Thinpad R 51

Hej everybody, what about this older configuration, does anyone have it on its laptop? I can get a new machine for 1200usd- a VERY very good price for a laptop in Norway, esp. for an IBM, believe me!

Lenovo ThinkPad R51e 1843 - Celeron M 370 1.5 GHz, 1 MB - L2 Cache, 512 MB DDR II SDRAM - 400 MHz - PC2-4200, 40 GB - 5400 opm, ATI Radeon Xpress 200M

 

I have a 1844 which has a Pentium running at 1.73 instead of the Celeron. All the other specs on my computer are the same as yours. What were you looking to use your labtop for?

 

hej,
it is the price which is very low for such a product which makes it interesting for me.
I will use my laptop for math/statistics, programming and (maybe)some GIS applications, but I am still studying and my budget is not on the top at the moment, but I want a reliable product(and so Thinkdap is).
Would be possible to upgrade the processor later, and is it so important to use Centrino platform(machines with AMD doesn't have it either)? I really need some enlightment, I cannot find a Thinkpad with a resonable configuration(whith that I mean a Centrino machine with some better grafic that what Intel 855GM offers and with dvd writer) which is cheaper than 1800usd on the norwegian market...
Thanks a lot for your reply!

 

Hey OQL,

I have never used an Intel 855 but I am assuming that it is an older chipset that the Intel 900 or 950. The Radeon Xpress 200m out performs the Intel 950 and according the gaming section of this board the Xpress 200m is the best intergrated graphics card that you can get. Even though it's the best intergrated graphics card it is not as powerful as the X300 by Radeon. You can read more on this link if you like:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=39568

Also remember that if you get a Radeon Xpress 200m it has shared memory so it you have 512MB of RAM then 64MB will be allocated to the Xpress 200m. I have read that you can allocate up to 128MB of RAM to the Xpress 200m if you want more performance but it is recommended that you install more RAM to do so. With a R51 it is easy to install more RAM, as there is a removeable panel from the bottom of the laptop which allows you to simply plug in additional RAM without any trouble. I am currently upgrading my R51 with an additional 1G of RAM so I can tell you later on if it's worth it.

As to if you can upgrade the processer later I am not sure. Since that Xpress 200m is intergrated it may not be a possibility. But perhaps someone will read this and confirm this for me.

As far as running math and statistical programs, I run SPSS occasionally for gathering test results for my studies and I find that the program runs fine. All in all, I find my R51 to be extremely reliable. It is quick when I first boot it up and I ran a Super Pi at 2 million digits and got a score of 2:03 which I consider good. I usually run 3 or 4 programs at the same time and do not notice a decrease in my R51's performance.

While I am not the best as interpreting laptop performance, I think if you want this computer for running math and statistical applications then I think that R51 is a good computer for you. But if you are going to run current 3D games you might want to look for another laptop.

 

I'd avoid a Celeron. The ones I have used get bogged down just doing simple tasks, nevermind heavy data crunching.

maybe contact there guys and see what one like this costs to ship to Norway.