Lenovo T500 Good Deal ?

Processor : Intel Core 2 Duo processor T9400 (2.53GHz 1066MHz 6MBL2)
OS : DOS 2000
Display : 15.4" WSXGA+ TFT, w/ CCFL Backlight
Graphics : ATI Mobility Radeon 3650 with 256MB
Memory : 3 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
Hard Drive : 160 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
Wireless : Intel WiFi Link 5300 (AGN)
Turbo Memory: Intel Turbo Memory 2GB
Battery: 6 cell Li-Ion Battery
Warranty : 3-yr depot

Cost : $1209.72 (College discount)

Im going to be running 3D programs like CAD/Inventor in it. Do u think the graphics card will handle it ? I heard the FireGL 5700 is better for 3D applications, but those only come with the W series which are crazy expensive. Also do u think choosing DOS as my op is a good idea ? (Ill be loading xp in it)

Overall do u think its a good deal ?

Thanks in advance

 

thats a good deal, which discount is this exactly?

even if the firegl was better, I think the advantage in the switchable graphics is better

why would you use dos? or even xp? vista is better, and windows 7 is coming soon enough

 

OSU student discount and im not using dos, just xp.... i highly prefer xp over vista

 

any other comments on this ?

 

Go for XP, it's better than Vista. Not sure why you want DOS though...

 

It looks like you got a good price there. The specs seem really good, but are you sure you don't want a WUXGA screen res? I never used CAD, but many people who do say that the WUXGA screen gives them a lot of screen realestate that they need. In order to get that res you would have to step up to a W500 though

 

There isnt an option for xp in the website, and id have to add $110 for vista, so simply getting dos then loading xp into the laptop is a good idea right ? Anyone else think its a good idea ? are there any consequences/risks from that ?

 

Why do you keep on bringing up DOS eddy? As far as I know you cannot order a laptop with DOS. Best bet if you want a clean install of whatever is to go with Vista Basic and go from there.

 

I have DOS as an option for the operating system. I do not know why its there or how its there but there is an option for dos as the operating system. Do u think I should spend a $110 and get vista and then dump it for xp or should i save $110 get DOS and dump it for xp ?

 

if you want to go for xp, and dos is an option, go for it.


Have you ever tried vista? its actually not that bad, and from what I've read, it gets better battery life

 

Get the WUXGA screen and that would be a great setup for CAD because of the extra real estate it offers. Vista isn't that bad and on the T400 it gets better battery life on average.

 

created the same config in my university store. assumed DVD-writer, camera, but no bluetooth and no fingerprint reader. Came to $1,157. with bluetooth and fingerprint reader -- $1202. so it's either the same price, or you're paying $50 more (depending on BT and fingerprint). i generally tend to think that my uni offers the best prices period, so your deal is nice... interestingly, in my university store the price for a similarly configured W500 is only $3 more, but you get that sweet 512MB graphic card...

i'm still sitting on the fence between X200 and W500 (I know, those are weird options to consider). Right now using a t42p.

 

lol x200 and w500? did u consider the t400?

 

yes, i know it's lol. and yes, i considered t400. but it's not good in any way for me.
i need a laptop for statistical data analysis (matlab, stata) and photoshop editing (files>200Mb)
if i go with x200 (with ultrabase, of course), i'm buying an external monitor.
so... let's see what t400 offers:
resolution better than x200, but not that high. and no possibility to attach an external one through displayport. on w500 i can get wuxga (although would go for wsxga+)
it's small, but not as small as x200
it's fast, but not nearly as fast as W500 with the opengl card (if i go for for x200, i'm getting the 2.54GHz processor)
keyboard flex is a risk
plastic top (i like the magnesium cover on t42p, thankfully x200 has the same).

my ideal laptop would be an t400 with a WSXGA+ screen, displayport, magnesium cover and no keyboard issues (and add those color stripes on the trackpoint buttons, please) or a x301 with a much faster processor. x200s with a faster processor would also look appealing (but i won't pay $$$ for x200s over x200 if it maxes at 1.86Ghz). none of them exists... so i guess i'll wait and see if any new LV processor options are available for x301 or x200s (Intel has them, it's just that Lenovo doesn't use them yet).

 

how about the lattitude e6400 then, it has hdmi I think, is pretty portable, and has a hard cover

to OP- sorry for going off topic...

 

i can only get a 40% discount on thinkpads

 

i had bluetooth, fingerprint reader too

also, do u guys think T400 is good laptop for me ? or should i stick with T500 ?

 

and thx for the help everyone, u guys rock

 

I'm considering similar systems. I prefer the W500 over the T400 for the inclusion of a digital video out port and better specs for less money (at least on the Canadian EPP site). The T400 is better in terms of size and weight. As for screens, I consider them roughly tied for my needs: the T500 wins in terms of contrast (500:1 vs. 300:1) and resolution, while the T400 wins in terms of brightness (250 vs 200 nits) and power consumption. I ruled out the X200 since I'd rather have the T400/500 as my main machine and a netbook as an ultraportable.

 

If I was to carry the laptop around a lot to classes and such, I think a 14" screen would be nice, but since I use my machine at home most of the time on a table, I like the bigger screens of the 15 and 17" machines. Your choice. Depends on how mobile you are going to be with it.