Need advice new thinkpad

I have a T60 1.66 GHz core 2 duo, 3 GB ram, 80 GB Intel x25-m SSD and Win 7 Pro-64. I mostly run Firefox w/multi-tabs and Outlook 2007 in background. It is getting a bit slow right now. I like to replace it while my T60 is worth a little bit. Is T500 (P9400 or i5) or T510 a better deal? I'm selling my T60 for $ 380 and like to add 250 out of my pocket towards my new system. And does dedicated graphics make any difference to me? I can get a brand new T510 for 1064$ including 3yr warranty/taxes/delivery off Lenovo website but i don't want to spend 700 out of my pocket. I know the i5 Sandy Bridge is coming so do you think the old T510 will have a price drop further?

 

Hey,

You should consider the following but please do not blame me later on ><

Current Laptop
It could be getting "slower" because of software you are not using or data just piling in. You should defragment your harddrive or reinstall ur OS after making a backup of ur current files you need. OR your SSD might not support (something starts with a T, i cant think of it right now) which reduces the SSD speed and preformance.

The reason I recommend this is because you do not run anything intense and this might save you some cash.

New laptop
Really depends on your needs. If you only intend to surf the web, you do not need a dedicated graphics card (only used for gaming or other intensive 3d rendering and processes). You will/should notice a difference between a core 2 duo and a core i5 but I do not think you will notice it much for just outlook and Firefox . Therefore, i suggest you buy the cheaper option. Also, I suggest you fill out one of those FAQ buying computers.

Deals
If you went to the lenovo online store 2 days ago, you could have gotten a lot of deals (there still are some ecoupons like a google code for 10% off.

 

I agree with ComputerNewb, try cleaning up your T60 first. I'm not sure, but I think SSDs are not supposed to be defragged.

Another thing you could try is upgrading the CPU. Check here for compatible CPUs: forum.thinkpads.com &bull; View topic - T60 motherboard info & notes

 

Correct, SSDs are different from HDDs since they can randomly access data on the flash memory rather sequentially on a rotating drive. Therefore there isn’t any need to defrag a SSD as you be putting more unnecessary wear on it.

Just a note, how many services are you running on your system (check the Task Manager)? The specifications you provided us should be more than adequate for a general web browsing session, do you by chance watch HD videos online as that can strain the CPU (especially those without SSE4 instructions).

 

Defragmentation is a Windows defect that has been glorified into a user-initiated maintenance feature! On an OS (such as Unix) with a high-quality file system, defrag is never necessary, even for HDD: free blocks are managed intelligently, on the fly, by the system.

 

Try a Secure Erase on a SSD. You can gain back write performance by doing so but you will lose everything on the drive (doh).

 

I'd definitely try a complete refresh of your drive and possibly a CPU upgrade(T7600 is the most powerful supported by your system).

If you're really itching for a replacement system, the T500 is a pretty good choice, I think. The CPUs are significantly more powerful(using Passmark scores the base P8400 in the T500 is a little more powerful than the T7600), they run much cooler(from personal experience with a T60p), and if you need graphics performance the switchable ATI HD3650 is about four times as powerful as the ATI X1400 in the T60. As a plus, the T500 uses the same batteries as the T60, so if you have extras you can still use them. If you look hard enough you can find a T500 with decent specs for a good price; I paid $500 for mine back in October.