Need help with Thinkpad purchase...

[chuchichan]

I suppose I'll start by saying that I'm first deciding between a "T" series and an "R" series. I'm leaning towards the "R". I don't need it to be "super-portable". Besides size, what are the main advantages of the "T" over the "R"? Does the T have a firewire port?

If I do go with the R, would you recommend the DVD burner. I understand that it is only a 2x burner.

Thanks for any feedback you may have.

 

[azazello]

The T has no built-in firewire. The T's main advantages are greater portability, better graphics, and a metal top surface which supposedly makes it more durable - although to me it did the opposite, because it flexes more in the middle and makes the keyboard scratch the screen when severe pressures are applied in my backpack.

Whether to get the burner depends on how much money you have. You can get a faster external burner for cheaper. Personally I did that.

 

[cy7878]

remember the burner will set you back $280-399 depending on where you buy it from. As technology advances, all this will drop in price. I was in the same consideration 1 month ago, to DVDR or not, and decided to just go with a DVD drive (no CDR even). Bought off eBay for $35. I figure I use my home PC for DVD burning. For file backups, I will use my Ipod to move the data to my desktop and burn onto DVD's

 

[chuchichan]

This laptop will be my main pc. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense to just get the dvd-rom on the laptop and purchase an external dvd-burner.

Do you know if a dvd burner has to be both "+" and "-" in order to copy a movie with DVD X copy. If a burner only burns "+"R do you know if this is good enough?

 

[jkresh]

+ or - should work fine. Some set top players will like one over the other, but if you are playing it back in the notebook or a newer set top player it shouldnt make a difference. Though you probably shoundlt be asking about that software here, as not particularly legal.

 

[paranoidandroid]

you know, the T series and R series are pretty much the same laptop, just that the casing is different. if you dont really need the portability, get the R series. its a great laptop, and it's bigger case allows for more efficient cooling. I've owned both in the past, and found the R series to be much cooler. the T series gets a little hot, but its definitely not unbearable like many of the cheaper dells.

 

[paranoidandroid]

also, if you dont need to be burning DVD's on the go, i recommend getting an external dvd burner. its cheaper and faster at the same time.

p.s. T series lacks firewire

 

[SleepyItes]

I think I might be able to help you out since I have both a T series (T21) and just picked out a new R series (R51) for my sister. I personally love both of them and I now am certain that IBM makes the best laptops in the world.

I bought the T21 used on ebay for about $680 with a 900MHz p3, 40GB hard drive, 512megs of RAM, DVD drive, floppy drive, and a case, and I still think this is the best value you can get. I bought a wireless card and a micro USB hub (since the T21s only have one USB port) and now I have a great portable system. It also still had a few months of warranty left on it (although this is not usually an issue with IBMs). This is a good solution for a laptop that is not going to be your primary computer. It is by no means a gaming system or a media station, but it is perfect for emulators, flash games, word processing, internet surfing, photoshop, programming, etc. If you are buying a used laptop, make sure you get it from an individual and not a "warehouse" for refurbs, as refurbs often have dead pixels, scratches, or other defects. Contact the seller regarding dead pixels, scratches, etc.

The R series is definitely a better value, especially if you are buying new. The only major difference is the size (which is not that big of a difference, but it definitely feels more like a desktop notebook rather than a portable solution). So if the size difference is not important and you want a DTR, I think this is the way to go over a new T41/T42. Some of these have firewire, some do not. The one we got does not (not needed for her). If you decide to get the R51, I would highly recommend re-installing windows XP pro or un-installing the IBM software, since it takes FOREVER to finish booting up after starting all of IBM's services and everthing (much longer than my T21). Also, RAM is important, but you can purchase an extra 256megs of ram from Crucial (or whoever) for much cheaper than upgrading through IBM. I agree that an external DVD burner would be much better than internal, but I would be inclined to splurge on the CD-burner/DVD combo drive for travel when you don't want to lug around that DVD burner.

To me, both laptops seem to be of the same high quality materials (no keyboard compares). When you get a new one, you get the nice bonus of stuff like the hard drive shock protection, 2 USB ports, better graphics, built in wireless, both trackpoint and touchpad, full warranty, etc. Although the R51 is 1.5 GHz, I cannot notice a difference in speed between the two. I cannot notice a difference in quality of construction either.

Hope this helps! Sorry if it is too long

edit: The T21 does get pretty warm if you are sitting in bed or on the couch, but it is not unbearable. I haven't tried it with the R51.

 

[imported_scot]

A helpful review, SleepyItes. I'm seriously thinking of getting my hands on a used T21 (or T22). Can someone give a quick report on their noise level? I really like quiet. Does the fan stay off most of the time, and only come on when the processor is working hard? Is the harddrive reasonably quiet?

 

[SleepyItes]

The fan stays off almost all the time, and only spins when necessary. By keeping it on a desk or a counter-top in a cool room, it will probably not even start spinning for a couple hours, and then only very occasionally thereafter. On the other hand, if you have it on your bed in a warm climate, it will probably only take 30 minutes to start up, and it will spin more often. I also noticed that the T21's exhaust hole is a lot smaller than the R51. This might make for less efficient cooling.

 

[RichieZ]

Originally posted by: scot
A helpful review, SleepyItes. I'm seriously thinking of getting my hands on a used T21 (or T22). Can someone give a quick report on their noise level? I really like quiet. Does the fan stay off most of the time, and only come on when the processor is working hard? Is the harddrive reasonably quiet?

fan stays off most of the time, hd is loud when it gets old (doesn't have fluid ball bearings)