Need suggestions on new thinkpad...

I currently have a Thinkpad T40 which i absolutely love, the only reason i'm looking to upgrade is for a bit faster performance and also because i have the dreaded USB 2.0 problems of the T4X series and don't want to use a PCM usb card to fix it.

My problem is that i absolutely have to have a trackpoint, so that limits me to either thinkpads OR some dell models and imo the dell's with the trackpoints aren't ergonomically designed well. The buttons for the trackpoint are too close to the trackball and makes for a poor experience.

ANYWAY

I am pretty sure that i'd like to stay with the 14.1" screen size, the higher resolution 1400x1050, and whatever has a firm solid keyboard. I have a T42 that i use at work and for some reason it doesn't feel nearly as solid or quiet as my T40, much more clicky.

So what do you suggest? I don't need integrated graphics, i'm no gamer but do like videos and don't really care if i run vista or xp. From what i can tell in my own brief research, i should look for a T60p.

Anyone?

thanks

 

Either that or replace the keyboard on a t400 simply because the LED screen is suppose to be completely worth it. Integrated vs discrete won't have much effect on video viewing...the new integrated chipsets have hardware acceleration--not that that is ever very good.

 

agreed. t400 all the way. for all the needs you stated, and then some..

 

Keeping in mind that you want a solid keyboard and a speed upgrade, you could go for a T61 14.1" machine(great deal) or a T400(newest technology with LED screen) and replace the keyboard like others said with a T61 keyboard. Many people are complaining that the T400 has a mushy keyboard. I can't comment since I have not used any of the new T400/500/700 machines.

 

Well i don't want to spurlge on a T400...i don't like to adopt too soon and pay the premium, i don't mind lagging behind because most of my tasks involve email, surfing the web, music, and light MS Office duties so a brand new spanking fast machine isn't a necessity.

The T61 sounds like a good idea but i was reading some reviews that the T60 or T60p ended up being more liked than the T61 in some reviews even if performance was a bit lacking compared to the T61.

Another question that might help, leaving out the T400 series with its astronomical battery life potential, which most recent T series notebook (with a 1400x1050) resolution had really good battery life with a 6 cell?

 

Since the excellent battery life is in large part due to the new Montevina platform that was rolled out last month, the older thinkpads will not have the same battery life.

As for paying premium, I dunno about now but when I bought mine 2 weeks ago, there were really good discounts available and I got a great deal.

 

While prices will always be lower in the future, don't assume there's currently a huge premium on the T400.

I paid *less* for my T400 than the best T61 price I could put together in July/August with CPP. And the T400 config even has more RAM, larger hard disk, bluetooth and webcam.

 

Oh, ok. If brand new is not a requirement then it opens up a lot more options. My understanding is that the T60 and T61 are quite similar and can actually share some parts in common. I have the T61p and absolutely love the machine, no complaints. It is very solid and I think the machine looks mean. You can go for good deals on new machines at Lenovo, the T61, while it lasts or you can check out the Lenovo outlet. Other good places to check is this site in the "for sale" section. I have seen some awesome deals with 14.1" machines. And of course ebay. You can also check out some older machines like the T43, which are going for great prices right now.

As far as battery life I can't say which model is better than another, but it has a lot to do with the components you choose. Look for the penryn(8x) processors over memron(7x) in the newer machines. Also look for an integrated GPU rather than a discrete GPU(big battery draw).

Hope that helps.

 

The T400 does get great battery life, but only with the 9 cell. Lenovo has really messed up the battery design of the T61/T400 series though.

This is how a 9 cell looks on a T400 (bottom). The top is a 6 cell.

 

Thanks for the suggestions...the T4X series has too many issues with USB 2.0 connections in the motherboards and with all the discounts on the T400s, it might make more sense to just spend a couple extra hundred over a T6X series for the T400