New laptop - any thoughts on IBM Thinkpad T42p?
Discussion
I'm still considering buying a new laptop to replace my 6 year old Dell, and have narrowed it down to two...
Dell Inspiron 8600
IBM Thinkpad T42p with 15" (high res) screen, DVD recorder, 1GB RAM, 1.8MHz CPU and 60 GB HDD.
Has anyone had much experience of the T range of Thinkpads, and if so, what do you think of them?
Also, thoughts on the latest Inspirons would be appreciated, as well as any other suggestions.
What I'm after is something that's fairly light (max 3kg), decent screen (ideally 15"), nice solid build (I want this one to last at least another 6 years!), decent performance (1GB+ RAM, fast CPU) and a DVD burner.
On-board WiFi, network port, modem and good battery life would also be good to have.
I'm a bit worried about the build of the Dells - I've seen a few negative comments regarding the feel of the keyboard, but everything I've read about the IBM suggests it's a very solid machine with excellent build quality.
Dell Inspiron 8600
IBM Thinkpad T42p with 15" (high res) screen, DVD recorder, 1GB RAM, 1.8MHz CPU and 60 GB HDD.
Has anyone had much experience of the T range of Thinkpads, and if so, what do you think of them?
Also, thoughts on the latest Inspirons would be appreciated, as well as any other suggestions.
What I'm after is something that's fairly light (max 3kg), decent screen (ideally 15"), nice solid build (I want this one to last at least another 6 years!), decent performance (1GB+ RAM, fast CPU) and a DVD burner.
On-board WiFi, network port, modem and good battery life would also be good to have.
I'm a bit worried about the build of the Dells - I've seen a few negative comments regarding the feel of the keyboard, but everything I've read about the IBM suggests it's a very solid machine with excellent build quality.
Take a look at the Dell factory outlet, I got my Inspiron 8500 very cheaply from there.
I'll point JamieBeeston in this direction, he has an 8600.
My Dell keyboard isn't fantastic, but the laptop has been faultless in a year. The plastic near the right hinge developed a hairline crack, I didn't think he warranty would cover it, but Dell got a courier to pick it up on monday and it was back on thursday, top notch customer support from Dell.
I'll point JamieBeeston in this direction, he has an 8600.
My Dell keyboard isn't fantastic, but the laptop has been faultless in a year. The plastic near the right hinge developed a hairline crack, I didn't think he warranty would cover it, but Dell got a courier to pick it up on monday and it was back on thursday, top notch customer support from Dell.
I had a similar question about small light ultra-portables a while ago, that was posted on here. The concensus was that Dell do fairly average laptops, and IBM do much better ones. For what it's worth, I took the advice, and have an IBM (X31, I know it's not the model you were looking at.)
And I am impressed with it. It is VERY solid, good keyboard, feels solid even if it is feather-light. It was pricey, but does come with a 3-yr warranty. My previous HP packed up in 2 years flat ...
I have subsequently seen the Dell I nearly bought, and although it looks more modern (IBM thinkpads look like Volvos - square and chunky) it does feel significantly more flimsy.
I'm not offering advice (nowhere near qualified for that!), merely experience. This is being written from the IBM ...
Oli.
And I am impressed with it. It is VERY solid, good keyboard, feels solid even if it is feather-light. It was pricey, but does come with a 3-yr warranty. My previous HP packed up in 2 years flat ...
I have subsequently seen the Dell I nearly bought, and although it looks more modern (IBM thinkpads look like Volvos - square and chunky) it does feel significantly more flimsy.
I'm not offering advice (nowhere near qualified for that!), merely experience. This is being written from the IBM ...
Oli.
FWIW I went from a Dell Inspiron to a ThinkPad and I think the IBM was much better. Very well built, good battery life, great keyboard, lots of nice features built in: e.g. night light for the keyboard, rubberised casing so you can use it as a writing surface and the built in speakers were excellent.
The only downside's I found were:
a) You didn't get the OEM software CD's, just an image CD that partitioned your whole drive and dumped the lot on it. Not much good if you want to mess around with multi OS's and dual boots.
b) You couldn't configure their models. I wanted one with a CD-RW drive but the model I chose only came with a DVD drive. I could buy a CD-RW drive as an extra which I could swap out of the same expansion port as the DVD drive but I couldn't buy it in place of the DVD drive. So I had to buy the standard model with the DVD and then the CD-RW as an extra which meant extra expense and a redundant CD drive.
Not sure if they've changed the above now.
I now have a Samsung and am wishing I had stuck with IBM or even gone back to Dell!
The only downside's I found were:
a) You didn't get the OEM software CD's, just an image CD that partitioned your whole drive and dumped the lot on it. Not much good if you want to mess around with multi OS's and dual boots.
b) You couldn't configure their models. I wanted one with a CD-RW drive but the model I chose only came with a DVD drive. I could buy a CD-RW drive as an extra which I could swap out of the same expansion port as the DVD drive but I couldn't buy it in place of the DVD drive. So I had to buy the standard model with the DVD and then the CD-RW as an extra which meant extra expense and a redundant CD drive.
Not sure if they've changed the above now.
I now have a Samsung and am wishing I had stuck with IBM or even gone back to Dell!
I've been dealing with IBM and HP for years.
The T series is an excellent machine combining good performance, options and portability. They really are very very good! If you can select the right spec from IBM's TopSeller list you'll find you have an excellent machine at close to Dell pricing.
The only alternative I would consider is an HP NX 7010 which is probably as good to be honest. Again, HP operate a similar system to TopSeller called TopValue. Spooky!! Anyway, I'd be happy with either machine. This time around I chose the HP!!!
If you can't get a reasonable price send me an email and I'll sort one out for you!
>> Edited by hunttheshunt on Wednesday 28th July 00:40
The T series is an excellent machine combining good performance, options and portability. They really are very very good! If you can select the right spec from IBM's TopSeller list you'll find you have an excellent machine at close to Dell pricing.
The only alternative I would consider is an HP NX 7010 which is probably as good to be honest. Again, HP operate a similar system to TopSeller called TopValue. Spooky!! Anyway, I'd be happy with either machine. This time around I chose the HP!!!
If you can't get a reasonable price send me an email and I'll sort one out for you!
>> Edited by hunttheshunt on Wednesday 28th July 00:40
I was originally after this T42p
http://www5.pc.ibm.com/uk/products.nsf/$wwwPartNumLookup/_UW2HTUK?OpenDocument
but have seen this one
http://www5.pc.ibm.com/uk/products.nsf/$wwwPartNumLookup/_UC2HSUK?OpenDocument
in their TopSellers list, which is only a T42 (no p), but very similar spec for about £500 less.
Would an extra .1 GHz, slightly bigger battery, Bluetooth connectivity and an extra "p" in it's name really explain the difference in price, am I missing something else, or is it just cheaper because it's a TopSeller deal?
http://www5.pc.ibm.com/uk/products.nsf/$wwwPartNumLookup/_UW2HTUK?OpenDocument
but have seen this one
http://www5.pc.ibm.com/uk/products.nsf/$wwwPartNumLookup/_UC2HSUK?OpenDocument
in their TopSellers list, which is only a T42 (no p), but very similar spec for about £500 less.
Would an extra .1 GHz, slightly bigger battery, Bluetooth connectivity and an extra "p" in it's name really explain the difference in price, am I missing something else, or is it just cheaper because it's a TopSeller deal?
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