some general questions regarding the R61s

im thinking about getting the thinkpad r61 since they have that 15% coupon out but i have a few questions about lenovos/R61s.

do you guys recommend getting the glossy screen or the regular one? my last laptop was a 17 inch dell inspirion e1705 and it had a glossy screen, which was pretty nice but i've never had or really inspected a matte screen before. i'm mostly using the laptop for school and i typically use it for programming and maybe a little gaming (Cs source or warcraft3).

how durable is the R61? i've always heard good things about lenovo but i always thought they were expensive as heck so i've never bother to do any research on them. is the R series relatively new? from googling, some site claimed that the T series are made of magnesium alloy where as the R series are made if plastic. is there a big difference in terms of durability? (i did notice the R series is a lot heavier than the T series).

how long did your laptop typically last? my last dell lasted me for 1-3/4 years. i think the 7900gs graphic card basically overheated and started crapping out overtime. basically when i saw how low the r61 prices are i wanted one . i was always holding out on cheap laptop deals (i have about $600 budget) because although the dells had better specs, it was kind of pointless since it usually have a good/decent cpu with no graphic cards which i thought was kind of pointless since i don't think i use programs that are particularly cpu extensive besides for games. plus if lenovo laptops are as durable as it is, it can hopefully last me a few more years beyond college. plus a 14/15 inch lappy is much more portable than the 17 inch brick i had.

is it easy to upgrade the ram? i plan to get 1 stick of 1gb and buy another stick somewhere else when i get some money for my old dell laptop the ram was located right in the bottom so it was easy to replace.

how many years of warranty should i get? i think i can only afford one, but i dont want the same thing to happen to my dell. the second the 1 year warranty was over, it started having problems.


thanks in advance for answering my zillion questions

 

For the screen, I suggest you go to your local Best Buy, Circuit City, or any computer retail store and compare the screens. Screens are very subjective and mostly depends on your eyes and how you prefer your screen.

The R61 is not new and the whole R series is definitely not new. I believe the R61 has been out as long as the T61 has.

The R61 is just as durable as the T61. I'm sure it would last much longer than 1.75 years.

The R61 is NOT a lot heavier than the T61. Maybe a couple ounces at most in weight difference.

Upgrading RAM is extremely easy. There are videos you can search for on this forum.
e.g. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=208092

As for warranty, that's also a personal choice depending on how you handle your computer and what you will be using it for.

 

With respect to the matte vs. glossy screen question, R61s all come with matte screens, so if you end up getting an R61, it will have a matte screen. I find the screen on my 14" widescreen R61 is excellent. Perhaps not as high a contrast as glossy screens but much easier to view in high-glare situations.

And to amplify Arkit3kt's suggestion, head out to your local Office Depot if you're near one. They sometimes have ThinkPads on display, although usually the 15" versions and often the lower-spec R61e version. But at least you can get a feel for whether you like the matte screen.

 

i am very happy with my R61 14.1" screen. the colors are not quite as vibrant as maybe an LED glossy screen, but really pays off when there is any glare. The only complaint I have about my screen is that the viewing angle is pretty poor. Its the same as some of my older laptops from 3-4 years ago. Otherwise the screen is crystal clear with a good brightness.

 

I should also note that the only R61 with the glossy screen option is the R61i.

 

Oops. My bad.

 

thanks for the help guys! i order the R61 14inch with a linux operating system the other day. i already have a extra copy of vista business and a copy of xp pro so i opted for the core 2 duo instead of the pentium duo core for $50 more (but with linux)