Asus w3j vs Thinkpad T60p

Im torn between these two notebooks as i really like the durable and business type look of the thinkpad.i can get more technology for the money with the asus and better graphics. i have some questions that need answering also.

For anyone that can, which screen do you think is better? and is the resolution of the asus xga good?

thanks

 

T60p looks great in the review. Do you see those angles?!?

 

The "look" of the thinkpad hasn't changed in years and IBM used to save money on redesigns by pushing the look that never changed........ making people think thinkpads would last forever because they new ones look like they could be 5-6 years old. Thinkpads don't have a "business look" per se. They have an old business look, but in terms of today's professional, the thinkpad can't hold its own against the V6j - which is probably more comparable if you're looking at the 15" regular ratio T60, regardless of the graphics.

 

The screen question really depends on whether you're talking about the 14" or 15" T60. Over on the Lenovo forum, I've read lots of complaints about the 14" T60 screen looking dim and washed out. However, I believe 15" T60 has an IPS screen, which is considered among the best.

On the other hand, most W3j owners are very happy with their screen's brightness and colors, and the only major complaint seems to be poor vertical viewing angles.

Another thing to consider is whether you would prefer a matte or glossy screen. The T60 only comes in matte and the W3j only comes in glossy. Some people strongly prefer one over the other.

Also, the 14" T60 is available in 1400x1050 resolution, whereas the W3j only offers 1280x768. The extra screen real estate of the higher resolution might be nice, but it also makes the text smaller and more difficult to read (you can adjust text size in applications, but many websites don't respect these settings due to style sheets). Again, it's a personal preference. You should go to a Best Buy, Fry's, etc. and check out 14" WXGA laptop screens to see what you think of the resolution.

 

I disagree with justin here.

Thinkpads in my opinion are workhorses, I mean I work with both old and new ones daily.

Today I am getting my w3j, so ill be able to post my opinion soon, but I only have good things to say about lenovo's.

(Only bad things are the bloatware and mundane looks)

 

disagree with me all you want. I didn't say thinkpads were bad, but for years IBM pushed them a certain way and people bought into them... you can have quality and performance... and a sexy design at the same time... They want you to think you can't have that on the thinkpads. If you want a workhorse with granny looks..... pay a fortune for a thinkpad...... if you want a workhorse with maxium hot 100 looks, pay a fair price for an Asus.

Again, there is nothing "bad" about a thinkpad except that there isn't much difference in the look of their systems today compared with 6-7 years ago... or more. There isn't a "problem" with that, if you're blind to how technology has allowed the change in design which allows for nice lines and sexy designs... I don't think anyone will argue that in terms of main stream, Apple and Sony have had some of the sexiest notebooks this decade and it's not a surprise that Asus has designed and produced 90 some percent of them... and then you've got their own notebooks which are a step above.

 

I've been looking at these two also lately. As of right now I am heavily leaning towards the Thinkpad T60p.

I'm leaning this way because of
a) The battery life. The 9 cell thinkpad battery goes for 4-5 hours while the Regular W3J battery will only go for about 3. I know the W3J has the Modular bay but as I understand so does the T60p.
b) Reliability. While I have only heard good things about ASUS, Thinkpads have a great reputation and track record for being well built and reliable.

Those were my two main selling points. Hope this helps you make your decision.

EDIT - Justin does, however, make a good point with how technology changes have allowed for nicer designs and ASUS has taken advantage of that.

 

Actually thinkpads really arent more reliable. i will say their shells are alittle more durable. But i used to work in an office with all thinkpads and they would fail like crazy. mostly main board issues. We would get shipments of a dozen at a time and no lie 2 shipments 95 percent failed and had to be sent back within two months. i still do like thinkpads though. the only real benifit to thinkpads is IPS screen durable shell. Docking station. and good battery life and cool running.

 

I think you'll be happy with either T60 or W3J.

The W3J is a smaller notebook and it will be more portable, it is also more powerfull. Looks nicer too!

The T60 definately has a durable shell, nice screen, and good performance.

I think it would come down to pricing and availability.

If i were in your position i would go for the W3J not because it's an ASUS, but because it packs more power with the X1600!

Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

Support might be a lot better with IBM over the ASUS.

 

As long as you get the lappy new with a warranty, it's not really gonna matter who makes it (both IBM and ASUS are big enough that you'll have support down the road). They're both of superb build quality so it has to boil down to specs.

With the T60 you get:
-Better viewing angles (depending on the 14" or 15")
-Higher resolution (again depending on the 14" or 15")
-Better battery life

With the W3J you get:
-Better graphics card
-Better design (although I suppose it's subjective)

What's more important to you?