Hi all,

I would just like some expert advice on which laptop i should buy.

I want an ultra portable laptop i can run mandrake on and take to lectures as im a student.

I have been searching for a couple of days and have found 2 laptops i like.

They are both £199.99 + £20 P&P (absolute limit)

One is a Dell D400 the other a IBM x31

I understand the x31 has amazing build quality but the dell is not far off
I understand the x31 is smaller and lighter which is what im looking for
I understand the x31 has a much longer battery life than the D400

The specs of each are as follows;

D400
Centrino 1.6ghz
1gb RAM
60GB HDD
Shared GFX (intel)
Comes with free bag

X31
Centrino 1.4ghz
256mb RAM
40GB HDD
ATI Mobility 16mb
Comes with free port replicator & bag

The difference in processor speed, ram and hard drive space is quite significant but is it significant enough to confidently choose the d400 over the x31? I want the x31 if im honest but the spec of the D400 is too good to ignore. Second opinions please!

Good luck...

since I am used to dell laptops and I have one d400 (my wife occupies it) I would go for the d400.
as far as I remember the centrinos the 1.4 has 1mb level2 cache and the 1.6 has 2mb level2 cache which makes it even better than just 200 extra mhz of cpu speed.
the advantage of 1gb ram is obvious and a port replicator for dell d series costs $30. not sure if you get the ibm's ram upgraded for $30. so...?
hdd doesn't matter that much I think. even 60gb will be not enough someday.
whats left is the video cards. that depends on what you do with the laptop .but the difference is really not big.

well, thats my 2 cents

I'd go w/ the Dell just based on the memory. 256MB is nothing. Find out how much a RAM upgrade for the IBM costs.

thanks for your replies, i went for the dell, couldnt be happier!

My question now is about the battery which i will start a new thread for.