Bah! Which would you get?

Hi, I just do light gaming but I'd like to get a secondary system in a few days. I'm having a really hard time deciding, but I'd like to keep a low budget.

I can either get, a refurbished T60 for $225 @ Newegg + $43 4GB RAM kit,

Or a scratch and dent H215 Desktop for $247 @ Lenovo Outlet + $100 monitor,

Or a new G570 for $400 @ Newegg.

Which would you get?

 

did you try craigslist yet?

 

It depends, do you want mobility?

 

I'd rather not. I'd rather buy from Lenovo, or Newegg.

It doesn't matter, it will be home bound either way.

 

Of the above choices, this one. Some upgrade-ability to it in case you need future-proofing. Sorry for so many hyphens in one sentence, I feel the need to cut big words in half.

Also, the desktop has a little more potential for stability in light gaming and/or applications. The ac adapter + battery combo on laptops isn't really best suited for desktop type use. Whereas if you ever have any kind of power issue on the desktop, just swap the power supply for $20-30.

Of course all that doesn't matter if you think you might carry it into the kitchen once or twice.

 

Or you could get a Lenovo Thinkpad X120e.

More powerful processor than the T60 (I assume), better resolution in a smaller screen, better graphics, starts at $399.

 

I have thought of that, and you make a good point. I always place portability and power efficiency above everything else, but in this case future proofing and upgradeability are more important this time around.
I could always upgrade the power supply and get a mid range graphics card, and I could actually do some gaming and not worry my notebook will melt (my T410 shut down on me twice before because of overheating).
If you don't mind me asking you, are YOU comfortable with ordering refurbs? That's one thing I'm weary of.

For the price and what you get, the x120 isn't worth it to me. I'm only going with the above choices I made.

 

No to G570, if u are a thinkpad guy, then using that would probably not going to be something you should consider.

The desktop is another matter all together, it can be upgraded to higher spec at a latter date, but it is not mobile. I mean if you are a desktop kind of person whom wants to game, then this is a good machine to get at that price, since it offers you with lots of upgrade options that the T60 don't offer.

But if you like Thinkpads, then the T60 is a no brainer. I have SXGA+ T60 with me in the office and they seem to be fast enough for most mundane office tasks.

 

That being the case, I second the desktop suggestion. You'll have the freedom of selectively upgrade the parts, and also the flexibility of choosing an affordable IPS display, down the road.

(This past summer, I "thoroughly upgraded" a four-year-old desktop to Intel LGA 1155 mATX mobo, Sandy Bridge i5 and Radeon HD 6670. I had gradually picked up the parts on specials over a few months.)

 

QFT.

Looks like your mind is made up anyway.

 

Ya absolutely no to the IdeaPad if you owned many ThinkPads. T60 is a good choice, plenty of spare parts on Ebay. I got my T60 whole top LCD portion + SXGA+ screen for 60 shipped.

 

Every computer in my ownership my whole life was a hand-me-down, a refurb, or a used computer. I have bought game consoles refurb, wireless routers, hard drives, and lots of other little stuff that's hard to recall. Yes I believe refurb is ok as long as you're ok with the risk of having to replace something later on out of th 90 day warranty.

Plus I think it said scratch and dent which could mean new but the packaging wasn't done well. I forget if it said refurb also. If not it's probably a new pc.

 

I'd say go for the T60 (fine and sturdy machines they are!). But the price seems high to me considering it's a low spec model. Its chipset supports maximum 3GB RAM so think twice before buying the 4GB upgrade.

My 2 cents...

 

T60 isn't something honestly worth not risking the 90 days for. I have 2 refurbished Z61t's, both are well beyond 90 days, no issues to report. Also T60 is a mainstream model, hundreds if not thousands of T60's sold on Ebay for parts/whole unit.

A good thing about buying from Newegg, if it is DOA then he could just RMA it. Alot of Ebay sellers will give you grief, especially if it is no return (had he picked up a secondhand T60 on Ebay that is).

 

Thanks guys, I've settled on the T60.

 

Well, the day before I can order and the price goes up to $300 + shipping, it's not worth it to me now so I'll have to find something else.

 

Here's the same thing under a different listing for $259 plus a USB hub.

Newegg.com - Recertified: ThinkPad T Series T60 Notebook Intel Core Duo T2400(1.83GHz) 15" 1GB Memory DDR2 60GB HDD 5400rpm DVD/CD-RW Combo W/Docking Station & USB Hub

Keep in mind this comes with a docking station for that price as well. The $225 was a great price though.

 

So $276 total, I don't know. Thanks for catching that though.

 

Wait awhile... they always drop back down to $225.