Another Notebook Question Thread....

[Shano]

I am about to replace my Tecra M5 and am considering a more portable notebook this time.

Two models that I am considering are the Lenovo X301 and the Dell XPS - both in 13" models.

My preference is for the 13" screen rather than the more portable 12" notebooks and want something lighter than the 14" Tecra that I currently have. I do a bit of CAD review when travelling so the slightly larger 13" screen is more desirable.

The Dell is cheaper and comes with more frills than the Lenovo, but am impressed with the quality of the Lenovo.

I also have a promotion code for the Lenovo that closes the price gap between the two models.

I have read other threads where people have bought the X61 but does anyone have any opinions / suggestions on these (or other) options.

 

[Travel Guru]

I've been using an X61 for the past 12 months, and continue to be impressed by it's quality, and have already decided i'll be changing over to the 300 in 12 months time.

I've checked the 300 out and it's a great machine with all the portability of the X61, but the addition of the CD/DVD drive which is occasionally an annoyance not having built in with the 61.

I have no hesitation in recommending the Thinkpad series, they may not look fashionable, but they're fantastic to work with, and once you use a Thinkpad keyboard, you'll find it hard to consider going back to a Toshiba which is what I previously had.

TG

 

[markis10]

Ditto the comments on the X61, I like the fact I can still use the notebook even with the seat in front reclined on a QF 737, try that with bigger screens (a 13" might work)! I also like the battery life, for a notebook that weighs so little its nice to do BEN-PER and have power in the notebook after the flight.

In fact the biggest issue I have with many current notebook reviews is they dont mention battery life which is kind of important if you are trying to do work while mobile!

For the OP, no doubt you have the latest coupon code that came overnight from Lenovo?

 

[Shano]

For the OP, no doubt you have the latest coupon code that came overnight from Lenovo?

Yep, that is the one.

 

[file51]

Join the dark side.... get a real laptop... (just kidding)

The new MacBook model (13" screen) is fantastic (partner just got one).

Obviously screen size is an issue otherwise I would suggest the MacBook Pro (15" & 17")

 

[mainly tailfirst]

Join the dark side.... get a real laptop... (just kidding)

The new MacBook model (13" screen) is fantastic (partner just got one).

Obviously screen size is an issue otherwise I would suggest the MacBook Pro (15" & 17")

No kidding required - they are the superior laptop at the moment. Also with the collapse in the AUD, Apple Aust is actually half competitive with the USD price for once. If portability is paramount and you don't need Ethernet/DVD, the Macbook Air is hard to pass up. Non-replaceable battery might be a showstopper though.

mt

 

[file51]

I just added the 'just kidding' bit to protect myself from being flamed by an uneducated PC fanatic (sorry, couldnt resist)

The MacBook Air is an awesome machine however I am not a fan of it not having an optical drive built in.

And yes tailfirst, you are spot on regarding the pricing... some great deals out there on Apple gear at the moment.

 

[Shano]

Hmm, I hadn't considered the Macbook Air, as I am severely Mac-uneducated.

The drawbacks I see are the lack of ethernet port, the optical drive and only the single USB port.

Not knowing much about Mac's, I am not sure how our existing windows based apps will run on the Mac - Office and AutoCAD being the most critical ones. I understand that it can be done, just not sure how reliable this is.

 

[file51]

Not knowing much about Mac's, I am not sure how our existing windows based apps will run on the Mac - Office and AutoCAD being the most critical ones. I understand that it can be done, just not sure how reliable this is.

Office on Mac or PC, same thing.

AutoCAD 2009 works fine on the MacBook Pro we have here at work.

You can use bootcamp (or software such as Fusion) and run an Apple using windows OS, heck, Vista is more stable on an Apple from what I have encountered in the past.

 

[mainly tailfirst]

Office on Mac or PC, same thing.

AutoCAD 2009 works fine on the MacBook Pro we have here at work.

You can use bootcamp (or software such as Fusion) and run an Apple using windows OS, heck, Vista is more stable on an Apple from what I have encountered in the past.

Add another vote for the Dual Boot option for getting into Windows. Not as easy as getting Windows pre-installed, but once you boot into XP - it's exactly as it would be on PC. HL2 doesn't run half bad either

mt

 

[mainly tailfirst]

Hmm, I hadn't considered the Macbook Air, as I am severely Mac-uneducated.

The drawbacks I see are the lack of ethernet port, the optical drive and only the single USB port.

Not knowing much about Mac's, I am not sure how our existing windows based apps will run on the Mac - Office and AutoCAD being the most critical ones. I understand that it can be done, just not sure how reliable this is.

For the Air, the 'legacy' IO can be handled with external adapters (in true AAPL style, for more money, of course). Graphics should be OK for AC2009 as they've beefed up the graphics engine to a new Nvidia chipset. It's still no GTX 280, but you're not running Crysis on it

With BootCamp, you don't even have to learn much about OS X, boot it into windows and pretend it's a PC that is decent looking.

mt

 

[Evan]

- HP 2530p (A bit better at resisting dust etc)
- The new 13" macbooks (In Singapore you get XP pro for free when you buy a macbook )

I am looking at the new HP2530p in Jan since it handles upto 8gb ram and good battery life apparently as well. And its HP so fits well in my exisiting environment. + has builting DVD writer that some smaller units dont.

E

 

[JohnK]

I ended buying a Lenovo R61e which is superceded stock. Not a bad laptop but with a 15'4" inch screen a notebook it is not. All up $802 including the $23 Amex surcharge which was not mentioned until I had paid the $100 deposit over the phone and I was at the shop to collect the laptop. I had no cash otherwise I would have avoided the surcharge.

It is very heavy commuting SYD-BNE once a week and Vista Business, well let's leave that one alone....

 

[file51]

I ended buying a Lenovo R61e which is superceded stock. Not a bad laptop but with a 15'4" inch screen a notebook it is not. All up $802 including the $23 Amex surcharge which was not mentioned until I had paid the $100 deposit over the phone and I was at the shop to collect the laptop. I had no cash otherwise I would have avoided the surcharge.

It is very heavy commuting SYD-BNE once a week and Vista Business, well let's leave that one alone....

One of my work collegues has an R61 (got it when it first came out)... good unit, very solid (has had a few knocks) however as you have alluded to, it is quite heavy and bulky.

Vista Business... ummmmmmm, anyways... XP Pro or Vista Ultimate are the only miscrosoft flavours I will touch, if only PC's came with Leopard... lol

Good price btw, and using the Lenovo laptops we have at work as an example, you shouldnt have any issues with them... well that is excluding what issues windows provides you.

 

[Chris_Leo]

I have an X61 and have to agree with earlier comments that it is a marvel for the road warrior! It is light, compact and generally reliable. The lack of a cd-rom has not been an issue for me. I can't recall the last time I've needed to use a cd-rom.

The fact that it is so light and compact, allows me to carry it in a mini laptop case and keep it with me at all times (i.e., not co-mingle the laptop with other luggage).

One negative is actually working with larger excel spreadsheets on the X61. The lack of screen real estate really works against you in that scenario. Luckily, spreadsheets only constitute about 30% of my work.

Hmm, while we are pondering on negatives, does anyone else with an X61 notice that the base can get extremely hot at times? Or is that just me?

 

[Shano]

Vista Business... ummmmmmm, anyways... XP Pro or Vista Ultimate are the only miscrosoft flavours I will touch, if only PC's came with Leopard... lol

Interesting comments about Vista. I don't know a great deal about Vista as I am still running XPP on the Tecra.

I had thought that the scaled down version (business) might be more responsive than Ultimate, but from the comment above sounds like I should pay the extra for Ultimate.

Turns out too that the Lenovo coupon is not such a good deal afterall. I have found 2 retailers offering the X301 for roughly the same price as the "highly discounted" price from Lenovo direct.

 

[Evan]

<..>Hmm, while we are pondering on negatives, does anyone else with an X61 notice that the base can get extremely hot at times? Or is that just me?

The wireless card is under the palm rest, that make its heat up a lot, but also with all these small notebooks they have a lot of heat in disks, cpu, memory to disipate. The ULV cpu's help but the best designs use the screen as a heatpipe to remove heat.

E

 

[markis10]

Hmm, while we are pondering on negatives, does anyone else with an X61 notice that the base can get extremely hot at times? Or is that just me?

As I am typing this post my X61 is sitting on my lap and its not hot at all, its been there for 3 hours running on battery with wireless (still at 50%), I do notice it gets a little hot when charging the battery using the 70W adaptor, the 90W does not have the same problem.

Its a good notebok, probably better than the Toshi R200 that some low life took form the QP in Melbourne earlier in the year that reuslted in me buying this one!

 

[file51]

Whilst on the topic of laptops & computers in general...

If you want a laugh, check out some of these ad's

Apple - Get a Mac - Watch the TV Ads

"Advertising, Advertising, Advertising.... Fix Vista"
(gotta love the anti Vista message in just about every ad)

 

[markis10]

Might add, I downgraded the X61 to XP the day I got it