T43 refurb $299

[Bfskinnerpunk]

I see that a couple of web sites (Buy.com, and JR) are offering refurb T43's for $300. The specs are at the bottom.

I love the quality build of these machines.. I have a T61.

Given that it is easy to find a dual core notebook (HP, Dell) for $550 w/ Vista home premium... is it worth it to drop $300 on older tech with less RAM and far less hard drive space?

Also, is a Pentium 730 better than the Atom being used on modern "netbooks"?

Thanks

"IBM ThinkPad T43 Notebook, Intel Pentium 730 (1.6GHz), 512MB RAM, 40GB HDD,14.1� XGA (1024x768) TFTLCD, Intel900, 8x DVD, Intel 802.11abg wireless(MPCI),Modem(CDC),1Gb Ethernet(LOM), Windows XP Pro, Refurbished - 1871FU1R/T-R"

[sjthinkpader]

If you are looking for a netbook, X30, X31, and with some work, X40, X41 that can be had at around the same price. These are more portable than T43.

As for T43, I think I would go for higher end machines that originally cost more than $500-$700.

[bosco]

I recently bought one of the refurbed T43's from JR (which is also where they come from when you order from Buy.com. Save a couple days shipping and buy directly from JR). The laptop is practically brand new. I have no complaints whatsoever. I bought 2gb's of RAM from Newegg for $21 and got a CDRW/DVD drive from eBay for $20.

Sure, I probably overpaid. I saw similar T43's going on eBay for less than $300, but you never know what you're going to get on eBay. All the reviews on Buy.com were excellent, and it comes with a 90 day warranty. I would rather pay a little more and get something from a reputable internet retailer that's been professionally refurbished and with a warranty than deal with the hassles of eBay.

Most of the lower end dual cores are crap, IMO. Plus, I simply cannot deal with a touchpad. I have to have a trackpoint which you can't find on newer laptops these days. Plus, I'm not ready to deal with Vista. I'll stick with XP for a while longer.

I was lucky enough to get one with a battery that lasts 2 1/2 hours and a 5400 rpm drive instead of the 4200 that's advertised. I'm very satisfied with the $300 refurbished T43.

[animefans]

I don't know if I overpaid or not myself, but I just got a T43 15inch (2668-92U) from ebay for $399
It "looked" really new
Battery is 75% capacity, and last around 2 hour (per ThinkVantage Power Manager)
It only has 1GB RAM installed, so my next buy is probably 2GB RAM (need to figure out how to get access to the RAM under keyboard)
Maybe another battery
if 80GB is not enough for me, another PATA HD (probably hard to find)

Other than that, I am just trying to figure out which ThinkVantage I should keep, and then upgrade them to newer version (hopefully newer doesn't mean crashes)

Overall, I am satisfied with my purchase, and I definately love the FlexView!

I recently bought one of the refurbed T43's from JR (which is also where they come from when you order from Buy.com. Save a couple days shipping and buy directly from JR). The laptop is practically brand new. I have no complaints whatsoever. I bought 2gb's of RAM from Newegg for $21 and got a CDRW/DVD drive from eBay for $20.

Sure, I probably overpaid. I saw similar T43's going on eBay for less than $300, but you never know what you're going to get on eBay. All the reviews on Buy.com were excellent, and it comes with a 90 day warranty. I would rather pay a little more and get something from a reputable internet retailer that's been professionally refurbished and with a warranty than deal with the hassles of eBay.

Most of the lower end dual cores are crap, IMO. Plus, I simply cannot deal with a touchpad. I have to have a trackpoint which you can't find on newer laptops these days. Plus, I'm not ready to deal with Vista. I'll stick with XP for a while longer.

I was lucky enough to get one with a battery that lasts 2 1/2 hours and a 5400 rpm drive instead of the 4200 that's advertised. I'm very satisfied with the $300 refurbished T43.

[killer]

animefans,
Welcome to the forum. It sounds to me like you made a good deal. Enjoy your T43.