The great Laptop discussion forum

Two things Irishfan. SSDs currently cost about $1K more than regular hard drives. I know the benefits of them, but I don't see it dropping to "a small markup" by this summer.

Second, 1.5 lbs is a huge difference in terms of the weight reduction. a normal T laptop is about 5 lbs, and a normal X laptop is 3 lbs. That's *40%* of the weight. The absolute weight doesn't matter here, otherwise why wouldn't we carry an MP3 player or a cell phone that's even a few more OUNCES heavier?

I have a T42 and they're pretty much the same weight as the T60's at work. The X61 is *that* much lighter, in backpacks, bags, whatever. It's also takes up much less space and is easier to stow away.

It's not about the actual weight, it's the relative weight savings that matter.

Yeah, I'm definitely aware of the $1K premium for one with similar capacity. I think the largest one is 128 gb's? And I think the Samsung website actually has "first-born" under payment options. I guess I'm a guy who can pretty easily live with 32 or 64 gb's, and those will *hopefully* only be a $400 or so premium over the HDD's when I option out a computer this Summer. I guess when I think about the world of computer upgrades, $400 qualifies to me as being "small" (versus similar markups for the latest chipset, GPU, iPod, etc.)

To your point about relative weight: definitely, relative weight is where it's at. When random people ask me how much horsepower my Lotus has, it's always amusing to see their faces fall when they find out it's the same 190 hp, inline 4 found in a Celica. What they don't understand is that 190 is actually quite a bit in a car that weighs approx. 1900 lbs. Similarly, I don't doubt that the weight savings would be just as noticeable when carrying a laptop around. However, the question then becomes, does your 3 lb computer that costs about the same, but has far fewer features than the 4.5 lb one have that much more relative utility? Me, I'd rather have a slightly heavier computer that runs Photoshop and plays Supreme Commander than one that saves me a couple pounds and shoots smoke when trying to boot up Carmen Sandiego.

Anyway, like when the Dude said to Jesus, "That's just, like, your opinion, man," I'm fully aware that opinions are like....etc., etc. So, your mileage may vary!

Can GMATClubbers unite and arrange a deal with some website to give us a group discount on a souped up computer?

Yay! My laptop shipped last night! I guess they were managing my expectations when they told me it wouldn't ship till 4/10.

Despite my low-weight evangelism I've ordered the 4.5lb hp tx2000 via costco.It meets all my needs (tablet, cd player, decent battery life, etc) At $1250 with tax and upgrades, plus the extended warranty (free from csotco) I would have felt dirty NOT getting it. I just tell myself that if it is too heavy when it arrives (after trying it out for a week/month or 2) i will just return it and get something more expensive. God bless costco.

Well said Irishfan. the Lenovo one only has sixty-four (my keyvoard is not working right now) gigs of space.

As for functionality versus weight, I have a desktop that's much more powerful (three ghz dual core), so I really do not need a laptop that's super powerful. Also, the difference in speed isn't that great with the T and X series anyways, I'd gladly save the three pound difference (I think the T's are five to six pounds, not four and a half).

So yes, it's a matter of opinion and taste, and everyone's varies.

Kelloggs 2008 laptop program was announced today.

2008 KLP Lenovo ThinkPad T61 Specifications:
Price: $1198.00
Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2 GHz Processor
14.1” WXGA+ Display (1440x900)
2GB of RAM
Integrated Camera
nVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M 128MB Video
100 GB hard drive - 7200rpm SATA
DVD±RW/CD-RW combo drive
PC Card Slot & 4-in-1 Memory Card Reader (Memory Stick, MMC, SD, XD)
Wired and wireless Ethernet (802.11 a/b/g/n)
Bluetooth, 3 USB 2.0 ports, Integrated Modem
7 cell Li-ion Battery
Total weight (including power adapter): 6.48 lbs
Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise
Microsoft Office 2007 and Outlook 2007
Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition
3-year warranty including ThinkPad Protection (full repair or replacement coverage for accidental damage, such as spills, drops, etc.)

yeah, that's a dealbreaker for me, I want to X61, and they're really pushing the T61... haha

Terry's probably going to reject them just because of this

it's just funny how the two camps are so solidly against the other (the joystick versus touchpad, not the apple vs PC). I have never been able to use the touchpad well, but the joystick is a lifesaver!

I am a Touchpad guy myself...there's just SO much more room to play with (compared to the bite-sized joystick)

surfing my macbook pro right now. Love the touch pad.

I find the joystick to be way more accurate and easy to use quickly than the touchpad, which seems to take a couple swipes each time you're trying to center the cursor on a specific object. I guess that's just me? In any case, I wish Apples at least offered the joystick option...it'd open the market to a lot of touchpad-hating people!

River, is the Macbook Pro worth the premium over the regular Macbook? I'm making my head spin to figure out which one to get.

I love our mac but honestly I wouldnt get one for bschool. They arent as durable as a thinkpad or something like that. Its a great computer but still not what I would use as a business platform. We will always have at least one mac for personal use but not for work/school related stuff. They are also EXTREMELY expensive, we wanted the larger screen though which means you have to get the pro.

So, I think this is kinda neat - I ordered it on 3/23. Travels of a Laptop...


Status: In Transit
Rescheduled Delivery: 03/31/2008
Shipped To: DURHAM, NC, US
Shipped/Billed On: 03/27/2008
Service: EXPRESS
Weight: 2.50 Kgs


Package Progress

RALEIGH, NC, US
03/29/2008 7:08 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
03/29/2008 6:38 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
03/29/2008 6:06 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN

LOUISVILLE, KY, US
03/29/2008 4:58 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
03/29/2008 2:59 A.M. IMPORT SCAN

ANCHORAGE, AK, US
03/28/2008 3:25 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
03/28/2008 1:45 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN

SHANGHAI, CN
03/28/2008 10:09 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
03/27/2008 9:41 P.M. EXPORT SCAN
03/27/2008 9:34 P.M. HUB SCAN
03/27/2008 9:20 A.M. ORIGIN SCAN
03/27/2008 9:11 A.M. BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED

nipples all the way!

at least thats what the IT guys at work call the Thinkpad trackpoints...

wow, that's pretty fast Aau!

I need to order mine before the sale goes away...