Need Help with Display selection

[keku]

I need some help in making my decision.

I bought this thinkpad 2668Q2U, which has 2.26 GHZ, 128MB VRAM and 15in UXGA display and 100GB 72K HDD with bluetooth. almost 6.2 lbs

Now I was looking at another model which has 2.0 GHZ, 64MB VRAM and 14.1 SXGA+ Display and 80GB 7200 RPM HDD no bluetooth around 5.3 lbs and smaller.

Difference in cost is almost $950 bucks, My main concern is Display, is it big difference in SXGA+ and UXGA with flexview?? I had a dell 600m with SXGA+ never had complaint or unsatisfaction, untill somebody stole it. (
I was talking to a friend (thinkpad user since last 5 year ... student had t42p) and he said "NO Quality is way different" and UXGA is way better and on top of it 128MB VRAM is a good thing to have.

I need your expert help .... to determine whether to keep this or exchnage it with a lower end one.

15" UXGA can be brighter but I usually use it at lower brightness (level 5), I use highest resolution and have no problem with those small font.
I don't use it for Game, and don't plan for extensive gaming.
So far I've not used this laptop for any extensive programming either. will do in near future.
I've not carried it alot, ... but might need to carry it. (after all laptops are to carry).
I connect my thinkpad to TV and watch movie on it and that's everyday task I do, I should say everyevening task.

Other than those I connect to VPN and do some office work.


My major concern is size, weight and money this 15" display puts, if difference is not noticible 14.1 is not only worth it but a better deal. However carring a 6lbs or a 5lbs laptop won't make huge difference.

Please help me with you expert comments. my 30 days return period expires on Dec 16th.


Added Later :

Most likely next year I'll start my masters, so that's another concern coz I'll need this laptop in my classes and do assignments and homework and will need to carry it to college, smaller tables of cafeteria with dangerous stuff (for my thinkpad) ... like coffee ....
When I was in collge (Doing BS) that was in notpad era ... never had a computer inclasses and used to take notes on papers. so don't know How much I've to carry this thinkpad.

[christopher_wolf]

Well, OK

If you are going to be doing a moderate amount of programming in the near future and will be carrying it around; I would go for the 14.1" screen SXGA+. The difference isn't that much for everyday use, including DVDs, and the brightness can be scaled as well. Battery power will also be conserved somewhat, though. What your Thinkpad friend might be using it for may be way different than what you are using it for. If the weight is a real concern, then you might want to go for the 14.1" as well. I have spent, literally, one day staring at my Thinkpad Screen and programming and have not had any problems, even compared to a 1600x1200 Monitor that I used to code on, it is still pretty good. Heavy coding isn't really affected by the screen size so long as it is large enough; I even do web browsing and MATLAB whilst waiting for my code to compile. If you don't plan to carry it alot, you just might want to stick with the 15" UXGA FlexView though. My Thinkpad never goes more than a few meters away from me when I travel, so I opted for a 14.1". HTH

[dr_st]

Difference between the Flexview and the non-Flexview is noticeable. Flexview is better.

UXGA vs. SXGA+ is almost negligible.

If you don't plan extensive gaming, the 64MB whatever-it-is should be fine.

$950 is a lot, that's for sure. I'm not sure it's worth it just because Flexview is a better display. Especially since it hinders portability a bit. Of course, if you change laptops, you'll get slightly lesser components in everything (CPU, HD, video card), but it sound like it's not crucial for you.

Since your 30-day period expires in a few days, I assume you've had your laptop for a while. Ask yourself - does the size/weight bother you?

I would not trade, but that's because I:

(1) Don't feel that 15" is too big
(2) Appreciate the Flexview display very much
(3) Play games on my laptop
(4) Like my HD to be as big as possible

Now, if it weren't for these factors, I'd go for the 14.1" model in a heartbeat.