Heretical thinking X61 vs D**L Latitude d430

[stuartf]

For about the same price (I have access to EPP so the exact figure will be left unmentioned in accord with guidelines) I can get:

REFURBISHED D**L d430
XP Pro
CDRW/DVD (this is an external unit)
2 gb RAM
Wireless
Core 2 Duo 1200
3 year depot warranty
32 gb Sandsik solid state "hard drive"

OR
NEW x61
2 gb RAM
Wireless
Core Duo T8100
3 year depot warranty
80 gb 5400 hard drive

I am intrigued by the Sandisk option, the small capacity is no problem as it is used for email, word processing exclusively.

Biggest concern is about durability of D**L and access to service in China. My T43 has been decent in reliability but in a little over two years I have replaced the keyboard, optical drive and fan (all done in China with 4 hour service).

If I want to forego the Sandisk in the D**L I can drop the price abut $200.

Any experience with the Latitude ,any advice??

[rek]

The Dell has good build quality, but the X61 is better still.

Remember that the Dell has a small (and slow) 1.8" hard disk -- so the SSD is a good idea. The SanDisk is an excellent, I had the exact same drive (with a 2.5 SATA cradle) in my old X60s.