Buying a New Laptop

[Oren Beck]

What are you "doing" with the laptop?

I've been using an IBM T42 with 1gig ram and it's been quite fast for
everything I've thrown at it. Granted, I do not game or edit stuff so
those may be an issue for others. My usual mode is Puppy 5 from a
CD>toram.

I found that the older T series machines have had an install base of
Battery packs and docking cradles etc just  unbeatable for dollars
saved.

If you don't really need an optical drive? look at the slightly older
X series IBM slimlines.  For what you'd spend on a new T series
hotrod, you could buy 2-3 lightly used X series machines and have hot
spares/extra batteries.  I'm contemplating instead of a netbook, going
for  one of the slightly older X series units as the price/performance
ratio just works for me.

If you need a high end machine? The T61 seems more than good enough
and not so price painful.
Oren Beck



On Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 5:25 AM, Jason D. Clinton <me at jasonclinton.com> wrote:
> Two red flags: last generation CPU and memory and that WiFi is almost
> certainly a RealTek. If you're okay with both of those, then I'd say it's a
> pretty good deal and you should go for it.
>
> On Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 16:01, Jim Herrmann <kclug at itdepends.com> wrote:
>>
>> I found that MicroCenter has this Lenovo IdeaPad Z560 in stock in the
>> store:
>> http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0353128
>>
>> It looks like a powerful machine for the money.  I am currently on an Idea
>> pad.  It's had a few little oddities, but has generally worked reliably.
>>
>> The thing I like about this deal is that I can walk in to MicroCenter and
>> walk out with a computer.  And there's the support the local brick and
>> mortar biz thing too.
>>
>> Thoughts?
>> Jim