G41

[kneedeep]

I'm considering buying a G41 P4 and wondering if there might be any warnings I should be aware of before purchasing?

[RealBlackStuff]

The laptop itself or another CPU?

[kneedeep]

The laptop itself or another CPU?

Sorry !
Yes the laptop.

[RealBlackStuff]

They are bulky and heavy, not laptops in that sense.
But they are very powerful, and even today, still a good desktop replacement, with P4 CPU up to 3.6GHz.
Go for a 15" with SXGA+ LCD (1400x1050).

[pianowizard]

I had a 15" 1400x1050 G41 at one point and consider it one of the best made Thinkpads ever, along with the T30, the 4:3 T60, the 600E/600X series, the X4* and the X6*. If you want a powerful but affordable desktop replacement, go for it!

[dr_st]

G41 is an interesting thing, and indeed, in terms of raw power, was somewhat ahead of its contemporaries. I never owned one, but if pianowizard says it's one of the best Thinkpads ever made (I assume he is referring to build quality), then I take it upon his word, since I know how picky he is when it comes to build quality (in fact, a lot like me in this sense).

However, compared to today's computers, and in fact everything since Intel Core came out, the P4-based G41 will be lagging far behind. As an owner of a P4 desktop (3GHz, HT), I can say that although it's still quite capable for everyday tasks and even old games, even my humble T60 puts it to shame. And does so while generating far less heat.

Finally, I just never managed to get past the lack of physical attraction to the G4x. These "laptops" are so thick, large, heavy, and angled, and in addition to that require that huge power brick to work, that I never imagined owning one, even as a desktop replacement.

[pianowizard]

if pianowizard says it's one of the best Thinkpads ever made (I assume he is referring to build quality)

I was indeed referring to build quality. That G41 was so solid that I often leaned my whole upper body (through my elbows) on the palm rest while using the computer, and the palm rest would not yield even one micron! I mean, it felt like it's part of the desk itself!

compared to today's computers, and in fact everything since Intel Core came out, the P4-based G41 will be lagging far behind. As an owner of a P4 desktop (3GHz, HT), I can say that although it's still quite capable for everyday tasks and even old games, even my humble T60 puts it to shame.

You raised a good point. However, my G41 (3.33GHz P4, 1GB RAM, 80GB 5400rpm HDD) was very snappy even though it was running Vista, arguably the slowest Windows version ever, so I bet a maxed out G41 would continue to be powerful enough for most people for many more years from now. In addition, for Thinkpad lovers, the uniqueness of the G41 adds a lot to its value. When I bought my G41 about 1.5 years ago, I had used the T2*/T3*/T4*/T6* and all of them looked and felt more or less the same, and so the G41 was very refreshing and fun to use. That interesting experience alone was worth 20% of the laptop's cost!

[ajkula66]

G41 was a desktop replacement in the fullest sense of the phrase, utilizing desktop CPUs, swappable graphic cards on high-end models (nVidia 64 or 128MB) and as bulky it it is, it certainly does have a lot of charm. All jokes aside, ones powered with HT CPUs are not a joke by any means. With 2GB of RAM and a modern hard drive, there's still a lot of life left in these babies.

My biggest gripe with G4x machines (which I like a lot in general) is the lack of swappable media drives.

Now, if someone would offer me a G50...that would be a keeper.

All in all, Acer finally got them right, just before IBM stripped them of the license to build anything with ThinkPad logo...

[kneedeep]

I appreciate all the feedback.

Actually I'm trying to pick a replacement for my A30 (dead mobo), I'd like a somewhat better machine while trying to stay around the $300 mark (give or take a bit).
I've been looking at the R & G series among others.
Portability isn't really an issue, something more of a desktop replacement would be OK - but not a requirement.


I'd be glad to hear any other opinions anyone might have.

[goofyGAguy]

You can get a really nice R51 w/15" FlexView LCD for well under that these days.

[kneedeep]

You can get a really nice R51 w/15" FlexView LCD for well under that these days.

Besides ebay are there any recommended sources for Thinkpads, used or reconditioned?

[Neil]

The marketplace here on this forum is one of the best places.

Put an ad there for what you are looking for, and in a matter of minutes (or a little longer) you will be getting offers.

[kneedeep]

Very good! Thanks!!

[Thinkpadp4]

I'm considering buying a G41 P4 and wondering if there might be any warnings I should be aware of before purchasing?

I have a G41 P4. Unfortunately the motherboard died after not owning it too long but long enough to be just out of warranty and rendered it a big expensive paperweight. I was not going to pay 475+ dollars to have someone put a new MB in. Now that I see many prices that are pretty reasonable for G41 motherboards I am going to try to fix it myself.

Like everyone has said it is not really a "laptop" as it is too heavy, bulky, and has too short a battery life to really be a good portable unit but it was a very good powerful desktop replacement that could be easily taken to different places if needed and it suited my needs very well. It would get pretty hot and was pretty heavy so laying on the coach with it sitting on you is not very comfortable and something I hardly ever did. My friends laptops with their weaker more mobile/battery friendly processors were very slow in comparison to my G41 and would routinely freeze. My G41 rarely froze or had any issue doing what I wanted to do quickly which is what I liked.

If you get one and the MB does not fail and are not the type that will be taking it around with you often and want more of a portable desktop replacement I am sure you will be happy with it.

[schen]

All in all, Acer finally got them right, just before IBM stripped them of the license to build anything with ThinkPad logo...

As far as I can remember, I believe that, that particular model was contracted from Quanta (the primary manufacturer for Dell). A few years back with I was doing my last stint in IT and needed to order a batch of notebook computers, I trying to work around our university's buying protocols set up to purchase Dells. I hadn't had very good luck with 600 series Latitudes, so decided to switch us over to ThinkPads. Needless to say, finding out that the G40s were constructed by Quanta didn't help....along with the size and lack of battery life. So we bought the early some of the R Series machines instead.