which laptop company is best

Dell's usually have quality and you get exactly what you pay for, and because of that, I had usually only bought their computers. recently I took the ram out of one of my computers that was said to have come with 256 mb ram. To my surprise I found that I had 2 256's in my computer, yet my in the basic information thing, it said I had 256 mb. Confused, I replaced the ram and got a system message which said the memory had changed. Normally, I would have thought I had made a mistake reading the information. But I tried the exact same thing with another one of my Dell's (purchased at around the same time) and the exact thing happened. Coincidence? Or did Dell just screw up some of their computers that year?

Oh, and personally, I like Sony's. The're computers have killer looks and pretty good performance, although the price is a little overdone in my opinion.

Dell commonly installs two 256 MB modules when the specs require 512MB because they are much less expensive. They are slower than the 1 GB modules in most cases.

Sony's laptops are utter crap and not worth the price. They're mainly built for looks more than reliability and unless you have a large disposable income, there's no reason to buy them. I have seen at least 10 fail in front of me. Their mobo build is poor, not to mention their most common failures (that I have seen) are the cooling system and the HDD.

Thinkpad. Thinkpad. Thinkpad.

Come on - altogether now!

Thinkpad. Thinkpad. Thinkpad.

Get with the programme.

I have to look for one. Do the Lenovo ones have the same build quality as the IBM ones? I can't use Ebay since my parents won't allow me to. So I need to get a brand new one from a store here or look around for a used one in good condition. I'm looking for the T-60 in particular since it seems to be highly recommended but will it be overkill for my needs (mentioned in my second to last post)? In that case, what other model would suit my needs? I need a light lappy to carry around in university and also fulfil my needs. All and any help is appreciated.

Go for a Thinkpad rather than the Lenovo own range. If you don't play games you can get a cheaper one with integrated graphics. Probably the lower end T60, but if you can still find a cheap T43 go with that, its single core and will be a lot cheaper.

Yes. Some are actually better. Lenovo was building them for IBM before they partnered. It has always been IBM's standards on which they demanded so much of their contract builders. Also, the IBM EZServe support became part of the Lenovo mix... so you have incredibly fast and thorough repair turn-around averaging five days or less.
You have to be careful of the lowest priced Lenovo Thinkpads, as they intend to be more competitive. Thus, the Thinkpad 3000 is several cuts below the T-4x series and T-6x series. X-series is extremely good. R-series is of lesser quality than the T... but still better than most. The main differences seem to be that the lower priced ones are heavier in weight, and some are limited in features such as the high resolution screens.
I have owned Thinkpads since 1992, and have loved everyone, most of which I still have.

I've got an R51e (budget model) and a T42.

The T42 (which has been upgraded to 2GB RAM and 160GB HDD) runs Vista Ultimate just fine, and also games like UT2004, etc, but you maybe have to turn the resolution down to 800x600, etc.

R51e is budget and feels it, but I got that laptop so cheaply it was not true. I was actually not even planning on getting another laptop, just saw that one at an incredible price and could not pass on it. That's a great little machine - again with memory and HDD upgrade - build quality not as good as the T42 by any means but its still a great little machine for running XP, not games but most virtual machines (solaris, etc) certainly ran fine.

The T series really does feel solid. I'd go for a T60 right now if I was getting a new machine.

This wee guy is super sweet, but he does have a hard drive that's not easily upgraded...


Thinkpad X41

* Processor: Intel Pentium M LV 758 (1.50GHz, 90nm technology, 2MB L2 Cache, 400MHz FSB)
* Wireless: Intel PRO 2200BG or 2915ABG, Bluetooth optional
* OS: Windows XP Home/Pro
* Screen: 12.1" TFT XGA (1024 x 768)
* RAM: 256MB or 512MB PC-4200 DDR-2 SDRAM (Upgradeable to 1536MB Max)
* Hard Drive: 1.8" 20GB, 30GB, 40GB or 60GB @ 4200RPM
* Battery: 2.5 hr (4-cell) 5.7 hr (8-cell) (extended-life battery option adds 3 - 4 hours of life on top of quoted numbers for each respective battery)
* Ports: 2 USB 2.0 (1 IBM Powered USB 2.0), Infrared, expansion bus (for optional ThinkPad X4 Ultra Base Doc); external display; AC adapter; RJ-11 modem port;RJ-45 ethernet port; audio: headphone/line-out, external microphone.
* Slots: 1 PCMCIA card slot, 1 Secure Digital card slot
* Dimensions: 10.5" x 8.3" x 1.06" (w x d x h) (with 8-cell battery it's 10.5" x 9.3" x 1.06")
* Weight: 2.7lb with 4-cell battery, 3.2lb with 8-cell battery
* Expansion: ThinkPad X4 UltraBase dock optional
* Warranty: 3-year

Only problem there is the 4200RPM HDD - HDD speed makes a big, big difference in laptops, and note from the article...

But you get real, great portability.

Small screen, though.

If it was me, I'd be looking at this:


Lenovo ThinkPad T61 14.1" Widescreen Notebook


New internal magnesium rollcage on the lid

# Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (64-bit) processorsup to 2.4 GHz — T7100, T7300, T7500, T7700
# Motherboard Chipset: Intel Santa Rosa 965GM/PM
# Hard Drive: Up to 160GB, 5400RPM, Up to 100GB 7200RPM
# Memory/RAM: 800MHz speed, Configurable up to 4GB
# Screen: 14.1" WXGA and WXGA+
# Graphics: NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M or Intel X3100
# Optical Drive: Multi-Burner DVD recordable, DVD-CDRW, Blu-Ray to be offered eventually
# Wireless: (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.0, WWAN (via Verizon, Vodafone, Cingular)
# User Input: Touchpad, Pointing Stick, UltraNav buttons, Fingerprint Scanner
# Warranty: 3-years parts and labor, 1-year battery

Article : http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3685&article=T61andR61

^Wow that looks sweet! How much does it weigh though? I want one that's light yet powerful enough for my school work. I don't want the laptop to lag or sputter while it's running in any way. The X41 seems almost perfect but is there any other similar model with a slightly faster processor like a 1.7GHz one or faster? Thanks to all of you for your input.

The performance of this processor, in actual use, exceeds many rated a great deal higher. You can find additional information in a Google search.
Most users love the X-41 to the point of obnoxious... declaring they will never give it up.

What does your schoolwork entail? Is it just writing essays / email / keeping notes? In that case, go for the X41 if you want it to be light enough to cart around at school.

The T60 is the obvious choice though if you want to be able to play games, write DVDs, etc.

You could got for a 512MB X41 and then buy yourself a 1GB RAM upgrade from Crucial to ensure that apps don't lag.

If you go for the new X60 range, you would get that size of machine but it would have Dual Core and a newer chipset.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...-category-id=135A781CA29B4ECB9ADAD8E72CF6FD61

There is a kind of a docking station thingy called an Ultrabase, I believe. That's like a plastic plate with connectors. This is where you can dock your Thinkpad so that it can use an existing desktop keyboard, mouse, and also monitor, so if you already have an aging machine you could get the Thinkpad plus the Ultrabase and have a desktop and laptop together.

Obviously, laptops don't have the upgrade potential that desktop systems do, but they are portable. Portability gives you a whole new dimension.

Thanks guys I think I'll go with the X-41. Seems like the best deal to me.

Yeah its pretty good but also old enough now that you might be able to find a good bargain price, especially with more Thinkpad models coming out soon.

Oh and get the best HDD you can if storage is a concern - the HDD on the X41 is not easily upgradable. But you can certainly upgrade the RAM - have a look on Crucial's website, you can select your exact model and it will show you the correct RAM upgrades, just get yourself a 1GB stick and clip it in.

I cannot share your concern. There ae Toshiba 40, 60, and 80 GB 1.8" drives widely available at such places as www.cdw.com, www.directron.com, and www.zipzoomfly.com... also 60 Gb by Apricorn, Aegis, and 60 gb and 80 Gb at Hitachi... with more 1.8" drives out this month and next by Seagate, Fujitsu, and Samsung.
They are definitely not in many stores. But we have had no trouble getting them for our shop and for our customers. And I have not seen any smaller than 40 or larger than 80 GB.
We carried our X-41 to the base camp of Everest... and into China and Iraq. It handled cold and jarring without problems.
More small laptops are on the way... as the manufacturers gear up. With them will come the perpendicular technology and the 100 GB drives.
The BEST 1.8 HDD are still the Toshiba, and I would pick the 60 over the 80, as the 80 is still too new to know.

The notebookreview website said that the X41's 1.8" hard drive is proprietary in design and cannot be upgraded past 4,200RPM of speed...

Do you know then if the X41 can be upgraded with a Toshiba 1.8 HDD? If so, then there's no problem - I was just going on what notebookreview said and guessed that its not upgradable - do you know specifically if it is?

Even if there are these problems, the X41 is a great machine. Not my personal choice but for someone who was carting a machine around a college campus and doing all sorts of studenty things, it would be ideal.

Personally, I go for a more conventional 14" or 15" model, with 2.5 HDD. I usually swap this out for a Seagate - the biggest I can get - right now that's a 160GB 2.5 HDD from Seagate. When paired with a memory upgrade, this can really speed a laptop up.