T60 advice

Hello,
I have owned a couple laptops over the past 6-7 years but haven't been keeping up with the recent trends and I'm in the market for a laptop for my mother. She needs one for accounting, word processing, and web browsing(tasks that do not require a robust gpu). She has $300-400 to spend on it (and this won't change for a while). I have looked at laptop deals (mostly lenovo) on newegg and buy.com but I have also looked at refurbished laptops from ibm.

I have heard good things about ibm refurbished units and was wondering, what all of your thoughts are on the reliability of a t60 or similar laptop years past their release? If I bought this laptop for my mother, can I expect it to run for 3 or 4 years, or maybe longer (I know this depends on use but assume that it's taken care of, sits on top of a laptop cooler, etc.)? If you had to purchase a laptop on this budget would you go for an older better made t60 or a newer budget laptop from one of these sites?

Thanks for any advice.

 

I can't say anything about T60, but my R40 (2003) is still fully functional after 7 years of rigorous use
I worked with IBM ThinkPads for a few good years in the past and definitely recommend those over any other laptops.
Also, I'd go for ATI instead of Nvidia graphics, but that's a 100% biased opinion

 

A T60 would be a pretty good choice. I'd consider one with integrated Intel graphics if you can find it, or the ATI X1300 if you can't, considering you don't really need all that much in the GPU department for this system.

I'd consider the T60-series to be extremely reliable and much better-built than a newer consumer notebook will be. It also should have enough processing power to remain current for the next few years, especially if you're using it for Internet and Office usage.

If you want something newer the T61-series should be fine, too. Stick with the integrated Intel GPU, as the Nvidia GPUs on those units do have reliability issues. With some bargain hunting you should be able to come across one within her budget. You'll gain a slightly more powerful integrated GPU and faster processors that will make it even more relevant for longer.

As far as longevity goes I'm convinced that Thinkpads are where it's at. I just got my normal systems(T400 and X200) back today and had to use my ten year old T21 for the majority of this week. It worked without a hitch, other than being extremely slow due to the hardware. If you get her a T60 or T61 I'm just about certain that she'll be able to keep it until it gets too slow for her to use, rather than the hardware falling apart on her.

Edit: I've never heard of an ATI GPU on a T60 failing, but you will find that they run hot. The reason I'd recommend Intel graphics on that system is for cool running. Just keep in mind that the Nvidia GPUs on the T61 are prone to failing. This is a problem with Nvidia's GPU core design and not a reliability issue as far as the notebook itself goes.

 

The T60 should be fine, look out for systems with "flexview" as they're one of the best screens in its generation as they offer better color reproduction and wider viewing angles than the standard screens. All T60 Thinkpads come in a 4:3 aspect ratio, but if your mother want a widescreen model then you can opt for the T61 but they don't offer any sort of flexview equivalent for that or any future T-Series models.

I'm currently using a 3 year old second hand T61 (Intel GPU) and recently took it with me on holiday under humid conditions (around 30 degrees average with 85% humidity) and it ran completely fine in a testamant to its build quality and reliability.

 

I guarantee I've seen more T60's than anyone else in this forum and I've owned one personally. The one thing that went out on my T60 was the GPU fan...it was easy to replace and I had an ATI GPU. No other problems whatsoever. It's a great choice.

 

The T60 does have the widescreen model, but usually they are much less prevalent on the market than a T61 widescreen.

T60 with Core Duo processor is currently really cheap, and is a good purchase due to the reliability and dual core processor.

 

Don't forget the R60, which is also excellent and probably cheaper.