Desktop power yet still portable
Written: May 14 '03 (Updated Jul 04 '03)
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Pros: Sturdy; top rated in 'various' PC related magazines; fast; good looking
Cons: Not the lightest; not the cheapest, either
The Bottom Line: Highly recommended for those looking for desktop power in a notebook. With the 15" screen, this functions just fine as a desktop replacement
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| bart19's Full Review: Lenovo ThinkPad R40 2681 (2681L7U) PC Notebook |
I'm a software developer who recently made the jump to consulting, and I needed a portable machine with desktop power. My criteria when shopping were:
1) Build quality/sturdiness
2) Power (processor speed/max memory size)
3) Accessories (built-in, that is)
4) Price
Not everyone will put price last, so keep that in mind when considering my review (although I would have ruled out any laptops that were unreasonably expensive).
Because of my career, I'm exposed to a lot of hardware, and have even done some amount of IS support. I knew from experience that Dell is a popular choice, and I also knew that support was crucial for laptops (too expensive to have to pay for fixes if it's not your fault). Finally, I knew that because they're toted around in bags everywhere, they're susceptible to breakage. Given these items, I began my search.
I read all the recent issues of the major PC magazines, as well as online reviews (including this site). Also, many of my friends have purchased new laptops recently, so I took that into account (4 of them).
I chose the Thinkpad R40 model 2681-L7U because:
1) Thinkpads are well-known for their build quality and sturdiness
2) This model has the Pentium 4m at 2.2 GHz, and 256 MB RAM (expandable to 1 GB max) - I upgraded this to 768 MB immediately, btw.
3) It has a DVD/CD-RW built in, as well as the standard ports (Ethernet, modem, USB 2, firewire, VGA, parallel, S-Video, mic-in, headphone out)
4) It was very close in price (within 10%) of all other brands at the same configuration.
After about 3 weeks of use, I have found that this is a very powerful system. I'm writing software, writing documentation, running a web server, and pretty much everything I do on my desktop system.
I have also played a variety of 3-D games to test out the Radeon chipset, and it fares very well. It's not quite as fast as my GeForce4 64MB on my desktop, but it's close. I easily play Medal of Honor and Serious Sam II. In fact, without a side-by-side comparison, I doubt the difference is noticeable. This laptop feels FAST.
This system has a 15" screen with a max resolution of 1400 x 1050 (SXGA+). I worried at first that this wouldn't be big enough, but it turns out to be the ideal resolution for this size screen. It's very, very sharp, and I had no dropped pixels on my LCD (common on cheaper LCDs).
The weight: this isn't the lightest notebook out there, but it's a tradeoff for the power. It's not the heaviest, either, at only 6.8lbs, but you know it's there when you pick up the briefcase. I'm currently shopping for a backpack style case to ease the burden. I recommend it.
This system has no built-in wireless networking (a mini-PCI module will be available soon, though), so I purchased a Linksys 802.11g PC card which works flawlessly (I'll go review that later).
Another nice feature IBM included was the combination of both touchpad AND trackpoint (that little joystick in the middle of the keybourd). And each of them has its own set of left and right mouse buttons. When typing, I tend to use the trackpoint, since it's closer to my hands. And I really love the fact that the touchpad driver has a built-in 'accidental touch' detector - so when I'm typing and my thumb slips onto the touchpad, the cursor doesn't move at all. Very slick.
UPDATE:
After a few weeks of use, I've purchased a USB mouse to use during extended computing sessions. I now realize that the 2 USB ports is a nice feature. The best part about them, though, is that they are not near each other, allowing full use of both USB ports, even when the device using them has a bulky plug. USB one is on the back, and USB two is on the left side.
UPDATE 2:
After a couple of months of use, I'm finding that this is a very sturdy laptop, as well. It still looks brand new, the keyboard and accessories have no wear, and the batter performance is great. My friends with laptops are jealous, and wish they had purchased a Thinkpad. Also - I think the 60 GB hard drive is a must - I'm up to 25 GB utilized after installing Office XP Pro, Photoshop 7, and a couple of games.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2178.05
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 15 inches
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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Epinions.com ID:
bart19
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Location: Raleigh, NC
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Software consultant who reads way too many product reviews
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