Recently I built a HTPC based on the Core 2 Duo and I was pretty amazed by its performance, matching or approaching my dual Opteron workstation in some cases. This got me thinking about upgrading my Thinkpad, which has become my primary machine.
Currently Im using the following:
Thinkpad T43 (Centrino, Pentium M 1.6GHz (Dothan, 2Mb L2), 512Mb DDRII-533, 40Gb, 14" 1024x768, DVDRW, fingerprint reader with two batteries, 1 year warranty - expired). I bought it in May 2005 in Tokyo, so it has a English/Japanese keyboard - I was going to replace it when I got back to England, but got used to it plus thought it made it look just that little bit different ;) Im told I could get something like Ã,£5-600 for it.
I have two questions for you lot;
1) Setting myself a budget of Ã,£1000 for a C2D Thinkpad, do you reckon from a value point of view its worth me spending Ã,£500 on top of selling my T43 to go for one of the spec Ive outlined below.
2) Ive been doing some research into whats available in the UK and the same for the US. Now I know that the pound is very strong right now against the USD$, but I am astounded by the difference. If I do go for the upgrade should I import?
Heres the best US & UK specs for around Ã,£1000.
(http://www.developerx.net/thinkpad_us_uk.jpg)
The difference in spec is pretty amazing; better CPU, more cache, more HDD space, better graphics, longer lasting battery, on-site warranty...
The above currency conversion is based on Ã,£1 = $1.75, the Post Office is currently giving $1.82.
When it comes to importing costs, there is no additional duty on computers above the usual VAT. The cost to ship from the US to UK Ive estimated to be $100, could be more although I dont see it going up drastically.
In terms of warranty, I bought my Thinkpad in Tokyo specifically because of the international warranty - Im guessing this hasnt changed so the 3 year onsite should be valid in the UK. Ill need to confirm this.
Is it worth me spending Ã,£500 on top of selling my T43 for the bump in spec/performance and 3 year warranty?
edit//
I added the third column to show there isnt much price difference for going from 15" 1024x768 XGA to 14" 1440x1050 SXGA and a better graphics card - ATI Mobility X1400 128Mb.
That doesnt strike me as Ã,£500 of spec jump. Have you considered other brands of Laptop? You might get a much better UK deal elsewhere.
Ive had a few laptops from other manufacturers in the past - Dell, Tiny, Toshiba, Sony - none of them struck me as being particularly well built or thought through ergonomically. Thats the main reason Id like to stick with a Thinkpad - its a premium over others, but its built like a brick house and has the best interface. (laptop light, fingerprint scanner, 3x input areas, etc). Not to mention they have the best warranty support Ive ever experienced.
Simple question, does your present laptop do what you want? or do you spend ages waiting around for it?
If it does what you want and you dont spend an excessive time waiting for it then dont bother replacing, look for something else to spend the dosh on.
There is always something better just around the corner.
Tbh, i can heartily recommend the t41 tablet, for me functionality is much better for me than power
:D :D :D
I wouldnt bother, its not a Ã,£400 jump imo, and Im not sure Id pay the ibm tag premium either;
http://www.comet.co.uk/cometbrowse/product.do?sku=362964
http://www.comet.co.uk/cometbrowse/product.do?sku=337315
http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=9734&category_id=360&manufacturer_id=0
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/116824
If its ya main pc and you use it at home lots Id get a port rep, nice tft, kbd & mouse & speakers 1st, i dunno how people can spend hours working on a flaptop, specially with a 14" screen.
spd, I have to admit to being very sceptical of IBMs premium price tags before I bought my T20 and then the T43. I really cant emphasise the difference in build quality and thoughtfulness of the interfaceââ,¬Â¦ I suppose itââ,¬â,,¢s one of those things where you need to use one to understand.
To give you an idea of the difference in warranty service, my T20 died just before Christmas of the same year I bought it (roughly 8 months after). The tech support thought it couldââ,¬â,,¢ve been the battery, although I wasnââ,¬â,,¢t expecting to see the replacement anytime soon. This was in the afternoon on the 23rd December. Roll on the morning of the 24th, and a new battery sent over night from Belgium of all places had arrived. That didnââ,¬â,,¢t work either, so they arranged to pick it upââ,¬Â¦. 27th, I had it back on the 31st, working as good as new ââ,¬â€œ they even told me to keep the spare battery free of charge! I know from experience that Samsung and Sony are nothing like that.
In terms of size itââ,¬â,,¢s big enough for surfing and most day to day applications. I have two other systems (dual Opteron workstation and C2D HTPC) and a Dell 24ââ,¬Â� TFT which tends to only get used for Photoshop, gaming and watching videos ââ,¬â€œ the portability of the laptop wins almost every time for day to day stuff (surfing, downloading, Office apps), especially as I use remote desktop a lot.
Going back to upgradingââ,¬Â¦. I suppose Iââ,¬â,,¢m worried that the price will go down sharply for my T43 as its single core and out of warranty. My thinking is if I sell now while itââ,¬â,,¢s still holding a decent portion of its value I can upgrade to a system thatââ,¬â,,¢ll last a lot longer and have a 3 year warranty. Mehââ,¬Â¦ weââ,¬â,,¢ll see what the xmas bonus looks like then Iââ,¬â,,¢ll decide :)
QuoteGoing back to upgradingââ,¬Â¦. I suppose Iââ,¬â,,¢m worried that the price will go down sharply for my T43 as its single core and out of warranty. My thinking is if I sell now while itââ,¬â,,¢s still holding a decent portion of its value I can upgrade to a system thatââ,¬â,,¢ll last a lot longer and have a 3 year warranty. Mehââ,¬Â¦ weââ,¬â,,¢ll see what the xmas bonus looks like then Iââ,¬â,,¢ll decide
If youre looking at Ã,£1000 lappys that makes sense, deffo do something before vista comes out.
Ive used lotsa ibm (as well as acer, toshiba, hp, fujitsu, compaq, sony) etc..) lappys, theyre not my cuppa charlie but I can see why people like em, and yeah the warranty is excellent - the closest Ive seen is Dell corporate support - it aint exactly free but I guess mid-high end laptops arent throwaway items and its worth having peace of mind for critical machines.
Yeah, go for it :)
Its lenovo now, and I dont think they have been at the helm of IBM for long enough to see if they are still worth the premium.
In the past, Id have jumped at the chance to own a thinkpad. Id wait until the lenovo boys have settled.
Aye that is one thing that is concerning me.... My T43 was the last proper IBM, and I was convinced it was all down hill from there. Although to be honest I havent read anything bad, mostly praise. Apparently the T60 is more solid than the T4x. As long as I can confirm they still do international warranty, and their support standards havent slipped its all good.
sdp - as you mentioned Vista is one of the main reasons as well, Im not a fan of having my systems running different OSs, and my workstation and HTPC can easily run it, so when I upgrade in March/April Id like to do the laptop at the same time.
Also just read that Lenovo are offering free Vista upgrade when its released.
Im still not 100% on the whole thing, but if I do I think I might sacrifice the 1" screen size and go for a higher res/better graphics 14".