Buying ThinkPads...

[saturnrings]

Right now, I'm an owner of an IBM ThinkPad 570. It's slowly dying, and I'm too lazy to bother fixing it up. The LCD messes up periodically, the battery is practically dead, the AC adaptor cord is frayed, and the monitor can't stand upright.

I'm thinking about buying a new laptop, and based on the performance of my 5 year old 570, I'm thinking about buying a ThinkPad. Are the new models from Lenovo as good as the ones manufactured under IBM? I've heard some corporate clients are unhappy with the latest offerings from Lenovo and many have threated to switch to Dell.

In regards for what I'm looking for, I'm currently a commuter college student. I periodically bring my laptop to class, but it's usually at worst, a once a week thing. Most times, my laptops usually sit at home on the floor or on my bed. I'd like something that can play DVD. I rarely play games with the exception of some Flash stuff, some emulators, and the Sim City series and that's usually when my neices and nephews come over. I don't use CAD, I don't use Photoshop except for scanning photos, and I use Dreamweaver and Fireworks for webdesign. Besides that, I'm not a heavy power user.

I'm looking to spend between $800 to $1200 for this laptop. Should I go elsewhere, or can I be comfortable with whatever Lenovo offers?

[mattfromomaha]

If you want to go new and stay in that price range, you're probably going to want to look to an R-series. They are not bad machines. Some people knock them because they really aren't built for the frequent traveler (like a T series is), but I know of several people who travel with them quite often and have no problems. There are quite a few models on IBMs website for under $1,000. I would also consider upgrading the warranty from one to three years, possibly with onsite service.

As an alternative, you might consider buying a used T23 on ebay for about $400, and you can buy a warranty upgrade to add another 3 years' service for $120 (as long as the machine is still in warranty when you buy and register the upgrade).

Based on what computer you are coming from and what your computing needs are, you might be happier saving your money and going with a T23 -they really are workhorses, and it will still be a big speed upgrade from your 570.

[saturnrings]

I'd much rather go for a new laptop primarily since I don't feel like getting burned with somebody's else's repairs and dead battery. Plus, I'd like some decent video RAM even it's shared. The older laptops aren't too beefy in that department and made playing really old games impossible for when my neice and nephew came over (the 570 only had 2MB shared).

Of course, if you can sway me in the other direction, I'd like to hear it too.

Now, I've seen at the IBM website that there are Pentium Ms and Celeron Ms. Are the differences that big between both of them? Also, how do they compared speedwise to their desktop bretheren. My current desktop is a 2.55GHz 512MB unit, so I'm used to have a relatively modern and well run machine.

Also, IBM's pricing for installing memory is rather expensive, would anybody have a clue of how hard is it to put an extra stick of RAM into a either a newer R or T-Series?

And thanks.

[thePCxp]

Also, IBM's pricing for installing memory is rather expensive, would anybody have a clue of how hard is it to put an extra stick of RAM into a either a newer R or T-Series?

And thanks.

It's easy to put RAM on ThinkPad's. There is a stick of RAM under the keyboard (which is the main RAM) and there is an extra slot in the bottom of the ThinkPad.

[avalanchez71]

Now, I've seen at the IBM website that there are Pentium Ms and Celeron Ms. Are the differences that big between both of them? Also, how do they compared speedwise to their desktop bretheren. My current desktop is a 2.55GHz 512MB unit, so I'm used to have a relatively modern and well run machine.

Intel's M chips are designed for laptops. The Pentium M is the processor that is associated with the "Centrino Mobile Technology" -- which is the Pentium M processor, a specific Intel chipset, and an Intel WiFi card (usually a 2200BG).

The Celeron M is a less-cache (and less cash) version of the Pentium M, much like the Celeron desktop processor. However, the way the Pentium M works is based on a larger cache and a reduced pipeline -- the Pentium M is actually closer to the Pentium III than the P-4, which isn't a bad thing.

I would recommend a Pentium M, especially if you're looking to rival a desktop system. Both the Pentium and Celeron M's are excellent at saving battery life.

The Pentium M currently maxes out about 2.2Ghz or so, but a 2.2 P-M is about the same as a 3.6Ghz P-4 because of the way it gets it's speed. I'm currently running a 1.5 P-M and it's plenty fast for me. You should be OK with any of the P-M's available on the R or T series. I usually don't put too much stock in the clock-speed of the chip due to the increase in price. A couple hundred megahertz isn't worth $400 to me .

Good luck!

[beaker]

Should you decide to call Lenovo directly to purchase your Thinkpad, do as I did; offer to install Lenovo certified RAM yourself. This will bring your price down to about what Crucial charges.

[whizkid]

IBM sells refurbished ThinkPads. They always have one or two models at a very nice price. They have models as new as a T42, and sometimes have X series too.

They are all warranted. Some for 90 days, some for 1.5 years.

You can bet they sell only the best used machines there.