On Tuesday 08 August 2006 01:23 am, Tyler Smith wrote: > Hi all, > > Fishing for more advice on a laptop purchase here. In an earlier > thread on this list just about everyone was plugging thinkpads as > the way to go. My budget is a little on the light side, but I > could manage a 'low-end' thinkpad like an R51 or maybe a T42. > However, I notice that the specs on comparably priced, or > somewhat cheaper, Dells (Inspiron e1505), Toshibas (A105), Lenovo > (3000) and Compaqs are generally better than what I'd get with a > thinkpad. These brands/models seem to get higher ratings in a lot > of the on- and off-line magazines, while more geek-oriented sites > push the thinkpads. > > My needs are pretty ordinary: web, email, editing text and code, > basic image manipulation, some scientific computing. I listen to > some audio podcasts and streaming radio, but I don't otherwise > use my computer for music, movies, or games. I've been managing > quite well on a six year old 700mhz desktop with 392 ram, so > anything I get will be a big improvement in terms of performance. > My main goal is to have a solid, portable system that plays well > with Debian and will give me hopefully another 6 years of regular > use. I will need a decent, full-size keyboard, as I plan to do > most of my work on this machine. > > So my question is: is a 'low end' thinkpad worth the mark-up over > what Dell and Toshiba have on offer? > > Thanks! > > Tyler
After much comparison, I bought a Thinkpad R40 type 2897-54U and have been very satisfied. Yes, I paid more and got less icing on the cake, but the quality is great and I haven't experienced any problems. Kinda like buying a Honda versus a Chevy. My R40 has a great keyboard. Others that I test drove were mushy, etc. I was recently behind a friend's other-brand unit and couldn't wait to get behind my Thinkpad keyboard again. The Trackpoint is great; I disabled the touchpad. Next time I'll save money and get just the Trackpoint. The only Linux-related problem was the Agere Systems winmodem. After heroic efforts from the guys at Linmodems.org, it worked, but not without glitches. Agere pulled their driver from their site, so I guess they realized it didn't work well. I now use a Linksys pcmcia card modem. Did you look at the economy R40e models? For what you seem to be wanting, they should be fine. A friend went that route and is very satisfied. By the way, as you probably know, Lenovo bought IBM's desktop and laptop division. -- Elmer E. Dow -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
