Notebook Needed

As some of you know, we’re moving to England at the beginning of August which leaves just 6 weeks here in Canada. I had planned on purchasing a new notebook before leaving but held off for a variety of reasons. Of course now I’m worried that I’ve waited too long. I can’t imagine being stranded in a new country without a computer – the horror!

The other challenge is that I’ve had my heart set on a ThinkPad T61. I’ve always used Dell notebooks which are OK but not great and have just heard endless praise for the T60/61 notebooks. Of course now that it comes down to ordering I’m just hearing endless horror stories about Lenovo’s order fulfillment and endless shipping delays whereas Dell generally rocks at fulfilling orders quickly and efficiently in my experience.

Anyway, I’m considering getting either the Dell Latitude D630 or the Lenovo ThinkPad T61 with as little RAM as possible and then bulk up on 4GB of RAM from a local supplier (since the vendors have this insane desire to charge over $1000 for 4GB – ridiculous).

What should I do?

© 2007 Kenny Kerr

7 Comments

  • I have exactly thought of doing what you have mentioned with RAM.

    Like you, I've used Dell most of the times but I think T61 would be better if I were you. Main reason, T61 is supposed to run cooler and for me that is one of the biggest requirement.

    Lenovo charges more I think (or as same as for Dell 830) but it's better hardware for money, I think.

    My $0.02!

  • Kenny,

    Based on what I've seen and heard, the ThinkPads seem to be very good computers. Even with shipping delays, Lenovo could surely not take 6 weeks to deliver a notebook (???).

    However, given that moving to a new country is already stressful, it may be prudent to just get the Dell if it will set your mind at ease. I have not had a bad experience with a Dell notebook yet and have always found their after-sales support great. If I were in your boat, I would weigh up the potential benefits of (arguably) a better computer vs less stress during your last weeks before moving. Being fairly conservative, I would probably favour the latter.

    Either way, your strategy of keeping RAM down initially sounds good assuming that RAM is that much cheaper in the UK.

    I hope your move goes smoothly - keep me posted.

    Cheers
    Ash

  • I have a T60 and two of my co-workers also just got T60. I highly recommend it. Very well build, doesn't come with too much pre-installed software, and runs great. The security features are also really nice (TPM chip for bitlocker, Fingerprint reader works in the bios and in windows).

    Go for the T61 and don't look back.

  • Update: wow, the Lenovo service really stinks. I called Lenovo Canada since the Lenovo website for Canada does not provide any configurability (unlike Lenovo US). After waiting over 10 minutes on hold, I finally got to speak to a representative who informed me that there is absolutely no way to order a customized Lenovo product in Canada. Seriously? So the only way to obtain a customized ThinkPad is to purchase it with a US credit card from Lenovo.com and have it shipped to Canada. Back to Dell I go.

  • I'm using Dell D820 and very happy with world-wide Dell support, fast reaction on next day, best price I got.

    Michael

  • Make sure you get a power supply that works over here!

  • Michael: yes, Dell rocks in my experience. I'm glad you've also had a good experience!

    Ian: thanks for the comment! I’ve traveled abroad with Dell notebooks before. Fortunately the power adapters are designed for 110-240 V so they work automatically on both sides of the Atlantic. I just carry an adapter that adapts to the UK socket design.

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