Looking for a new laptop. Suggestions?

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mld · #1 Post by **mld** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 12:24 am

Hello fellow Thinkpad fans!

Even though I love my old T40 and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it - I have come to realize that I really do need a little more computing power.

Now, in an ideal world I would just call IBM and ask them to send me an identical machine but with a little more modern components inside (a "T48" perhaps). However, it seems the world is far from ideal for a laptop-buyer today. In fact, Lenovos current line of Thinkpads leaves my scratching my head. I would have thought I had pretty modest and common requirements.

I would like a laptop with;

* A fairly modern processor. That means intel c2duo I guess. (I intend to use this laptop for sevaral years.)
* Intel or ATI graphics (I'm a free software enthusiast)
* A 4:3 display with 1400x1050 (or higher) resolution. I cannot stand widescreen. Also I would like the screen to have the same matte finish as my T40.
* The outstanding keyboard and quality of my old T40. The weight of my T40 is fine. I can carry it - I'm not 80! (yet). Size is pretty much ideal.

Integrated webcams, 3g modems, bluetooth, sd-card readers, fingerprint readers, stereo speakers, extra graphics cards (wth) etc etc etc - these things doesn't interest me one bit. A good keyboard and a high resolution 4:3 screen *does*. Also battery life is not that important, there's power everywhere (trains, busses, cafés) these days.

It seems the only thing that would satisfy my needs would be to get a used T60/61(p?) from before widescreen was introduced. I see that there exist T60's with Core Duo. Is there any noticeable difference between CD and C2D? Are the T60s any good? Atleast they *look* like my T40. 60 or 61? Should I go for whatever I can find that has an ok resolution before they're all gone? Maybe there's another brand of laptops that are superior? (Somehow I doubt it though. I have seen what other people carry around nowadays) Questions questions.

As I said I will be using it for a long time and as such I would like it to have seen very little use before me - which I suspect can make such a laptop pretty hard to come by in my small country. It could take forever to find one. Also I wonder how support from Lenovo would transfer between owners.

I'm not sure what to do really. But it seems very clear to me that if I wait any longer I'll end up with a computer that is as wide as my desk, has a see-through touch-screen with a webcam in each corner that can tell what mood I'm in while I'm reading an ebook that fits in exactly two lines of text.

Regards,
Martin

ps. I'm not really as bitter as I sound.

#2 Post by **schen** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 5:38 pm

I'm going to move this whole thread over to the T60 Conference so you'll get more replies to what appears to be your main target at this point; the T60 (since nothing else seems to fit your requirements).

I do agree with you, but by no means a T6x expert, so I'll put you in the capable hands of those guys/gals.

By the way; Welcome to the Forum.

ajkula66 · #3 Post by **ajkula66** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 7:25 pm

Since you like ATi graphics, I'd suggest a T60/p. Most of them can be upgraded to C2D CPUs and will run very well in most people's opinion. Later T60s have C2D CPUs to begin with.

You may find the keyboard on T6x machines disappointing, or you may not...you won't know until you try, but it does have a different feel from T4x keyboards, at least in my opinion.

If you're looking for resolution higher than SXGA+ (1400x1050) the only choice you have is T60p with a 15" UXGA LCD (1600x1200, IPS FlexView), which is likely the best pick in the whole crop.

Other laptops...my pick would be Panasonic, although the keyboard is light years behind ones used on ThinkPads, but it's the only new machine with a 4:3 LCD nowadays, and it does run extremely well.

Hope this helps.

yak · #4 Post by **yak** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 8:19 pm

You can still find fairly unused T60. I've bought mine 2 months ago, here in Germany. It was a demo unit, manufactured in January 2007, probably was on a display for some time and then lied in some storage. It really looks like new, no shiny keys, no scratches on the top or on the LCD. The price was ok, it wasn't a bargain but I needed it fast because it was short before I went on a trip where I needed a laptop and my T41 died (GPU) just a few days before.

It came with an XGA screen (1024x768) which I've since replaced with an SXGA+ one (1400x1050). The screen I got is also new, bought from eBay (USA). They can still be found on eBay, also quite cheap if you keep checking it for some time. I got a good deal on mine.

It has a Core Duo but it since the mainboard is a rev. 3 one so I could upgrade to C2D in future.

The keyboard is indeed a bit different then the one I had in T41, also because the T41 was already used (shiny keys) when I bought it. At first I was a bit disappointed but now I got used to it and I think it's even better, especially that it has no flex unlike the T41 one. The whole T60 feels much stiffer.

I plan to keep the machine for some years too as I also don't want a wide screen laptop.

#5 Post by **schen** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 10:14 pm

Here's an option for you. A well equipped T60 from a highly respected member of the Forum for a good price with warranty left.... what more could you want!?!

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=68900

mld · #6 Post by **mld** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 8:21 pm

Thank you all for your input.

I've also been looking through older posts on this forum and decided that a T60 with a 14" sxga would be the best option (if I'm not mistaken it would be pretty much exactly the same size as my 14" T40).

While the 15" with uxga does sound very nice, I don't think the extra pixels would be worth the sacrifice in portability. I guess it would also be more costly.

As the screen can be upgraded to sxga later maybe finding one won't be as hard as I thought. Did it go smoothly for you yak? I'm not very well versed in electronics.

Also, how I can find out if a particular T60 is upgradeable to C2D?

Wish me luck in finding a used T60!

tylerwylie · #7 Post by **tylerwylie** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 8:48 pm

I'd say a T61 14.1" SXGA+ with Intel GMA X3100, Intel 4965ABGN card(Or Atheros, Ath9k is coming along well for free software enthusiasts), with bluetooth and fingerprint reader. Get it with a good battery and the NMB keyboard and you'd be gold.

azpirin · #8 Post by **azpirin** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 12:34 am

Here is a quick advice. Don't buy for the looks. I would recommend Thinkpad, but it is no longer IBM. Lenovo???? No good.

nykobing06 · #9 Post by **nykobing06** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 12:45 pm

I'm wondering why no one here is recommending the new T400/500 series....

I'm also in a similar boat looking for an upgrade to my T42. I bought the T42 when it had been out already for a year or so...same case with the T6X. I don't mind that but I'm still scratching my head over the absence of T400/500 talk in this thread.

Thanks for any input!

basketb · #10 Post by **basketb** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 1:11 pm

nykobing06 wrote:I'm wondering why no one here is recommending the new T400/500 series....

I'm also in a similar boat looking for an upgrade to my T42. I bought the T42 when it had been out already for a year or so...same case with the T6X. I don't mind that but I'm still scratching my head over the absence of T400/500 talk in this thread.

Thanks for any input!

OP stated this

A 4:3 display with 1400x1050 (or higher) resolution. I cannot stand widescreen.

which makes the new Tx00 a no-no.

nykobing06 · #11 Post by **nykobing06** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 1:28 pm

Aha!

I knew it....I was being dumb!

Thanks for making that clear...heck I wasn't aware that the T500 was widescreen!

Assuming that widescreen isn't a problem, would you recommend the T500 or T60/61?

Hmm...now this widescreen thing is bugging me though...

arlab · #12 Post by **arlab** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 4:35 pm

nykobing06 wrote:Assuming that widescreen isn't a problem, would you recommend the T500 or T60/61?

Definitely. And don't worry about widescreen. I think it is an advantage. Nowadays, many apps are programmed with several vertical taskbars and you can have two or more windows open side-by-side... I wouldn't want anything else...

nykobing06 · #13 Post by **nykobing06** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 5:35 pm

Thanks arlab.

I think I can get accustomed to widescreen. What puts me off now is something that always bothered me about IBM/Lenovo...the fact that some models have all the configuration options whereas, unexplainable, others do not.

The T500 seems like a great buy until someone tells me that it has no LED backlighting. I haven't experienced this new technology in screens but apparently its a deal breaker for many people. Maybe it has to do with the 15.4" screen.

It is available on the T400 but I like my 15.4" screen....

:sigh:

mld · #14 Post by **mld** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 4:14 am

Thank you all for you input.

I finally (took a while!) found a reasonably priced T60 with a 14" SXGA. It unexpectedly came with the larger battery,, haven't decided if that's a good or a bad thing yet.

First impressions are really good - it feels really sturdy.. the palmrest is a lot more rigid and doesn't creak like it does on the T40.
Somehow it feels alot larger than my T40 but when I put them on top of each other there's no difference at all! Maybe it's just the extra weight from the battery that is confusing me.

Also the keyboard is a little,,, weird.. It really is stiffer as was pointed out by yak. I hope I can get used to it. The new tiny alt keys suck though. I can buy the newly added windows key but that menu button is just retarded. I mean I've got the right mouse button half a centimeter from my thumb as it's resting on the space bar! I wonder if anyone has ever tried to fit an old T40 keyboard (and the striped mouse buttons!) in a T60. That would be an awesome mod.

Anyhow, I'm off to install the new fedora on this machine! Wish me luck.

Looking for a new laptop. Suggestions?

Looking for a new laptop. Suggestions?

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