My first Thinkpad - advice please!

[Aelon]

Hi there, i have long admired the Thinkpad brand, and have finally scraped up enough cash to buy one Corporate Refurb.
There is one available that mostly meets my requirements, just needs a larger HDD. Its an R40 2681-29G according to the refurbisher.
Will this take a standard 2.5" IDE HDD? I read somewhere that some Thinkpad models won't.

[Harryc]

Yes it does take a standard 2.5" IDE laptop hard drive.

[Aelon]

Cool, thats just what I was hoping to hear.

Thanks.

[A31]

I had an R40 2681 exactly like the one you might get, it was a lovely machine, very slim and quite light, but then it died on me. But don't worry, mine was written off as "broken/inrepairbable" and was always given to me as "broken". Your's is a refurbishment, so you won't have to worry about that!

Obviosuly the fact that my R40 broke was becuase it was actually (like pianowizard says below) made by ACER and not IBM.

[pianowizard]

Aelon, welcome to the forum! Congrats on finally getting a Thinkpad, but unfortunately the R40 isn't a true IBM Thinkpad because it was actually made by Acer. Still a decent laptop though.

Will this take a standard 2.5" IDE HDD?

Keep in mind that IDE HDDs are sometimes referred to as PATA HDDs. They mean the same thing.

BTW, some old IDE HDDs were 12mm in thickness. Avoid those because they wouldn't fit in your R40's HDD bay.

[schen]

Aelon, welcome to the forum! Congrats on finally getting a Thinkpad, but unfortunately the R40 isn't a true IBM Thinkpad because it was actually made by Acer. Still a decent laptop though.

Completely agree on this from my experience with some R40s and Acers of the same generation. One bit of caution though; be careful of placing any strain on the where the AC plug comes into the machine. Acers and Acer contracted machines (R3x, R40) of that generation tended to be a little weak in that area. This goes all the way back to the iSeries which was the first of the Acer contracted ThinkPads. All machines have weaknesses (even ThinkPads), and this was one of them for these particular machines.

[ajkula66]

Honestly, you've picked a great machine to learn a thing or two about upgrading older ThinkPads for just a few quid...

Product: ThinkPad R40 2681-29G [change]
Operating system: All [change]

Original description: Celeron 1.6GHz, 256MB RAM, 20GB 4200rpm HDD, 14.1 XGA(1024x768) TFT LCD, 16MB ATI Radeon M6, 24x-10x CD-ROM, IBM 802.11b wireless(MPCI), Modem(CDC), 10/100 Ethernet(LOM), UltraNav, Secure Chip(TCPA), 8 cell Li-Ion battery, WinXP Pro

Personally, I like R40s and have owned many of them. Apart from the issue that schen correctly pointed out, they're fairly well built, Acer or not...and let's just hope you won't have to replace the fan because these are ridiculously expensive for some reason...

So, start with getting a little more RAM, then a nice cheap P4M CPU, better wireless card, media drive...

Most importantly, have a TON of fun with your new ThinkPad and may it serve you well!

[A31]

One bit of caution though; be careful of placing any strain on the where the AC plug comes into the machine. Acers and Acer contracted machines (R3x, R40) of that generation tended to be a little weak in that area.

I think I am right in saying that this is what killed my R40. But yes, good luck and have fun!!

[Aelon]

Decided against the R40 after all, the seller is selling it without the internal wifi and that is something I will not compromise on.

Seen a couple of nice z60 models in the same price range, one a z60m the other a z60t any comment on those?

[goofyGAguy]

Either of those will do you better than an R40.

[ajkula66]

Z60m is a 15".4 widescreen workstation, some of these were actually very nice. Basically a WS T43p with a SATA drive.

Z60t is a 14" widescreen, and more of an all-around machine, guts similar to T43/R52 with Intel graphics.

I'd agree that any of these are a far better pick than even the very best R40.

[Aelon]

Cool, this fits with the feeling i have the z60m is the one i'd like. Though i saw a review said the titanium plate (and yes this one has it) makes the z60m too heavy to transport daily, anyone comment on this?

Basically im looking to take this one to and from my local college which is a 45min journey by bus. Dont know if the weight vs durability is worth it...?

Thanks guys, i know i'm being a pain, but the amount im clunking down, i want to make absolutely sure im happy with it....

[ajkula66]

Not all of Z6x units have the titanium lid, these are actually a minority...

I'd rather be carrying a Z60t than a Z60m, just because of the size. My pick would otherwise be a Z60m if it were one of the models with high-resolution screen...

[Aelon]

Yeah I know, but this one definitely does have the titanium lid.

The spec is lovely but the weight is a concern.

[rippeer]

I have a z61t and to date is my favourite notebook.
I love the 14 inch widescreen.
Its small and light, I barely notice it on my laptop.
It's great for travel.
its cool and doesn't burn my lap like previous laptops.

I move around alot with it and it always feel rock solid.

[Aelon]

Thanks for all your help, I am now the proud owner of a z60t

[A31]

Thanks for all your help, I am now the proud owner of a z60t

Congratulations!!! Have fun!