What is the difference between thinkpads?

[Frightcrawler]

what is the difference? i know that the R series is made of plastic. what are the other series made of?

 

[sciencewhiz]

X and T are made of magnesium, R, A, and G are made of plastic. However, IBMs plastic cases are much more solidy built then other companies.

The X is the lightest, but doesn't even have a cdrom drive without a docking station. It's the ultraportable. I think it's about 3.5 lbs
The T is the next lightest. For an extra pound, you get a cdrom drive and a bigger screen. Both the T and X have Pentium Ms.
The R is another pound heavier then the T, but much cheaper.
The A is another pound heavier then the R, but with a bigger screen.
The G is the cheapest, but heaviest.

It comes down to how portable you want it, and how much you can afford.

 

[Pandaren]

Check out the forums at ThinkPads.com. The people there are very knowledgeable about ThinkPads.

To answer your question: sciencewiz has pretty much said what the weight classifications are.

The X and T series actually use magnesium and titanium (titanium reinforced carbon fiber plastic). The X series uses magnesium for the base and titanium for the LCD housing, and the T series uses titanium for the base and magnesium for the LCD housing.

Some R series are cheaper and heavier than the T series, but the R50p (mobile workstation with flexview wide angle LCD) is very very expensive. The A series is slowly being phased out and replaced with high end R series machines.

IBM's early 2004 lineup will look something like this:

Thin-and-Light for corporate - T41/T41p (phaseout of T40/40p series)
Ultraportable - X31, probably replaced by X40 (just released in Japan)
Budget - R40
Mobile Workstation - R50, R50p (phaseout of A31/31p)
Cheap Desktop Replacement - G Series

 

[oaaltone]

Originally posted by: Pandaren
Ultraportable - X31, probably replaced by X40 (just released in Japan)

Is the X40 really slated to replace the X31? The X40 only has a 1 GHz P-M and integrated graphics, as opposed to up to 1.6 GHz P-M and Radeon M7 with the X31.

 

[Pandaren]

Is the X40 really slated to replace the X31? The X40 only has a 1 GHz P-M and integrated graphics, as opposed to up to 1.6 GHz P-M and Radeon M9 with the X31.

The X31's graphics chip is actually only a Radeon 7000 (check AnandTech's review on the X31 for details) with 16 MB of RAM. It lacks T&L and has only 1 pixel pipeline. Intel 'Extreme' Graphics isn't that much worse, and as it is integrated into the MCH, it saves motherboard space.

I think the rational for using only a 1 GHz Pentium M Low Voltage is that ultraportable machines are generally used by frequent travelling workers who aren't using the machine for gaming or heavy multimedia stuff. A 1.6 GHz Pentium M is overkill, and much more power hungry than a 1 GHz Pentium M.

People who really need power in a light package will probably want a T4x series anyways (Radeon 9000 or FireGL T2 and SXGA+ screens), and the T4x is still pretty light at 4.9 lbs.