X60(s) Buying Thoughts

[dfumento]

I've done some research and am upgrading to a new Core 2 Duo X60(s).

Here are some thoughts on future protection:
1. Santa Rosa Chipset due Q1-Q2 2007 will not only have faster FSB for memory access but also a new higher performance graphics processor and 802.11n (the 802.11n offerred by IBM now is an Atheros chipset), so you might want to wait for faster graphics.

2. Purchasing now gives free upgrade to Vista.
3. You can get 802.11n now.
4. EVDO Rev A is the newest standard with much faster upload speeds, somewhat faster download speeds and much lower latency for VOIP if you want it. Sprint is reportedly going to have laptops with built-in EVDO in November (they already offer PCMCIA cards for Rev A but Verizon does not yet). Thus, I expect that soon IBM will be offering EVDO Rev A mini-PCI for Verizon, but who knows. It doesn't make much sense to get the built-in with Rev 0 unless you want to pay the $200 - $250 upgrade to get the Rev A card when it comes out.
5. Part of the usefulness of EVDO is that it is accessible anywhere but the signal is not always so good, so it might be better to get the PCMCIA card with an external antenna port and getting a special booster like this LINK TRIMMED DOWN BY MODERATOR

By buying the unit without the built-in EVDO you also get more flexibility in terms of model types.

6. CPU: Generally CPU won't make too much of difference. Just remember that the 2.0 GHz and above come with 4 MB cache on the Core 2 Duo whereas the lower clock rates only have 2 MB cache so perfomance increase to 2.0 GHz will be greater than what you would expect with the additional clock increase.

Sales said that in the next two weeks, more models will be listed on the web site than are currently in the tabook so best to wait a couple of weeks before purchasing. Another reason to wait is that the 802.11n is not out yet but should be available in the two weeks.

MOD EDIT: Trim links to eliminate side to side scrolling.

[tomh009]

I've done some research and am upgrading to a new Core 2 Duo X60(s).

1. Santa Rosa Chipset due Q1-Q2 2007 will not only have faster FSB for memory access but also a new higher performance graphics processor and 802.11n (the 802.11n offerred by IBM now is an Atheros chipset), so you might want to wait for faster graphics.

3. You can get 802.11n now.

5. Part of the usefulness of EVDO is that it is accessible anywhere but the signal is not always so good (...)
By buying the unit without the built-in EVDO you also get more flexibility in terms of model types.

1. How is the current graphics performance as compared to the X3/X4 models? Surely it is already significantly better?

3. Personally, I'll take 802.11a over 802.11n. The speed limit may be somewhat lower on the "a" highway, but the rush hour congestion is not nearly as bad!

5. Also, if you are not on Sprint/Verizon, you can buy a UMTS/EDGE card instead to connect to your own mobile operator.

[dfumento]

1. How is the current graphics performance as compared to the X3/X4 models? Surely it is already significantly better?

3. Personally, I'll take 802.11a over 802.11n. The speed limit may be somewhat lower on the "a" highway, but the rush hour congestion is not nearly as bad!

5. Also, if you are not on Sprint/Verizon, you can buy a UMTS/EDGE card instead to connect to your own mobile operator.

1. Probably much better graphics performance. At any rate the X60(s) built-in is quite good but I wonder how much better than Santa Rosa chipset graphics engine will be.

3. It is all about access. I've not yet connected with any 'a' routers and I'm not certain how popular they are. The 'n' routers I think will be quite popular and are already available as pre-n. The 'n' range is really good.

5. Good point. Sprint will be the first over Verizon with the EVDO Rev A service. Cost is $60/month or $80/month (w/o voice plan).

[tomh009]

3. It is all about access. I've not yet connected with any 'a' routers and I'm not certain how popular they are. The 'n' routers I think will be quite popular and are already available as pre-n. The 'n' range is really good.

We have a/b/g both at the office and at home. The "a" network at the office definitely has the best throughput and reliability. "a" and "g" are both 54 Mb/s but when you start looking at how the 2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz frequency bands are set up, it makes sense.

"n" has great throughput and range if there is only one access point but I dread what it will be like once you have a dozen "n" access points within range ...