Ok, I'm an idiot when it comes to buying things for myself, and I already know what I would tell someone else, so just confirm this with me
I need another laptop. I'd like to have it as light as possibly but a couple less pounds isn't going to make my leap for joy as I walk a 1/4 mile from my parking garage to my office (2-3 days a week) otherwise I work in different locations where I only have to carry it less than a hundred yards.
I'd LIKE to be able to play AH2 on it.
Two choices. Now, I've been noted to saying that thinkpads are not all they are hyped up to be. This is true and I think the leveno's are REALLY cheap laptops riding off of the thinkpad name (none thinkpad versions).
Recently I dumped the ability to pickup a leveno for a great price because of how cheap it felt.
However, with a warranty - some of the older affordable thinkpads are STILL VERY GOOD laptops as they serve their purpose and are loaded with nice features.
SO , this brings me to my question:
If I wait long enough, I will see another deal via Circuit city, best buy etc - where I can get the following...more or less
-t2060 core duo laptop (1.6ghz)
-1 gig of ram
-80-120 gig hd
-Integrated graphics or shared graphics memory video card. (I know these are not for gaming that much, but it doesnt take much to run AH2 at all)
$599-699 AFTER extensive rebates (that I may or may not see in 6 weeks - 6 months depending on who I get it from)
Factory new with full warranty. 1 year parts and labor - send it in to get service.
OR
IBM Thinkpad T40 with 1.5 ghz M (not p4 version - newer M version, also not Centrino version)
1 gig of ram
40-60 gig hd
16 meg ati 7500 vid card
$500 after a small quick to get rebate
Free shipping
1 year warranty parts and labor, in office service.
I know many will say obviously the dual core , new, more updated video management system is the better choice.
BUT keep in mind that this thinkpad is basically new. Has the same warranty as the first option, and IT'S MUCH LIGHTER, and well - it's a thinkpad so it offers much nicer mouse options and an overall better feel when working long hours in conference rooms.
However I would get a wide screen with the dual core laptops. Which annoy me for some reason.
I would suggest that the person gets the dual core and just waits for the deal to come back on the market. It could vary from Toshiba, Gateway or Acer.
Of those three I felt the gateway was the better laptop but I just missed a great deal for $599 for one. Very nice and sturdy laptop and for some reason their screen didn't annoy me.
Also the first one has vista premium in most cases. I'll own a copy of vista more or less, whereas with the Thinkpad, I still will not own a copy of Vista just yet.
I guess I just want to hear from people that may dispute my ideology behind going with the dual core, even though I really want the thinkpad for the feel and weight factor , although like I said I don't think I'll really complain about the weight too much in the long run. It's just that all the newer laptops have SUCH CHEAP cases and keyboards...and the mice buttons on some of them are HARDLY usable!! The gateway seems to be the only laptop I really like now adays for feel and price/perc - but I have no idea when another deal like the one I missed will come back. Could be many months, or 2 weeks from now. They sold out before the ads even hit the Sunday papers. Darn insiders!
Ok - fire away
EDIT: Btw my uses will be most single tasking. Although I do code in PHP and HTML using several apps side by side, none of them are hyper intensive cpu draining apps. Heck I use notepad many times for coding, but do often use dreamweaver for website updates and for layouts as it's quicker than need to restructure.
I also do alot of admin work whereas I will have to go onsite and stand for a period of no less than 15 minutes and sometimes 1 hour with a laptop in my hand or resting barely on a shelf tapped into a router that is not responding over a network etc etc.
