T60 / MacBook Pro.......Help me find a new laptop

[ender11122]

I am looking to go from a gaming rig to a dual core laptop.

here is what I need in order of importance:

1) Affordable (<$1500, the less, the better)
2) Portable (why I am looking at 14" and the powerbook and not the E1505 and other large 15")
3) Power (core duo, 1g ram, preferable a discreet graphics option but not necessary)



I really like the Macbooks and the Macbook Pros but the price is to much on the Pro and unjustifiable on the Macbook. I like the IBM T60 but again to much money.

 

[AmigaMan]

You're not going to get a T60p or MacBookPro in the $1500 range. Perhaps a regular T60 (without the highend video card). Other than that, you'll be looking at an Acer or Dell which are feature-rich and easy on the wallet, but not the same as a MacBookPro or Thinkpad IMO.

 

[ender11122]

Originally posted by: AmigaMan
You're not going to get a T60p or MacBookPro in the $1500 range. Perhaps a regular T60 (without the highend video card). Other than that, you'll be looking at an Acer or Dell which are feature-rich and easy on the wallet, but not the same as a MacBookPro or Thinkpad IMO.

well that doesnt help at all

any specific acer models. Im not at all impressed with Dell but I might be able to be convinced otherwise.

 

[andrewbabcock]

Well, the Asus A8JS comes out pretty soon: 2 ghz Core 2 Duo, 2gb ram, 80 gb hdd, 512mb 7700 go, 14.1" screen, $1500. I would wait for that if i were you...

 

[ender11122]

that does look pretty nice minus the bad battery life. Any idea when its gonna be out?

 

[andrewbabcock]

No but it should be soon and the battery life won't be terrible just not too good...

 

[lazybum131]

Dell Latitude D620. The higher resolution screen (WXGA+) is grainy though because of a surface coating on it. It's a deal breaker for some people. Otherwise, it gets decent battery life and has additional battery options (extended 9-cell, 6-cell modular bay battery). Available port replicator for DVI out.

The A8 series doesn't have extended battery options. I wouldn't sacrifice battery life for a powerful midrange video card you don't even want. And the A8 series isn't anything special with regards to build quality.

 

[ender11122]

I had a 600m at one time. isnt it pretty much the same thing with a hardware upgrade?

 

[ender11122]

What do you think about this?

E1405
T2300E (1.66ghz)
14.1" wxga+ w/truelife
1g 533mhz DDR2
80gb HD
DVDRW DL

$844 b4 tax.

Think I could do any better?

I priced a D620 but it was about $1200 with the same exact specs

The 620 looks alot sleeker, but that much of a price difference isnt worth it IMO. What I did like about the 620 was the proc upgrade to the 1.86ghz was only like $50, as opposed to the unjustifiable $150 on the 1405. Also, does dell offer a student discount?

 

[fbrdphreak]

You're looking at several very different machines. Do you want a business class machine with top notch support and better build quality, or do you want a bottom of the barrel budget system?

P.S. Avoid the budget Acer systems. Low quality, even worse tech support. Just a headache waiting to happen

 

[ender11122]

I am just looking for something for school. Here are my preferences in order of importance:

1) Affordable (<$1500, the less, the better)
2) Portable (why I am looking at 14" and the powerbook and not the E1505 and other large 15")
3) Power (core duo, 1g ram, preferable a discreet graphics option but not necessary)


I know fbrdphreak u dont like dell but I baby my hardware so even if the build quality isnt perfect I can make it last awhile, unless there is another reason not to go for a 1405

 

[lazybum131]

Originally posted by: ender11122
I had a 600m at one time. isnt it pretty much the same thing with a hardware upgrade?

No, the D620 is completely different. Totally different design since it's now a 14" widescreen and not standard ratio. The build quality is very much improved over even the D610. It has a magnesium alloy base and lid, whereas the 600m chassis was plastic.

I've extensively used the 600m, D610 and D620. I'm currently using a 600m that was originally my girlfriend's as a temporary laptop. It's almost 4-years old and is a POS in terms of build quality but it still works.

The D610 which my gf is now using was a big improvement over the 600m, much more solid feeling overall and better screen protection (no screen distortions even when i push hard on the back).

The D620 is my sister's replacement for her dead Thinkpad R32. It's sleeker than the D610 and feels better built as well. I'd say it compares very well with the T4x series for build quality (I haven't handled a T60 so I can't compare). The keyboard is improved as well, very little flex and it feels much more supported than the keyboards on the 600m and D610.

The D620 has several business-class features over the e1405, there's a real docking station/port replicator available, and it has a modular bay so you can swap the optical drive for a second battery or hard drive. And when you were pricing them out, did you take into account the D620 comes standard with a 3-year warranty?

 

[dnuggett]

The price is unjustifiable on the Macbook?

 

[fbrdphreak]

I know fbrdphreak u dont like dell but I baby my hardware so even if the build quality isnt perfect I can make it last awhile, unless there is another reason not to go for a 1405

Dell is a great value, they can't be beat for that. From what I understand, the quality on the 1405/1505/1705's are on par with other good value brand consumer laptops like HP's.

The D620 is my sister's replacement for her dead Thinkpad R32. It's sleeker than the D610 and feels better built as well. I'd say it compares very well with the T4x series for build quality (I haven't handled a T60 so I can't compare). The keyboard is improved as well, very little flex and it feels much more supported than the keyboards on the 600m and D610.

The D620 is a massive upgrade overall previous Inspiron & latitudes. The 600m's are total crap, the D610's not a lot better. Keyboard, chassis design, everything is a ton better on the D620. Not quite as robust as a Thinkpad build-wise, but it is also cheaper.

 

[snsr]

I'd go for a Thinkpad over the MacBook (or pro). My MBP has turned into a piece of crap in less than a year. Ten minutes on a Thinkpad keyboard and I'll never go back..

hth!

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: snsr
I'd go for a Thinkpad over the MacBook (or pro). My MBP has turned into a piece of crap in less than a year. Ten minutes on a Thinkpad keyboard and I'll never go back..

hth!

How has it "turned into a piece of crap"? Doesn't Apple support it?

 

[alimoalem]

i don't think u should go with mac...it is too expensive and they don't have too many options to change online.

i was going to go with the D620 but i didn't just because i was scared the screen would be crap and i needed it for school so if i were to replace the screen, i would basically be screwing myself for school (i don't have any other comp/laptop)

my dad has a T60 and i think it's great. i certainly wouldn't place it over a D620 if it's for school purposes and you're a student (i'm not sure if you're a student but i'm speaking in terms of what i would do)

i went with the HP DV2000t in the end...the build quality isn't exactly up to par with my dad's T60 but i like it. the screen is nice, it's portable, has a good look and feel to it, and cheap. the only real complaint i have about it is the battery life isn't great.

if you want a D620 with a better price, try checking the Dell Outlet and find a "previously ordered new" one with your specs. i think i saw one with a T7200 processor, 2gb ram, and dedicated video for ~$1200. it might not come with a dvd burner but i never burn dvds so i don't really look for that

 

[dclive]

I got a MacBook Pro 1.83 Core Duo for $1500 even, no tax. Added $90 and got 1.5GB of RAM total, ATI x1600 video with dual-link DVI, 80GB HDD, DVD burner, and the other normal stuff. 1" thin, 5.3 pounds or so, 15.4" 1440x900 screen.

Parallels lets me run the odd XP app when I need it as well - at about 80-90% speed. It's useful.

 

[ender11122]

I ended up with an E1405. It doesnt have discreet graphics but I only play CS 1.6 so it does the trick. Got a gig of ram and these core duos are really snappy, about as good as my old AMD x2. I got the glossy screen and so far im loving it.

1.66 core duo
1gig ram
80g HD
DVD RW
Upgraded screen
89W battery (supposedly almost 8 hours of batter life)

came to just under $900