A little bit silly question but plz help again

Since i am going to order R60 in next few days, i wanna make the best decision on parts. I was going to choose 15" XGA with GMA950, since 1024*768 is always my favorite resolution, but since GMA950 is not that good even for light gaming and CAD, and some say it may not be enough for VISTA 3D capabilities, I think it is better to go for a better graphic. I CAN'T CHOOSE 15" WITH DEDICATED, since it is only available with T2500, so i should pay about 400$ more to have 15" with X1400

So the only alternative for me is 14.1" SXGA+ (1400x1050), 64MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1300, which costs only 75$ more, but:
1. is X1300 really more powerful than GMA950;
2. (the silly part), in your opinion, does 15" looks noticeably different in size with 14.1"?

thanks again.

 

Uh, well if your concerned about Vista Aero as I'm gathering you are 64 MB isn't going to really cut it anyways. For Vista Aero to run pretty smoothly you should def have a card with 128MB dedicated video memory. So unless you want to get a 128 MB card it won't matter all that much anyways.

Yes the 14" is quite a bit smaller from the 15" ofcourse it all depends on Widescreen and whatnot.

 

64MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1300 is so muchhhhh... powerful than Gma950 and it's enough for Vista Aero. The Aero doesn't need 128MB dedicated video memory. So you'll be fine with x1300

I prefer wide screens so I'd go for 14.1" and I woudn't buy 15" even if it had better gpu at the same price but it's relative. I suggest to look at these screens in person.

 

ok, to correct a few mistakes made in the previous posts. 14.1 and 15.0 inch are both normal aspect ratio's. I can say that i personally don't find the difference that big my dad has a 14.1 dell d610 and i find it just a little bit smaller. On the other hand i find my 15.0 perfect for sitting at home in a chair, but if you decide to travel 14.1 is really better.
For the videocard, the x1300 is definatly a lot better then the gma 950 the question is what are you going to use it for, if you plan to play games it isn't really cutting it, for windows vista it should be however fine.

 

Yes, I agree about the screen. Actually, Lenovo doesn't offer a 14.1" WXGA widescreen version of R60

 

You are right, i have not mentioned what i really expect from graphic card:
1. Games: Need for Speed, FIFA 2005, Heroes of Pacific, NHL 2005.
2. Graphic: No 3DStudio or mAYA, but i want to be able to work on simple 3D drawings in AUTOCAD and SOLIDWORKS (I am a mechanical Engineer)
3. VISTA compatibility, AERO ?

Also i doubt if 14.1 and 15" R60s be different in weight and size, since u can customize R60 for both, and keyboard is the same, so i think the size should be the same, may be just wider plastic frame around LCD for 14.1.

 

1. The 950 has been officially announced as capable of running Aero.
2. Battery life will be significantly better with the 950.
3. I have no idea if it will run those apps smoothly.

Chris

 

I think the list in the link applies to GMA950, true? I found it a few minutes ago.
http://support.intel.com/support/graphics/intel945gm/sb/CS-021400.htm

 

Aero is just a fancy skin, but it requires at least 1Gb Ram

The difference in battery life won't be significant since X1300 is a low end video card.

Yes you can run similar apps. However, if you try to use the new 3D modelling environment of AutoCad 2007 do not expect so smooth performance

If you are not stuck with the R60 I will suggest to fill the FAQ

Edit: Gma950 is not enough for the mentioned apps!

 

Dreamer, I am not stuck to R60, but since I am after the best build quality, (specially the components, since i am going to take it for about 4 yrs and wanna use it most of the times in home), I think ASUS and THINKPADS are the best. ASUS is not customizable, so for something under 1000$ (preferably, but can afford 1300$), i think R60 is the best. Do u agree ?
If i could convince myself with DELL, HP, COMPAQ or SONY, i could get one with core 2 duo, merom.

 

Sorry, man, I have the x1300, and I get significantly less battery life than everyone reports with the 950. I really might as well have gotten the x1400 -- battery life ought to be about the same since they're both part of ATI's thin/light-laptop-cards line.

Chris

 

I'm a ThinkPad owner and fan and I will aways be... so I know
However, in cases like your I'd probably look for the balance between quality and performance...

I don't know what exactly you will be doing on this notebook, but do you know that GMA doesn't even support the new Autocad 2007 3D features...

R60 is something like budget ThinkPad..

with filling the FAQ you'll just hear the other options and then the decision is again your

battery life depends on so many things....try PowerPlay

 

Dreamer, ty for your concern. let me tell u the story, I live in IRAN and though there are many types of laptops available here, they are almost 20% more expensive than what u can get them in US. Moreover, u can not customize them. My brother is going to come here from US (will be here mid december) and i will want him to order the laptop for me. Here, laptops are not replaced every year, as many do in US, so I am after something that preferably lasts for about 5 yrs (silly ?). This is also why i prefer merom or core 2 duo that can be upgraded to merom. As i am going to use it almost as a desktop replacement, ( i will upgrade my desktop next year, probably a merom) I have concluded (may be i am wrong) R60 to be the best for under 1000 or 1200$. So most important things are durability and being usefull as a desktop for around home. No need to be gaming device since i will buy PS3 next year.

ALL COMMENTS ARE SINCERELY WELCOMED

 

OK
nice story... yes I'm so far from Iran so....... dunno

just to mention sth
since you're buying from USA...
do you know that nb like HP nc8430 (15.4,duo,x1600,quality) would be found for about 1200-1300$
or ThinkPad Z61m (15.4,duo,x1400,quality)

 

Lenovo service may be better in a foreign country if you ever need it. But I have no firsthand experience with that.

Chris

 

I have had no experience with any brand but after reading many reviews, satisfaction polls and PC magazine consumers satisfaction survey, I have concluded that thinkpads are much better than HPs. If this is not the case, please let me know.
Also, Z and T series cost about 300$ more than R series with same specifications, and since i am going to use it almost all of the time in home (but in different places), i think R series could be as relable as T and Z. Please correct me if i am wrong.

 

The HP business line has really good quality and I'm inclined to say that in some cases it would be even better than ThinkPad's quality.

The R60 is a too basic notebook, Z series is considered to be a desktop replacement (more multimedia oriented, widescreen...innovations). T series for engineers...prof. GPU

For example:
I'm writing this on my Z60m and I'm happy that I finally got rid of my desktop.
so the bigger Z's are perfect to replace a desktop one.

 

How do the R series compare to the Zt and Zm series? I am afriad the Zm's are even heavier than the R's, and some people (me included) may not be fans of the wide screens. Still the R's are much cheaper.

 

not exactly...

more info here
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=79891

 

You can buy T-series in XGA (as you want) for your price ($1000).
Prices have dropped recently, and will drop more by december.

The budget R-series do NOT have the quality of the more expensive T, Z and X lines.

Get the T, not the R, and dont worry about core 2 duo, because it's very overpriced and unnecessary for your needs (new technology is always priced high and depreciates rapidly).

As for Vista and Aero, it'll definitely run on GMA (MS says so). Less than 10% of laptops sold globally have dedicated graphics, so do you think MS is gonna build an OS that cannot run on >90% of laptops? Hahaha.

 

The voice of reason speaks.

I still think the R's quality is pretty good, but SkiBunny has probably handled a lot more of them than I have.

Chris

 

i noticed that you like XGA. i doubt you'll like SXGA+ since it is really small compared to XGA.

my personal experience with my R52 is, as far as build quality, it is tough like a beast. i haven't dropped it yet, but I can slam as hard as i can on the hand rest on a carpet, and the harddisk still works (no shock is detected). no ripple when i pushed hard the back of the screen, and there are bit of creak sound if i intentionally try to find them. but as far as normal use, there won't be any if you use it properly. the laptop is warm on heavy use & seems reliable ( 1 yr use, no drama yet).
however I have no experience with R60

as far as the material, it is scratchproof unless you dig it with a knife.

 

Blasphemy. Blasphemy I say.

 

SkiBunny, Chris, Manarius, other friends, the difference between T and R is about 300$, T has much better lid material, is thiner and lighter, so i think 300$ should be just for these, and probably there should be no difference in other specs, such as internal parts quality. Do u agree?

 

Kinda a pointless.
Who says that Aero doesn't run on Gma 950?
Vista can run on everything but the skin called Aero can't.
There are so many notebooks (most of your 90%) with Gma 900 which doesn't support Aero (WDDM driver).

Objectivity!

 

The T Series is turn to professionals and it's great as a balance between performance/mobility/reliability, incredible screen - Flexview(15").

The R Series offers just affordable but still good ThinkPads, and of course, some of the innovative technologies miss here.

As for internal parts, I doubt that they would put something questionable in a ThinkPad but I just do not know that.

 

But flexview is not basic with all T series, T costs 300$ more than R, flexview costs another 300 more (with X1400), so it costs about 600 more. Besides flexview, what are other differences between T and R series?

does flexview screen differ only in viewing angle, or brightness and quality differ too? in other words, are nonflexview ones, unpleasent?

 

well, it'll be useful to read about ... if you wish

ThinkPad R60 Review (How is the T60 different to the R60)
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2961&review=ThinkPad+R60

ThinkPad T60 Review (FlexView)
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2767
ThinkPad T60p (FlexView)
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2864&Review=Lenovo+ThinkPad+T60p
ThinkPad T60 (No FlexView)
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3002

 

Not at all.
Rather, the flexview is aweome. But it's a luxury.
And you wont even know the difference unless you put them side by side.

Whether the $300 savings for an R is better is a personal decision. A paramount consideration is, how much will you be taking your laptop out and around.

You may find a T on sale at cost central, or at the IBM Certified Used website, that meets your price objective.

 

hmm... You will know ...
What about the viewing angle?
look at the pictures in the review about T60 without Flexview

 

Well those are side by side LOL.

Point is, that the standard XGA screen isn't so bad. It's better and brighter (more nits) than they were in the early t40 series and beforehand.

Anyway, if he wants flexview he has to get SXGA+, and that's a more important issue to him than the viewing angle.

 

I disagree with that, the R series does have the same quality as the other ThinkPad's. I dropped my ThinkPad a few times and it was okay.

 

Many in the R-series do not have Active protection system, TPM, roll cages or ThinkVantage Client Security like the higher series.

 

The only R series models that do not have the Active Protection System and the ThinkVantage Client Security are the R50e, R51e, and R60e and the R60 has the roll cage (and I'm only talking about the R5* and the R60 series).