Just looking for opinions between two (actually 3 laptops but one is not seriously in the running) laptops that I purchased (been a lot of hot deals on laptops within the last couple of weeks). Deciding which one to keep is the kicker. I have a relatively powerful desktop system at home so this laptop is mostly for surfing on the couch, in bed, and on the john 
. Not too many games will be played on it, although an occasional RTS style game is nice.
I do go on road/business trips about 3 to 4 times a year and to me, battery life is pretty important even if I don't go on that many trips. Weight is an issue, but I think betwee the two I'm choosing, it's within about .5 lbs.
Here are the 3, with the third being the one I'm almost sure I'm not going to keep unless somebody can make a good case.
IBM Thinkpad R40
P-M 1.3GHz
256MB RAM
20GB HD
15" SXGA+ (1400x1050)
CDROM Drive
11b wireless
ATI 32MB 7000
Dell 8600
P-M 1.4GHz
512MB RAM
40GB HD
15" WXGA
CD/DVD+R/RW Drive
11g wireless
Nvidia 32MB 5200
Dell 5100
Not really even considering keeping this one
Pros of the IBM I can think of are:
1) It's an IBM (good quality/reliablity, even though the 'R' series is their consumer model)
2) battery life of approximately 5 hours
3) cheaper than the Dell 8600, although not as well configured
4) should be an awesome screen with extremely high resolution
Cons of the IBM:
1) Pretty skimpy features. To get it up to the Dell specs, I'll probably be spending just as much, if not more
2) Weak, weak video card, even weaker than the Nvidia 5200
3) Wireless stinks as I have 11g now and IBM only offers a/b/g options, which I didn't want to pay for. Also, they can only use certain mini-PCI cards as IBM locks the BIOS so I can't just buy and plug in any card.
Pros of the Dell 8600
1) More bang for the buck (only about $125 more than the IBM)
2) Leaps and bounds more powerful (RAM, HD, optical drive, CPU)
3) 11g mini-PCI card
Cons of the 8600
1) It's a Dell. The quality hasn't been that great lately. I purchased a Dell 600m about 5 months ago and got rid of it because I wasn't super happy with the creakiness of the machine
2) It's about .5 lbs heavier. Not a lot, but something to consider
3) Battery life is surely going to be less than the 5 hours of the IBM
I'm sure there are more pros and cons right now, but I could go on and on and on.....
Currently, I'm leaning towards the Dell just because it's more bang for the buck. Comments, suggestions?
TIA.
. Not too many games will be played on it, although an occasional RTS style game is nice.I do go on road/business trips about 3 to 4 times a year and to me, battery life is pretty important even if I don't go on that many trips. Weight is an issue, but I think betwee the two I'm choosing, it's within about .5 lbs.
Here are the 3, with the third being the one I'm almost sure I'm not going to keep unless somebody can make a good case.
IBM Thinkpad R40
P-M 1.3GHz
256MB RAM
20GB HD
15" SXGA+ (1400x1050)
CDROM Drive
11b wireless
ATI 32MB 7000
Dell 8600
P-M 1.4GHz
512MB RAM
40GB HD
15" WXGA
CD/DVD+R/RW Drive
11g wireless
Nvidia 32MB 5200
Dell 5100
Not really even considering keeping this one
Pros of the IBM I can think of are:
1) It's an IBM (good quality/reliablity, even though the 'R' series is their consumer model)
2) battery life of approximately 5 hours
3) cheaper than the Dell 8600, although not as well configured
4) should be an awesome screen with extremely high resolution
Cons of the IBM:
1) Pretty skimpy features. To get it up to the Dell specs, I'll probably be spending just as much, if not more
2) Weak, weak video card, even weaker than the Nvidia 5200
3) Wireless stinks as I have 11g now and IBM only offers a/b/g options, which I didn't want to pay for. Also, they can only use certain mini-PCI cards as IBM locks the BIOS so I can't just buy and plug in any card.
Pros of the Dell 8600
1) More bang for the buck (only about $125 more than the IBM)
2) Leaps and bounds more powerful (RAM, HD, optical drive, CPU)
3) 11g mini-PCI card
Cons of the 8600
1) It's a Dell. The quality hasn't been that great lately. I purchased a Dell 600m about 5 months ago and got rid of it because I wasn't super happy with the creakiness of the machine
2) It's about .5 lbs heavier. Not a lot, but something to consider
3) Battery life is surely going to be less than the 5 hours of the IBM
I'm sure there are more pros and cons right now, but I could go on and on and on.....
Currently, I'm leaning towards the Dell just because it's more bang for the buck. Comments, suggestions?
TIA.
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