T series or R series?

Hi folks. I'm new to the forum.

I'm getting my daughter a laptop. I've had excellent experience with T-series from the T20 to the T42 (my current one). My first inclination is to get her a T60, but the R-series is somewhat less expensive.

Especially for those of you who have used both T's and R's, which did you prefer and why? Is the R series constructed as well as the T series?

Thanks in advance.

 

I would wait to see the upcoming R61, it's built very well and uses the same materials as the T61 (for the 14" version at least). Basically, the upcoming 15" R61 uses plastic as the body construction while the 14" R61 uses magnesium in the body and the lid is made of a plastic material with reinforced magnesium roll cage inside. The announce date for the R61 is May 9th. If you can't wait until then, I'd say the current T-series is worth about a $200 - $300 premium over the R60 simply because it's lighter and tougher thus easier to carry around a lot.

 

The R60 is slightly heavier and thicker than the T60. It lacks the mag-alloy lid of the T60 so screen protection won't be as good, but the overall build quality is very good. It is much better than anything you'll find on most consumer notebooks. If anything the R60s base is more stiff than the T60 due to the rigid roll cage, at least on my 14" R60. I haven't seen the 15" model.

I preferred the R60 because at the time I bought they were are $400 apart for the same configuration which isn't the case right now. My notebook also travels occasionally so the extra screen protection isn't a huge issue for me. The reason to consider the T60/R60 is they now are offered with a SXGA+ screen which at least in the short term won't be offered on the T61/R61. I personally prefer SXGA+ for things like office and internet where vertical resolution is more important.

 

Before I ordered my T60 the day before yesterday, I compared the same configuration with R60. The difference in price was only around $100. So I selected T60 at the end. The difference may be configuration dependant though.

 

Good point. On the T60 it cost $114 for a T7200 Core 2 Duo whereas it's like a $255 upgrade on the R60 machine. You'll also get a WS screen config with the T60. So overall you pay more for the T60 but it's truly the better value.

On the other hand if all anyone wants to do is jump on the net and do email or use Quicken then the basic R60 with a Celeron M processor should be more than enough.

 

When I bought last September, the equivalent T2500 was like a $100 upgrade.

 

Also at this time, the instant saving for R60 is $275, but for T60 is $325. That can fill the gap a little bit. I am not sure if SPP has different impact on R60 and T60. Maybe it can fill some gap too.

 

Thanks for all the feedback, folks. Indeed, with the current savings and the SPP, the prices are a wash. In fact, the widescreen T60 is cheaper than the 14" T60 right now. Ordered one yesterday.

Now the wait begins, and we'll see if it gets delieverd in anything like a timely fashion. When ordered last night (4/28), the estimated ship date was 5/15. This morning it's already changed to 5/17. Let's see, if they keep up this pattern of slipping the ship date two days for each day that passess....