Looking for a Thinkpad!

Okay so I think my post in the Looking for a Notebook section got flooded, decided to post up in the IBM/Lenovo section.

So I'm looking for a replacement machine for my Latitude D620, the Quadro graphics which is affected by the defective bump material has me paranoid, so looking for a 12"-14" replacement notebook, decided to get a Thinkpad after my first one ages and ages ago. I have a budget of 250-350 dollars. I realize that isn't much, but I got my D620 for like ~220 dollars, so I should expect some Thinkpads should be within that price range.

Specs I would like it to have:

Core 2 or Core Duo processor
Intel GMA graphics (I want to stay from Nvidia from this time period), preferably Crestline graphics. And do ATi cards suffer from the same defects as the Nvidia ones from this time period?
SATA HDD
Ability to go to 4 GB DDR2 RAM
12"-14"
Battery life of at least 1-2 hours
Higher resolution screen would be nice as well, I've seen 1440x1050
Tablet would be nice
Highly prefer XP Professional

I am just bewildered by the vast amount of Thinkpad models, any and all help would be most appreciated!

 

Hello Tsunade! I think I remember you from the forums somewhere.
Considering you don't have very high system requirements, you might opt for the outlet. Do you have a copy of XP? Because all new systems sold by Lenovo no longer come with that option (they used to let you upgrade to 7 pro, and get an XP recovery disc through downgrade rights).
For example my T410 fully supports XP, as I think nearly all current Lenovo models do (through driver downloads).

 

O_O They have outlet Lenovos for 250-350? Last I checked all Outlet stuff for Lenovo was very expensive, and way out of my budget. And the outlet for Lenovo was...very disorganized. I like Dell's outlet site alot better

 

Only machine that was offered in the config you're looking for is the X61 tablet.

Non-tablet models would be T61 (non-Nvidia), R61 (non-Nvidia) and Z61.

 

Apparently I'm blind because I neglected to read where you said

@ me.

 

Given your budget, I think you're asking for a lot. The need for 4GB of memory eliminates the T60, R60 and X60, which are chipset limited to 3GB. If you want SXGA+ that leaves with the X61t and T61, both of which had SXGA+ options. I don't think $350 will get you into a SXGA+ X61t unless you get lucky. The nVidia cards offered in the T61 are the defective ones. Most SXGA+ T61s had the nVidia cards. I don't think $350 is enough to get procure one if you can find one at all.

If you want my opinion, I'd look for a 14" SXGA+ R60 via eBay. They're generally cheaper than the T60 and I'm guessing you can get a nice one in the $200-300 range. The R60 is slightly heavier and thicker than the T60, but it's still a solid machine. I owned one and it was very nice notebook. I only sold it because I wanted a better screen. I don't see 1GB of memory making all that much of a difference. They still offer plenty of performance for typical usage.

On other note, the marketplace forum on ThinkPads.com is an excellent place to buy a used ThinkPad. You may pay a bit more there, but the sellers tend to be much more honest about what they're selling than eBay or Craigslist. That has a lot of value on a used notebook.

 

Well okay 4 GB isn't a must but I thought GM/PM 945/965 will do 4 GB. I know most lower end Thinkpads are sold with 512 MB to 1 GB RAM and I have plenty of DDR2 SODIMM modules lying around.

Edit: Guys those specs I listed were guidelines lol. I just don't want super old Pentium M/P4/3 Thinkpads. GMA950 is okay.

 

Crestline is GM965- Thinkpad _61- up to 8gb
GM945 (available with Ati)- Thinkpad _60- 3gb limit

 

I'd bid on this, though I don't know or endorse the seller. It's got a T2500, but if you wanted a 64 bit CPU, you could buy a T5500/T5600 via eBay for $30 and at least get your money back selling the T2500. It probably takes 5-10 minutes to swap the CPUs.

 

Hrm okay thanks guys for all the suggestions.

Okay so I know:

x is tablet
T is mainstream (T60)
But what is the difference between Z/R/T?

And looks like my best bets are _60/61

 

R series didn't have a nice coating on the lid, it's just plastic and those laptops are thicker than T series. Rest is pretty much the same. Z was something like SL or L in shape. R series still looked like "proper thinkpads"

 

R400 has rubber coating, tho I might be sligtly off topic given that hes probably looking at R60/R61.

 

R61 14.1 inch widescreen and R400 all use a 14.1 inch (widescreen) T series top screen assembly (they are interchangable), so they all have the rubberised coating.

This is why R61 14.1 inch and R400 is such a good machine for the price.

 

It is good, however not that cheap anymore, cant find decent-brand new machines for low price, looks like those that are left are not available from large warehouses and are being stocked by retailers and thus accordinly priced.
I will just repeat myself n-th time and say that I bought my previus laptop, R400 for 520$ brand new and pretty loaded from US retailer in sept/oct 2010, sold out during one week or two.
Point being, if one seeks hard enough, some decent bargains can be scored!

 

Keep an eye out here as well, from time to time some nice deals show

 

Isn't a T60 a 32 bt machine?

Renee

"And looks like my best bets are _60/61"

That is your bet bet. I'd eliminate the _60. Most T61s will have a nvidia problem.

Renee

 

I thought _61 came available with Crestline graphics? Also were ATi GPU affected by the same issues like the faulty Nvidia chips? I would consider ATi graphics if they didn't have the Nvidia issue..

 

ThinkWiki might help you: Hardware Specifications - ThinkWiki
And yes, T61 has intel GPU too, not only Nvidia's.

 

ATI cards do not have the failure issues of the nVidia cards offered in the T61 and R61. Personally, I prefer the ABS plastic offered on the R60. It's tough and it's not a fingerprint magnet like the T60. The T60 can be either 32 or 64 bit depending on the CPU.

 

Hey that's a great site lol

Well that's good to know, maybe I would consider ATi graphics too. Do they get as hot as the Nvidia chips?

Okay so my workplace has an open box refurbished Z61 Thinkpad

14.1" WXGA 1280x800
Core 2 Duo T7200 @ 2.0 GHz
2 GB DDR2
100 GB SATA HDD
GMA 950 graphics
Expresscard
Decent battery life

I've tested it myself and passed all diag. Price is 150 as is, as our inventory is coming up they want to get rid of all the clearance laptops they can. Is that worth it for 150?

 

the ati of the T60 runs hotter than the nvidia gpu of the t61, but they are also more reliable.

z61 for 150 dollars is a bargain.

 

I'd say it's very good price.

Edit: Looks like lead_org was faster ; p

 

The Z61 would definitely be worth the price, especially since it has the T7200 installed.

 

I would also check out the ibm certified used laptop page- there are a bunch of machines listed within your budget, and they all come with 3 month warranties (which you can extend to one year)

IBM Products and services - Used laptops — certified by IBM - United States

hope this helps!

 

There's a FlexView T60 here for $280.