.   it has the 15" 16x12 flexview, FireGL w/ 128mb vram, 1.8ghz dothan cpu, and 80gb hdd.   upgrade the hdd to the 7K60 60gb hdd (since it's faster) and the only thing you'll lack between that and the KXU is the 9-cell battery and 2.0ghz cpu.   just a thought to save your college budget...  

my R50p runs solidworks, illustrator, and photoshop like a champ.   having a mobile FireGL gpu is what keeps my R50p as a true desktop replacement since solidworks does not run well (or at all) on 99% of laptops.   my s30 is used for when i need a "smaller" laptop -- i typically only use it to program ignition maps or for outtages to the local wifi-equipped coffee shop.

-erik