Which Lenovo CPU - R61 vs 3000 N200

Hi everyone, hope you can help - am weighing up the following Lenovo laptops here in the UK:

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Lenovo_ThinkPad_R61i_7732_NA04TUK/version-1.asp

and

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Lenovo_3000_N200_0769_TY2B2UK/version-1.asp

I'm looking for a laptop to manage my music and photo libraries, run email, internet and occasionally word, excel and powerpoint. Fairly basic stuff. (FYI I would probably upgrade each to 2GB RAM when I buy).

I'm tending towards the R61 as it's smaller, has XP over Vista and has a larger disk drive, but I'd be really grateful to get your opinions on the following:

1) CPU

The R61 has the T7250 CPU with 2MB L2 cache, the 3000 N200 has the T7300 with 4MB L2 cache. My head says 'get the best processor you can afford', but... for the sort of applications/usage I mentioned (and this is unlikely to change over the life of the laptop), am I really going to notice the extra 2MB of cache?

2) OS

As I understand it, XP takes less processing power/memory to run and will be less 'buggy' that Vista, is that correct? (plus I know XP and am not aware of any great new functionality with Vista...?)

3) Office

Regards getting the Office tools - Laptopsdirect have offered me an OEM version of Office 2003 for £30 or so, does this make sense for occasional basic use of PowerPoint, Excel and Word? Seems a bit too good to be true (vs £100 for Microsoft Office)! They seemed to think I wouldn't notice any difference with the Miscrosoft version...?

4) Memory

About upgrading to 2BG RAM - is there any reason not to buy generic DDRII SDRAM from Kingston (circa £10/$20) or Lenovo's own 1GB for £50/$100?

5) Buying overseas

Is there any good reason (bar the UK's high import taxes!) for me not to buy abroad, e.g. from the US, if I can find a better deal - such as US-spec Lenovo's coming with newer CPUs?

Thanks a lot for your help!

PS although I'm happy to chose between these two, if anyone else knows of a smarter option (any brand) for up to £650 ($1,300), I'm all ears!

(btw wasn't sure the best location for this post, so I have also posted on the 'What Notebook Shoul I Buy' board - sorry for the duplication)

 

I would definitely go with the R61. Better build quality and sturdiness.

1) Probably not. My T7250 does everything I need (essentially, the same things you do) and does it quickly. Even a lower end processor (such as the T5250) will do what you need.

2) Yep. XP will probably feel faster, too. No issues using it, so that's a good choice.

3) I have no idea, I would imagine it should work the same as retail. I have an OEM copy myself and have used it with success.

4) No issues with using Kingston (or any of the countless other brands on the market).

5) I have no idea, sorry.

Welcome to the forums, btw!

 

Yes, the R61 seems the better choice here. You might want to try OpenOffice. It's free and works quite well for the basics.

 

thanks ZaZ

 

sorry chubbyfatazn, saw your reply second - thanks to you too! R61 it is...