D1420 v T61 - apples & oranges?

I'm sure there are major differences - sturdiness, etc. - but am curious about opinions between these two configurations:

ThinkPad T61 with nVIDIA Graphics - 1 Year Depot Warranty

Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz 800MHz 4MBL2)[1]
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium[12]
14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/ Camera
NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M (128MB)
2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
100GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm[4]
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim[5]
Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN[10]
6 cell Li-Ion Battery[60]
7662: 1 Year Depot Warranty - Express[7]
Wireless WAN Integrated Wireless WAN: Verizon Sierra CDMA2000 (New)
Microsoft productivity software preload Microsoft Office Basic 2007

$1,838.00

versus

Inspiron 1420
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® Vista Home Premium Edition edit
DISPLAY High Resolution, glossy widescreen 14.1 inch display (1440x900) edit
VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8400M GS edit
MEMORY FREE! 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz edit
HARD DRIVE Speed: 160GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) edit
OPTICAL DRIVE CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive) edit
WIRELESS NETWORKING Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card edit
MOBILE BROADBAND Verizon Wireless built-in cellular mobile broadband (EVDO Rev A) edit
BLUETOOTH OPTIONS Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR) edit
INTEGRATED WEBCAM Integrated 2.0 Megapixel Webcam edit
BATTERY OPTIONS 56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell) edit
SOUND OPTIONS Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™HD Software Edition edit
ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE Norton Internet Security™ 2007 Edition 15-months
PRODUCTIVITY SOFTWARE Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 - Word, Excel + PowerPoint edit
BURN & VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE Roxio Creator 9.0 Premier - Ultimate
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 2 Yr In-Home Service, Parts + Labor

$2,015.00
minus -$350 coupon
$1665 total

The Dell is almost $200 cheaper. Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

Thinkpad's main sell is how durable it is. If you are planning on spending $1800+ on a laptop might as well get a m1330 instead.
Battery life on the new Thinkpad's are really bad. You will need much more than that 6 cell and it will come short on Battery life.

 

I was trying to decide between those same two laptops also. I ended up with the Dell because of price... and the 3 years protection (which would have made the t61 outrageous). You should consider how long you want to use the laptop for. Will quality or the warranty help you more? If you're planning on keeping the laptop a LONG time... I'd say go for the thinkpad.

As for recommendations... I'd suggest you buy the ram seperately for the t61 because it'll cut the price, and then maybe consider the 7cell battery.

For the 1420, unless you really need/want 7200 rpm, I'd just get the 5400 in your case because it also cuts the price down quite a bit. If you're a university student, you also may be able to get Microsoft Office for much cheaper. Or... you can always just use Open Office . I'd also toss out the Roxio Premier and maybe just buy Nero seperately. Also try the bundle w/ 7% off and 3 yrs warranty/dmg protection and see how the price compares.

 

Good suggestions. Get software upgrades elsewhere.

 

Thanks very much! I just checked out the bundle 7% savings and it does indeed save a few dollars. And I'll take your advice about losing Roxio and the 7200. Sounds like the Dell will probably win out!

 

You can probably get the Dell with a very good service plan (3 year CompleteCare + In Home service) and better specs than the T61 for the same price. You lost out on build quality and it's slightly heavier, but it also means you can do just about anything to the laptop and not have to worry. So better build quality, but take care of it or lower build quality but you have free reign over what you want to do with the thing.

Your choice. For the price of the T61 you listed ($1800+) you could probably fit in a M1330 with a good service plan, partially removing the build-quality qualm. (The T61 still should be more solid than the M1330.)

 

Latitude D630 may be the best of all worlds... good solid build, thin, 3 year warranty standard, good price... but you'd have to make do without some multimedia features like webcam and SD card reader.

 

I also think the D630 is a good middle ground.

 

Funny. The D630 was on my original list - but somehow it disappeared. I'd better go back and take a look again!

 

I'd look into the D630 also, I've had alot of experience with the D620 and its proven to be a really nice laptop, and I'm sure the D630 is just as well.

 

If I were to get a Dell over a Thinkpad, I'd make it a Latitude.