Need help selecting a new TP

[jamnkats]

Right now we have a bad mobo T30 (I use for parts), the T30 I use daily, a T40 my son uses, my husband's MacBook and a Toshiba Satellite. The T30's, Toshiba and T40 are Pentium M's. the MAc is Intel Core Duo.

I am looking for a new/backup machine in the event my T30 bites the dust. It already has the RAM problem and has a recently acquired fan error. I replaced the fan but I am not confident that it will continue to run. I've been using it for 4 years, traveling in an RV, in humid weather on Mexican beaches and inside the AC of our trailer. It has seen a good life.

I'm pretty sold on ThinkPads and sice we live in Mexico we would probably get another, if nothing else than for the durability factor, considering our lifestyle.

What I can't decide is whether or not to get a T6x or a T43. Or something else. I had never considered the R series but have been seeing good press.

I do daily backups so USB 2.0 would be lovely. I'd like CDRW (right now I just have DVD on all 3; only the Mac has CDRW). I would probably solve that with an external DVD player running off a PCMCIA card though. I would be mainly creating CDs of books for the kids and bootable disks for backup purposes. (say, i lost the HD).

Graphics wise, my old eyes need something easy to read and the XGA (right?) of my T30 is perfect for me - I don't think I need anything better. The boys can both run Runescape without any problem and won't be doing any more intensive gaming without getting their own computers. I do need a sound card/adapter for my machine as make my living off of listening to recorded words but the Turtle Beach external adapter works well for that. I had considered a SFF ThinkCentre (due to our space constrictions) but syncing 2 computers (laptop and desktop) would drive me crazy.

I'd rather keep the expenditures under $500 and I know there is no way I can get a T6x for that price. Since most of my work is word processor based with some Excel, email and internet research, do I really need a Core Duo or C2D? I hate to buy really old technology (especially since they're moving to quad core) but will we really see a difference the T6x processor will give? I suspect the Runescape boys will see much more than I would, but I'm not getting THEM the laptop.

Thanks for any and all advice you can throw my way.

Oh, and I'm not sure about warranty. We have had good experience with IBM warranty service in Mexico but they are a bit more strict than the US.

[ajkula66]

If you're patient enough, you'll find a low-end T60 for around your target price, especially with XGA. The same, or better, goes for R60. Some of these may have warranty remaining, and should serve you quite well for years to come.

Good luck.

[kosse]

Then there's Z61t which is quite affordable and nice for the price at least in my opinion. Low-end models have 1280x800 widescreen so if your eyes can cope with that it might be worth to check out.

[RealBlackStuff]

Widescreen should be avoided if you are happy with XGA (1024x768), which is a 4:3 ratio.

[pianowizard]

Widescreen should be avoided if you are happy with XGA (1024x768), which is a 4:3 ratio.

Or just resize windows/documents to 1024x800 on the widescreen. Two overlapping windows/documents can be displayed simultaneously, increasing productivity, e.g. if you're copying text from one Word doc to another, it helps to be able to see both docs.

I can understand why someone would prefer 1400x1050 to 1440x900, but 1280x800 is definitely better than 1024x768 under most circumstances.

[jamnkats]

thanks all; I think the display is really a moot point - I work of fan external display so the display will only be used if the external breaks or I'm mobile. I'm leaning towards waiting for a T60. It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense in my mind to buy older technology when we already have 3 laptops with Pentium M's. I really don't think I can put anything more than a Pentium M to use with my job, but doesn't it make sense to get new technology? C2D?

Also, I apoligise to the mods - I JUST found the forum I should have posted in.

[agarza]

I'm selling my 2 year old T42p, but it has a SXGA+ screen, remember the scrached LCD issue I commented you about. I'm thinking on switching to a T61.