Thinkpad build quality compared to HP business models?

I am considering buying an IBM Thinkpad Z61m with student discount and 3-year accidental damage warranty (1,293), HP NC8430 (about 1,600), and Asus Z96j.

How does the IBM's build quality compare to the HP business line?

 

hey jose pidal... are you a filipino? hehe akalain mo nga naman...

i think thinkpads have much better build quality than nc8430 and Z96j.. if you want to game, go with the hp and or asus...

thinkpads will last you a long time. seeing one will convince you

 

No, the HP business line is right there along with the thinkpads. I have personally compared and owned both.

 

HP's business class are pretty good as well. If you want to game, the HP is probably a better option.

 

I've had the tc4200 (business class tablet) from HP. It was absolutely inferior in feel of its build to the thinkpad competitor, x41, which I have. The thinkpad is far superior in almost every aspect, except for the HD.
The HP felt like a second-rate knock-off of the expensive, quality brand... which kinda is the reality.

But i have not had the opportunity to try the model you chose.

 

Does anyone have any advice to offer someone (well, me in this case) choosing between the Z61t and HP's nc6400?

The two seem to be roughly equivalent, apart from the Thinkpad's lack of a dedicated graphics card.

 

What are you going to do with it?

 

I'll mostly be using the laptop for office work, although I may want to do some gaming--no 3D twitch-gaming where I need 100s of fps, but maybe some 3D stuff. Lots of multitasking, some Photoshop work, some video editing (but not much). I want to be able to carry this laptop around quite a bit, and for it to last. I also want to be able to get it fixed if I'm in the UK (see my other post in this forum).

All my answers to the buying FAQ are in a thread I posted earlier in the "What Notebook Should I Buy" forum.

 

Does the Thinkpad have added design features the HP doesn't, and vice-versa?

 

Funny you should mention comparing Lenovo and HP. I own a HP nc6400 as you can see, and I have only great things to say about it. The screen on the HP is better then what you will get on the z61m in my view. I haven't own the z61m but have seen it and played around with it and in my opinion i liked the hp much, much better. on top of that the z61m is like a tank. just read some of the reviews. its not going to be the easiest thing to carry around.

A couple of things that the z61m has better is a much better port selection (though you could fix this buy buying the docking station for the hp). The hp lacks a firewire port which might be useful for you considering you will be doing video editing. Thought adding a firewire port is really an easy matter. The z61m is going to be configureable with a better graphics card. However, if you only do light gaming (and nothing overall extreme) I don't see the extra 1.5 pounds coming in handy at all on the z61m.

Go with something more portable especially if you are going to be carrying it around quite a bit

 

The main aspect that seperates the TjinkPad from any other notebook is its ThinkVantage Tools. Being in the IT industry previously, I have had experience with almost every brand, but still I was not prepared for what the ThinkVantage tools had to offer. It is simply an experience a world apart and if you are like me a power user who use most of the tools on a daily basis, then there really is no alternative laptop you could buy.

 

HPs business-class notebook could be the most underrated notebooks but I believe that the BUILD QUALITY of Thinkpads and business-class HPs are comparable. Both could virtually run forever! I agree that the Thinkvantage tools of Thinkpads is what separates it from others. You're going to love R&R and CSS, especially. HP have always use Altiris as a recovery tool but is now starting to ship their own. And because it is still in it's infancy, it's not yet in the league of R&R. I believe, though, that it's the business users would benefit more from such utilities. So if you are just a home user or even a prosumer who want a business-class notebook, you can go for HP, as they are relatively cheaper than Thinkpads. You get more bang for your bucks.
But if you'll game, go for the Asus Z96J.

 

Which one has the better keyboard? I keep hearing good things about Thinkpad keyboards.

 

since both are business-class, I think the keyboards would also be comparable. I'm really not sure, but there could be only few popular quality keyboard manufacturers and there might be a big probability that on some models from both Thinkpad and HP business-class notebooks, the keyboards would be from the same manufacturer.
I believe that, for now, Thinkpad is still the top notebook brand name. But if Lenovo fails to keep it up at that, consistent player HP business-class notebooks will be there.

 

I've had a couple of HP's in the past, most notably the nc6000 from which the nc6400 is derived. Had some issues with it - ran a little warm, didn't care for the keyboard, the trackpoint was very uncomfortable to use, and it eventually had problems to the point that it stopped working. Ditto with a 15" model that I had - might have been an 8000 series.

Thinkpads are definitely much more refined and provide a user experience that is unmatched by any other laptop on the market. They have retained the build and asthetics of the original laptops and improved the software tools that have resulted in a totally reliable and wonderfully smooth operating laptop.

The ThinkVantage tools are unsurpassed and make such things as driver updates totally automatic. It will determine what needs to be updated, download the drivers, install them, and away you go. I have not found this on any other laptop, including Dells, HP's, Sony, or Gateway. I currently have a Dell D820 that I like pretty well, but when compared to my T60, it comes up way short.

Yes, the ThinkVantage tools definitely set a Thinkpad apart from the others, but the keyboard, trackpoint, buttons, and unbelievable solid build and reliability is the reason you'll keep coming back to a Thinkpad.

Let's not forget that they have the "heat" issue to the point where it's a non issue. Search this website, or any others, and see how many people are talking about their Thinkpad getting "warm" (don't even think "hot"). It just doesn't happen. I can use my T60 on my lap all day long and it will remain comfortable all day.

Support? Try overnight depot service at no charge. No one else is as good. I sent one (out of 50 that I've had) for service because of a failed hard drive, and they turned it around in 4 days flat! They've even shipped me a keyboard to Cancun when I was vacationing there and my spacebar started missing a beat.

Some people will knock Thinkpads for their looks, their GPU, their short supply, but few will knock them once they've tried them. After that, they're hooked!

 

I've had a few T60's and I'm very satisfied with Thinkpad quality so far. My only complaint is that screen viewing angles and brightness could be better.

I've had an HP Pavillion DV1000 and its a piece of junk except for the nicer screen and speakers. Can't say much about the HP business line but some friends who has had nx and nc's arent complaining.

But one thing I notice is that I see many older Thinkpads still running compared to other brands.

Hey paqtrick, so what Thinkpad did you end up with?

 

For build quality I would side with Lenovo. I would consider ThinkPads "premium" buisness notebooks. When I say premium I mean the following:

1) More expensive. As others have said HP will most likely be cheaper.
2) Better Build. I've used several ThinkPads and they have all seemed incredibly well built. (To the point were if you were to drop it on carpet it would not damage it and if you were to drop it on a hard surface it would do little to no damage.)
3) Less heat. While running CPU-intensive applications ThinkPads in general do not heat up. They are certainly not gaming machines, yet the live up to what they were made for; the ultimate buisness notebook.
4) Less noise. While burning a DVD I expected to get the normal load hum. However, the hum was minimized. (If you were talking to someone neither you, nor the other person would hear it.)

While ThinkPads are more expensive I believe they are worth it. My final advice:

Go for the notebook that most fits your budget, but when it comes down to it, if you feel a feature is worth the money, don't back out. Because you will regret it later.

I wish you well.

 

i ended up with Z61m (T2500 1GB 100GB X1400 silver top). i was a button close to having an HP NC8430 but my sister just bought me the Z61m as it is more rigidly built compared to HP's line...

i just had the HP as an option because it has the X1600 and a standard 3yr-global warranty or 1yr... my Z61m only has 1yr... going to upgrade it as soon as possible... but i guess quality was more of a priority. i want this machine to last long.

i opted with the T60p with flexview...but decided to go with Z61m as i would not need such powerful card and feature.i would not want data or files seen by all people passing behind me. hehehe

gonna write a review soon on my machine just going to finish my school...am going to graduate college this year