T61p vs T500 vs R500 vs SL500

Here is my pedigree :

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=343067

I would like to know which of these Lenovos would be the most suitable for my needs.

The Dell Latitude E6500 is another one I consider.

Thank you!

 

I wouldn't bother with the SL500, since it has inferior build quality - you may as well get an HP or Dell consumer laptop, you'll get a better deal.

The R500, in my opinion, is rather bulky, especially if you will carry it around constantly.

The T61p is last-generation, so unless you have a really good reason to buy it, I wouldn't recommend it.

I think out of the four, the T500 is your best bet - seeing as you won't play games on it, get the integrated graphics. If you have a chance of playing games on it, go for switchable graphics - you can stay on integrated when you aren't gaming, and definitely get 3+ hours of battery life.

 

And how's the T500 compared to the Latitude E6500?

 

I don't have any hands-on experience with the T500, but I had a work-issued T61 for almost a year. I now own a Dell Latitude E6400 (the 14.1" sibling of the E6500).

The T61 is almost impossible to fault, in my opinion. It had the legendary ThinkPad build quality, exceptional keyboard and never let me down. It was the laptop equivalent of a Honda Accord (intended as a compliment). :wink:

With that said, I must admit that I like my Latitude E6400 even more than the T61! Here are some of the main things that I love about the Dell-

-Styling: Dell calls the exterior "Brushed Metal Black" and it looks great! The effect is very modern-looking while remaining conservative and tasteful.
-Display: I have the optional WXGA+ (1440x900) LED-backlit display. It is brighter and more vivid than a traditional CCFL display, but uses significantly less battery/power- a win/win!
-Build Quality: It's as solid as a bank vault.
-Keyboard: Even better than the ThinkPad keyboard (And yes, I am probably going to Hell for speaking such heresy!) Seriously though, it has great tactile feedback, a bit more key travel (which I like) and not a hint of flex. Both the E6400 and E6500 offer the option of a back-lit keyboard, which is both cool-looking and surprisingly useful.
-Warranty: All Latitudes (except E5400/E5500) have a standard 3-Year Limited Warranty.

For a personal laptop, I think the Latitude E6500 is the better choice. It has a bit of style that the buttoned-down ThinkPad is lacking. But it doesn't sacrifice anything in terms of quality or performance. That's my suggestion.

 

Comparing pro and con between E6500 and T500:
T500
Pros: Switchable graphics system allows for best of both sides - battery life and performance; superior TrackPoint system, and arguably better keyboard; cheaper (in my experience - if you use CPP and Lenovo's constantly-issued eCoupons, it's a lot cheaper than the E6500); runs very cool and quiet
Cons: Limited LED screen options; ugly (subjective; I like the Thinkpad's look ); lacks the cool feature of a backlit keyboard (again, I actually prefer the Thinklight, but that's also a bit personal taste)
E6500
Pros: Better warranty (3 years standard - you can add it on the Thinkpad, but then the price difference between the two pretty much evens out); more stylish (subjective); backlit keyboard; better selection & deals from Dell Outlet
Cons: more expensive; lacks switchable graphics

 

T500 is lighter and will cost a bit more. It's up to you.

T61p is fine if you can find it with a french keyboard. Which is hard among those in the outlet.

 

The R61 from the Outlet probably offers the best value.

 

ZaZ, I *just* realized that John Lovitz is actually browsing NBR in your avatar. That's hilarious. Geek pron for teh win!

 

Yes, I thought it rather humorous.

 

If you're not averse to Dell refurbs (I've had good luck with three- all were pristine), the E6500 is in the Dell Business Outlet and they recently have had quite a few 20% deals there. I got my parents a low-res one (aging eyes) for a decent price:

Latitude E6500 Laptop: Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 (2.26GHz, 3M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB) Genuine Windows Vista Business
-- Certified Refurb
-- 160 GB SATA Hard Drive, 9.5MM, (5400RPM)
-- 8X DVD ± RW w/dbl layer write capability
-- Power DVD Software
-- Resource DVD
-- 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz (1 DIMM)
-- Operating System DVD
-- 90W AC Adapter
-- 6 Cell Primary Battery
-- Brushed Metal Black
-- Dell 1397 802.11B/G Wireless Mini Card
-- Integrated Webcam with digital microphone
-- 15.4 inch WXGA Laptop Screen
-- Roxio Creator DE
-- Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD

-- Get 20% off any refurbished Latitude Laptop or Tablet PC with this coupon!
- $129.80
-- Lat E6500: 3Yr Basic Ltd Warranty and Mail-In Service (Included In Price)
Unit Price: $0.00
Quantity: 1

Subtotal: $519.20
Tax: $35.03
Shipping and Handling: $19.99

Total: $574.22

 

Unfortunately, the Dell Outlet isn't even an available option for the original poster. He lives in Canada and Dell Canada doesn't have an Outlet.

 

oops, sorry. missed that. i clicked that link he had posted, but it didn't open for me the first time.

 

yeah unfortunately...

 

I was hesitating between the Dell Latitude E6500 and the Thinkpad T500 in fact... People seem pretty much 50/50 between these two...

 

the R500 seems interesting too.

 

What do people on here think about the R500 vs the T500 - in the UK for similar specs there's about a £300 difference between the two (~$410) - is the T500 worth that much more than the R500 in your opinion?

 

Depends on what you need. If you want the LED or better GPU, then the T400 is the way to go. If not, then R probably offers better value.

 

Yes.

Renee

 

There's a 15,4'' T61 at the canada Lenovo outlet that seems pretty well equipped for less than 1000$ is it something to consider?

 

My wife has one with a T9300/NVS 140m GPU.
It is a fantastic machine.

I have a T61p and IMO the GPU is just as good as any that the T500, R500, SL500 have. Other than that the only thing I wish the T61p was a 1066 mhz BIOS support from IBM to speed up the FSB to upgrade the hardware that the newer ThinkPads have.

Obviously the better chipset in the new notebooks get the go from me. I really like the T61p but the FSB speed needs to go faster. Also would be great if the T61p could run the newer DDR3.


It's all about the CPU options in the newer models. Really like the P9600. Wish I could have had that choice. The new Q9000 series are sweet too.


If I were shopping for a new ThinkPad I'd either get a T400 or an X200. Way better for mobile/performance/value reasons.

 

I won't be moving it that much and I will probably watch news/tv/movies/etc on it, so I was looking for a 15 incher...

 

Are you going to connect a HDTV to it?

If so a T500 with the HDMI interface would be a good choice.

You may also want to look at the Y530 that would meet your needs and you could save some money.

 

I'm gonna go check out the Y530 to see what's about but I like the Thinkpad's look, clean, serious, matte, etc... I don't like glossy laptops.

 

Is it possible this one isn't available in Canada... I don't see anything other than Thinkpads on the Lenovo Canada website...

 

For some reason, Lenovo hasn't introduced the IdeaPad models to Canada. Hopefully that will change in the near future. The IdeaPad Y530 is a great laptop for those who want high quality and good value in a consumer-oriented package. I think of it as the "business casual" version of the ThinkPad, because the ThinkPad is ALL business!

The IdeaPad U110 (11.1") and U330 (13.3") are the most impressive ultra-portables I've ever seen/used! And there's also the 17" Y730 aimed at gamers. The Y710/Y730 was Lenovo's first 17" laptop (and the only one until the ThinkPad W700 arrived).

FYI- the Y-series IdeaPad lineup is getting an overhaul in March. The new models will be the 14.1" Y450, 15.4" Y550 and 16.0" Y650.

 

The Y450 with a GT 130m would be an astounding 14" notebook that would surely help the IdeaPads gain some solid respect.


I'd like to see Lenovo put a HD 4800 series GPU in a ultraportable notebook with a mobile Q9000 series CPU.