Thinkpad for school.

[Paul386]

I am going to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in the fall. I will be studying aerospace engineering and I need a notebook to bring with me. I will also be bringing my powerful desktop (4.0Ghz Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR2-1200, 8800GTS, 74GB 10,000RPM Raptor) with me. Therefore, I do not necessarily need a powerhouse of a notebook. I am looking more into mobility and battery life. I will be able to plug the notebook into my 20.1" LCD in my dorm.

I do what something powerful though. It will have 2GB of memory, a 2.0Ghz Core 2 Duo or better, 7200RPM HDD, and a decent videocard.

I have a few questions. Do you recommend 14.1" (T61) widescreen or 15.4" (T60p) widescreen?

As a further note, I do not really have a budget, although I want to keep the cost reasonable. Do you think I can request that the computer be shipped with no memory or HDD? I can get 2GB of DDR2-667 (200 dimm) for $100. (quite a bit cheaper than what Lenovo offers). I can also get a nice HDD for cheaper.

I wish Lenovo would introduce a Santa Rosa platform with NAND SSD as the primary drives (option). I would definitely fork out some money for 2 32GB NAND SSD's in RAID0.

Anyways, another what should I get question that needs to be answered.

[XiP]

If you will be working with programs like AutoCAD and using a lot of screen real-estate go with the 15.4"WS but if you won't be using it much for content creation then I'd go with the 14.1" so you shave off a couple pounds walking around to classes.

[ryengineer]

I am looking more into mobility and battery life.

X60 is known for those qualities.

I have a few questions. Do you recommend 14.1" (T61) widescreen or 15.4" (T60p) widescreen?

Recommending T61? that's out of the context. It's not even out yet. Also, T60p 15.4'' is big, heavy and not that portable for mobility. I won't recommend it at all in your case.

As a further note, I do not really have a budget, although I want to keep the cost reasonable. Do you think I can request that the computer be shipped with no memory or HDD? I can get 2GB of DDR2-667 (200 dimm) for $100. (quite a bit cheaper than what Lenovo offers). I can also get a nice HDD for cheaper.

That's not possible.

[Paul386]

X60 is known for those qualities.

X60 is way to small for me. When I say mobility and battery life, I guess I am comparing that to one of those humongous Dell gaming macines that last like 30 minutes and weight 12 pounds.

Recommending T61? that's out of the context. It's not even out yet. Also, T60p 15.4'' is big, heavy and not that portable for mobility. I won't recommend it at all in your case.

I was more referring to the screen size than the actual system.




I guess what I need to do is get my hands on a 15.4 T60p WS and a 14.1 T/Z60 WS and just try it out. Does IBM have dealers around the country and what not where I can actually get my hands on the systems?

[ryengineer]

I guess what I need to do is get my hands on a 15.4 T60p WS and a 14.1 T/Z60 WS and just try it out. Does IBM have dealers around the country and what not where I can actually get my hands on the systems?

There is no 14.1 T WS yet.

You can find few thinkpads in CircuitCity and BestBuy.

[Paul386]

I guess what I need to do is get my hands on a 15.4 T60p WS and a 14.1 T/Z60 WS and just try it out. Does IBM have dealers around the country and what not where I can actually get my hands on the systems?

There is no 14.1 T/Z60 WS.

You can find few thinkpads in CircuitCity and BestBuy.

I will either be getting the T60p widescreen (15.4", T7200, 2GB, X1400, 100GB 7200RPM, 9 Cell) or the T61(p) (14.1", T7300, 2GB, X3100 / Nvdia based), 100GB 7200RPM, 9 cell).

Since I have until August, I will patiently wait to see what is available.

The only problem is... I am 18, patience is very difficult.

[RealBlackStuff]

To 'kill the time', you could always buy a used T42(p) or T43(p) right here and now on our Market forum. They would allow you to familiarize yourself with TPs.
You can soup them up if you like. You may not even want/need a new(er) T60/T61 as you will find those T4x quite capable!

[Paul386]

To 'kill the time', you could always buy a used T42(p) or T43(p) right here and now on our Market forum. They would allow you to familiarize yourself with TPs.
You can soup them up if you like. You may not even want/need a new(er) T60/T61 as you will find those T4x quite capable!

I have a 600E, T21, and a T60p in my house. I am familiar with the T60p, but my dad's is the standard view (4:3)...

I am not in a need for a notebook. I have a beast of a desktop to get me through the summer.

[ducky2802]

I like the regular screen laptop for engineering/math programs. The T60 14.1 sxga+ is just about the perfect size for carrying on campus, without being too small (x series) or too heavy, with decent battery life. With that said, it is a great laptop for use with solidworks, autocad, matlab, etc. which just seem to fit the screen better compared to a widescreen 15.4 vaio that I have used.