Need advice on purchase -- T61P, T400, T500 or Edge 14

[Bandana Boyz]

OPINION NEEDED
I have been looking into various laptops and and have decided to purchase a Lenovo Thinkpad as a secondary computer for travelling and around the home when away from my desktop. My current desktop is a P4, 3.2ghz & 8gb ram and works very well, only a little lag on video editing software. I was looking at the following and would like your opinion on best value for money; I know the durability of the T61P & T400/500 are better than the Edge, but is better to have new for the same price?

PRIMARY USE
Everyday home/business running XP Pro or Windows 7 with MS Office 2010, Corel Office X5, Corel Video Editing software, Web Surfing (no gaming at present time)

(1) Thinkpad Edge 14 with AMD Turion II processor, model 0199U with 4gig from Tigerdirect, $575 (includes tax)
(2) T61P with a T7700, T9300, P8400, or P8600 processor with 4gb -- 8/10 shape for $500 used
(3) T400 or T500 with similar processor's as T61P with 4gb -- 8/10 shape for $550 used

[ZaZ]

AMD machines generally run hotter and offer less battery life. A T61p will get a machine with a GPU that has higher than normal failure rates. That leaves the T400 or T500.

[lead_org]

T61p doesn't support P8xxx CPU, and i would avoid this machine model due to the Nvidia GPU problem (not saying that this model will definitely have it, but there is a higher probability that it may have it).

T500 is a good machine, due to the availability of the displayport on the machine itself, which allows you to connect to 2 external monitors without a dock.

[underclocker]

Agree with all above. With a T400, the battery will stick out an inch, unless you use the 4 cell which lasts at most for 2 hours.

The T500 seems like the best option, but it's not great for traveling.

The Edge 14 also comes with Intel CPUs and occcasionlly sell in that price range in the Lenovo Outlet. I have an X100e (a.k.a. Edge 11) and have had an Edge 15. They're not ThinkPads (features, finish), but they are quite nice.

A really nice machine would be a T410 or T410i. They use a six cell battery that is flush fitting. They are not quite in the same price range yet, the eBay lows are around $700.

[Bandana Boyz]

Advice well taken. I will stay away from the 61P and look at some T410i's.

Is the Edge 14 with AMD Turion II good? Any issues yet?

I also thought about spending a little more and picking up an x201. Any thoughts on that?

[Bandana Boyz]

Need more feedback

It appreas that the T61P is not a good option used due to the video card. Is a T60 a good option for around $300 used? Is it worth spending $550 for an Edge 14 or $700 for a used T410? Being used for business office applications & home video editing.

Any thoughts on the Edge 14 with a Turion II processor?

[sysiphus]

Need more feedback

It appreas that the T61P is not a good option used due to the video card. Is a T60 a good option for around $300 used? Is it worth spending $550 for an Edge 14 or $700 for a used T410? Being used for business office applications & home video editing.

Any thoughts on the Edge 14 with a Turion II processor?

A T60 is a great machine, so long as you're cognizant of its limitations, and they don't trouble you. 1) The T60/p is chipset limited to 3GB of RAM (It'll physically take 4, but only use 3). 2) Save for the "p" model, the graphics choices aren't very strong by today's standards--plenty enough for basic use etc, just don't expect to play current games on them.

With that said, it's a great piece of hardware, and if you can get a good one, a T60 is still a highly useful machine, for a reasonable price. The CPUs went up to Core2Duo; those that didn't have that can be easily upgraded. Hard drives are SATA, so it's an easy upgrade to an SSD etc. The 15" high-resolution T60s command a premium due to their "Flexview" IPS displays; they provide viewing angles superior to almost anything else on the market, albeit at the expense of screen brightness and backlight life. For me, and many others, the sweet spot is the 14" model with the SXGA+ screen--1400x1050 is a great resolution for home work, but is still packed in a small enough frame for easy portability. Just my 2c. If a T60 is good enough for your needs, it's well worth the (relatively low) price.

(Actually, I'm just about to sell my T60 as I'm upgrading to a T60p )

[Bandana Boyz]

The T60p with the 15" screen with intel core 2 duo T7600 chip is a great solution. I will stay way from the t61 or t61p due to Nvidia. Now, just need to find one for around $400 bucks.

Any other thoughts out there?

[dorronto]

The T60p with the 15" screen with intel core 2 duo T7600 chip is a great solution. I will stay way from the t61 or t61p due to Nvidia. Now, just need to find one for around $400 bucks.

Any other thoughts out there?

.....The 14" wide T61 with Intel integrated graphics is a fine machine with no GPU problems as far as I know.

I'm using one now at home with a 4 cell battery and Core 2 Duo T7100 cpu. It's light and powerful. An excellent choice if you can find one. And, they are under $400 easy if you look..

My two cents on that.....any "p" series will generate more heat.

Good luck,
Ron

[pianowizard]

Any other thoughts out there?

Besides the CPU, are there other aspects of a laptop that matter to you? Like weight, size, battery duration, display resolution, screen quality, optical drive (the X201 you asked about doesn't have one), touchpad, keyboard type, etc. To me, all of these are more important than the CPU.

[Tasurinchi]

The 14" wide T61 with Intel integrated graphics is a fine machine with no GPU problems as far as I know.

+1

Those are really great machines. I'm just not sure how Corel Office X5 and Corel Video Editing software will run on the integrated graphics tough...

[Bandana Boyz]

Essentially I am looking for the best value for money for what I do. I can get a new Edge 14 with the AMD cpu & ATI video all maxed out for $575 CDN. To run the Video Studio and Paint Shop Pro X3 I will need a dual processor & ideally a seperate video card. Not playing games but I would look for the best available screen in either the T60 or T60p or T400 or T410.

Portablility is not the necessity as it's going to be my secondary computer with my desktop being primary. However, I had a gread deal on a new x201 around $900 but could not pull the trigger because I thought it was too much to spend for what I needed.

I fugured that a off lease T-series for less than $575 would do the trick or maybe pay a $125 more and get an open box T400 with an i5 chipset instead of the Edge. Just not sure.

Time on computer
50% surfing + email
40% office related use (Microsoft Office 2010 & Wordperfect)
10% video editing, watching movies etc....

[underclocker]

In Outlet now, several like this Edge 14 for $450. You got to give it serious consideration! (There are some $460 Edge 14's, too that include the same specs but bump of the HD to 500GB and battery to 6 cell.)

Processor Intel® Core™ i3-350M processor (2.26GHz, 3MB L3, 1066MHz FSB)
Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 32 - English
Keyboard/Pointing Device UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
Total Memory 4GB (2 X 2GB) PC3-8500 DDR3 1067MHz SDRAM SODIMM Memory
Hard Drive 320GB, 5400RPM Serial ATA 2.5" Hard Drive
Display 14.0” WXGA HD (1366 X 768) LED, W/ Camera
Graphics Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator HD
Optical Device DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer
Battery 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (Up to 2.5 Hours Run Time)
Ethernet/Wireless Intel® Centrino Wireless-N 1000 (1x2 bgn)
Mobile Broadband No WWAN Supported
Bluetooth No
Integrated Camera Yes
Color Glossy Black
Fingerprint Reader No
Form Factor Laptop
Limited Warranty 1 Year Limited

[tpribors]

See my post in the Edge forum. The Edge might have a Thinkpad label on the case, but in all other respects, especially keyboard, it isn't a Thinkpad. Stay with the T4xx or T5xx (or W5xx). In fact, given the current discount coupon structure, comparing a T510 configured identically to a W510, the W510 will be cheaper.

[Bandana Boyz]

Thank you for all your feedback and support. I decided to get a T500 with Intel t9600 all loaded up; could not resist as it is under warranty until 12-13-12.

[ssd_thinkpad]

Good choice! For video editing you need a good cpu / gpu. A more modern model (T400/500) is the right choice. The T61 series is too old for processor intensive tasks. I love my T60 with intel GPU anyway