IBM ThinkPad or Dell Inspiron

[SpyderX]

Well I'm thinking about getting a laptop/notebook in November or maybe Christmas. My PC is probably going to be moved to my dad's business office, and used as the business PC (and since it's in the basement of my house..., I might also use it as a gaming PC, just occasional gaming of course.) I plan to use the laptop for school (and school-work), work, and at home. Mainly just web-surfing, chatting, email, typing, and business/school-type programs.

I don't really trust HP or Compaq/etc, etc. Mainly either IBM or Dell for laptops and I don't really know what to get. I also want to have wireless options on my laptop (even if I don't have it now, at least upgradable or just have it for the future), DVD/CDRW (preferably a combo maybe). I guess the video wouldn't really matter much if I'm not gaming on it, maybe just some single player games, or not... depends... but the real gaming would be done on the desktop.

I guess that's basically what I'm looking for, and at an affordable price and etc.
Any suggestions and options?

Last of all, I also have a Linksys *WIRED* Router... and I was wondering is there any way I can connect that to my laptop too, would I have to get a wireless router, and a wireless card in my laptop?

Thanks!

 

[ferrarifreak93]

you didn't mention anything about price so it's hard to say which laptop is best. Dell's are generally some of the cheapest, however many complain about the low-quality design and bad keyboards. On the other hand, other people find the quality and keyboards to be fine so I guess you just have to see one for yourself (hopefully you live in the southeast - that's where their stores are I think). I've seen and typed on a dell 8500 and the keyboard felt fine to me although I didn't spend much time with it. IBM is known to make the best laptops, but they are expensive for what you get. I just ordered a T40 and I've been very happy so far and I'd definitely recommend it. IBM makes very solid machines, you can really feel the quality that's put into their machines. I figure that when I buy a laptop that I will be keeping it for a while so I might as well get something that will last. whatever you do, make sure you get a 3 year warrantee because laptops are really expensive.

 

[firtol88]

If you don't plan on gaming then a T or X Series IBM if you want to play then Dell.

Describe an affordable price and you'll get more answers.

Dell has the best configuration options but beyond that fail in many areas compared to IBM

All T series models

All X series models

 

[SpyderX]

Alright...well I'm like a Laptop Newbie.... so pricewise, I wouldn't know if it's too expensive or too low... but I'm thinking about $1500... if I could get something nice for about $1200 then that would be nice.

Well, I have a desktop PC that will be in the basement of my house, for my dad's office, etc, etc. I'm the one that handles the business on the computer so it's a business/gaming pc (occasional gaming, not hardcore, a little Warcraft3, a little Counterstrike, and single-player games) So most likely the laptop won't be for gaming.

Mainly for school, work and home. School/Business type of programs (if any, like quickbook, and word processing type of programs (M$ Office Suite), Word Processing, Emailing, Chatting, Web Surfing, Listening to Music, Watching DVDs or videos (sometimes) and burning CDs. So I would definitely want a DVD/CDRW Combo.

The IBM Thinkpad does look nice... if I could find something that fits my need and my $1000-1500 price, then it could be something I'll get.

Some things I'm thinking that should be at least minimum on my laptop:

-At least 512MB of RAM
-Not sure if I should get a Pentium 4 or the New "M" (Intel Centrino Mobile Technology) Where 1.4GHz can run like a 2.2 or something (If someone could explain that, that would be great)
-Long Battery Life
-Not too heavy...
-64MB Video
-Integrated 802.11b or g as people have said...
(But I was also wondering, here's the situation. I don't know where my sister's PC would be, I think in the "Computer" room, which is in the basement. My Desktop PC would be in my dad's office (which is also mine and my sister since we help our dad out and do the computer work), which is also in the basement, on the opposite side of where the computer room would proably be (long-side-wise), and then my laptop would be in my room, which would be like on the 1st floor, and 100 feet away (Hope that made sense)
Now RIGHT NOW, I have Cable, and I have the Linksys BEFSR41 Router (Wired). BUT I would want my laptop to also get on cable *wireless, so how would I do that? Iheard something about an access point or something? It would be great if someone could explain that to me, thanks.

-At least 40GBs of storage... I don't think I would be playing games on this, probably on the business PC which would also be slash gaming PC... Like I said before, the laptop is mainly for school, work and home. School/BUsiness type of programs, Emailing, Word Processing, Surfing the web, Chatting, etc, etc. Maybe also some DVD and music listening too.

-After reading above, of course a DVD/CDRW COMBO drive.

-I'm not sure about display if 14" or 15" makes a difference or anything..

I think that's basically it for now, like the basics.
Any suggestions or tips would help.
Thanks!

 

[Pandaren]

-At least 512MB of RAM
-Long Battery Life
-Not too heavy...
-64MB Video

At the 12-1500 $US pricepoint, the Dell Inspiron 600m is probably what you want to look at. Go for the Pentium-M machines. They're plenty fast and thrifty on battery consumption.

IBM machines are generally the most well designed and built, but they are also business machines and not meant for gaming. You won't be able to get a 64 MB Radeon 9000 in a ThinkPad. The Dell 600m has a 32 MB Radeon 9000 standard, with options for a 64 MB (128-bit, far more powerful) Radeon 9000.

 

[SpyderX]

Well the laptop would be mainly used for school and work (and also personal use, but no gaming, like chatting online, web surfing, etc)

Mainly a lot of word processing, Microsoft Office Suite, Email, etc...

Other then using it for business-wise, is probably for burning CDs and playing DVDs once in a while.
Would the Dell be a better choice for that?

 

[Pandaren]

Well the laptop would be mainly used for school and work (and also personal use, but no gaming, like chatting online, web surfing, etc)

You most certainly do not need 64 MB of dedicated video memory then The Dell Inspiron 500m or Latitude D500 might be a good choice. I would recommend customizing one to see if it fits your price point and feature set.

The ThinkPad T40 is in a class by itself, but a decently configured one will cost 1800-2000 $US before tax. You might want to consider the ThinkPad R40 as well. It's a bit bulkier and heavier than the T40, and not as sturdy, but it costs a lot less than the T40.

 

[SpyderX]

Hmmm around the $1800? Well, I guess I would mainly have to see if my parents could help me out, or maybe by Christmas or Thanksgiving, if there's a sale, maybe they could pay half, and I'll pay the other half. I guess I'll see but I would love a Thinkpad "T" Class.

 

[Pandaren]

This one is about $1800. It's got wireless, DVD/CD-RW drive, and 3-year warranty to boot.

ThinkPad T40 - 1749 $US

I am 99.9% sure that you would like the T40. I've seen and used pretty much every T series, and I am confident that the T40 is the most thoughtfully designed.

 

[SpyderX]

I was about to post that. The T40 looks really great... it has everything I need and mostly nothing I don't...

Quick Question - 256MB for ram... of course for word processing, office products, business/school work, that's more then enough. But playing DVDs and Burning CDRs, is that enough or would it make my DVDs jump or etc?

Other then that, I'm most likely looking to get the T40...Just saving up and hopefully by Thanksgiving or Christmas the price may drop a bit or even a sale.

 

[Zukatah]

256 meg is plenty for what you do I think but you can also buy some ram later from crucial and install it yourself. I'd sure love a T40 !

 

[eriqesque]

The T40 is an excellent, exceptionaly built and well thought out machine.
It will also play games very well, may not be what it was designed for but it does it very well
It's had no problems with the ones I have thrown at it, Quake3, JK2,

 

[phantom309]

I'd rather have a 3-year-old Thinkpad than a brand new Dell. Dell used to be all about quality and support, but in the last couple years they've really hit the sh1tter. I know their stuff has great specs and keeps getting cheaper, but their QC has become terrible, and their "outsourced" tech support is unbelievably frustrating to deal with.

If you must go with Dell don't bother with the pricy warranty plans - most of the time it'll be easier to fix it yourself than wait on hold for 45 minutes to listen to some hack in Bangalore mumble from a script - something you'll have to do at least three times before you get anything meaningful done to fix your problem.

IBM support I can't voice an opinion on because I've never had to use it - hey, let's cut costs in our support department by BUILDING OUR PRODUCTS RIGHT TO BEGIN WITH...what a novel idea.