Bored with my T60

Ok, about a year ago I configured a T60: 14 inch, 100gb, 1gb ram, 128mb vid, fingerprint scanner. All together it ran me about $1800 at the time. I had been researching laptops for a few months before I made the purchase. I spent a lot of time looking over these forums, and it seemed like lenovo was the way to go, I was gassed up because of everyone praising their superior build quality.

Anyway, maybe six months later a friend of mine purchased an Acer(120gb hd, 512mb ram) for around $600. Maybe on paper it didn't quite stack up to my laptop, but from a users perspective it did all the things I wanted to do with my laptop, plus it had an integrated webcam.

So inside I felt jealous, he was able to do everything I wanted to do with a laptop, plus he had the integrated webcam, all for $1200 less than what I paid.

BTW, I'm not blaming anyone or suggestion it was anyone else's choice but mine to buy the laptop, I'm just wondering if anyone has similar feelings.

The lesson learned;
Don't pay extra for the brand name.

 

I definitely agree. The way I see it, it's not so much the brand name, I just see it as technology changing so quickly. 8 months ago I bought my HP pavilion with c2d 1.67 GHz 2 GB RAM, 320 GB (160x2) hdd, 8600M GS, and it seemed so good at the time. At regular price, it was something stupid like $2000. They had it on sale for $1700; however, I was able to get a discount from them, so I paid less. Nonetheless, today, I could get an HP pavilion with a c2d t9300 2.5GHz, 3 GB RAM, 8600M GS, and a 500 GB (250x2) hdd for that price

GOSH I HATE HOW STUFF CHANGES SO QUICKLY! Tomorrow there'll be a laptop with a 10.88 GHz 128 core processor, 64 TB of RAM, a 2.5 inch solid state drive with 4,294,967,296 GB of space, a NVIDIA 10950 GXXTTXTXTXXTXTXTTXTTTXTXTTXTTXXXXTTTXTXXTXTXT with 16 TB of dedicated video memory, a screen res that's 123489123x23234890234...with a weight of 700 grams and 18.5 days of battery life.

Sorry about the exaggeration, but it's soo annoying! AHHHH *pulls out hair*

am I bored of my laptop? somewhat yeah
am I satisfied with it's specs/performance? I guess it depends what spec exactly, but overall, somewhat.
do I share your feelings? pretty much yeah

 

Yeah it's amazing what Lenovo has done with prices between the T60 and T61. When I got my R60, which I paid $850 for and was a great deal at the time, the equivalent T60 was about $1400. Now you can probably get the similar T61 with SXGA+ screen and DVD burner for around the same price if you play the coupon game right.

I was actually looking at getting a 15.4" T61 with Linux for about $725 last week when they had good coupons because I dislike my dim screen. They other issue with the prices is now they are so low, it's made the prices for used machines go way lower. ThinkPads have traditionally held their value well, but why buy a used one when you can get a new one for a few dollars more. I decided not get one cause I wouldn't get much of a performance increase and the brighter screen wasn't worth the $200-300 it would cost me to upgrade after I sold my old notebook.

 

From what I've seen of Acer quality, you have nothing to feel bad about. I work in a school IT department. The standard machine is a ThinkPad, but students may choose to bring their own, so I have seen a few Acers. Not one of them has impressed me. They're flimsy machines.

 

I'm also glad I got my T61 over an Acer, I saw them all the time when I was working at Circuit City as pc sales and I couldn't stand them. People think Thinkpads look awful, I absolutely hate the beige looks of Acers, it reminds me of old, used, dirty computer that have been around a decade. Not to mention the overheating problems Acer has been notorious for.

As for obsolete hardware, just think of this way. You get to use your computer a lot longer then the other person that got a brand new computer. I know it probably doesn't help much but there isn't much else to say.

Also, any Acer people, don't be offended by this

 

The computer world is like this. I still remembered the first 17" LCD monitor I bought 6 years ago, it cost me $700~~! And now, it only worth $60~.

As for Acer, it's not comparable with IBM/Lenovo. The acer laptops are horrible! Two of my friends bought acer laptop 10 & 8 months and ago. One of the laptops was dead a month ago, and the other one's wireless network was dead. Through the months, the problems were endless! Thinkpad will never let you down.

 

What are you using your machine for?

My wife has an Acer wth c2d, 2gb ram, 160gb hd, 15.4 widescreen, wireless, card reader, etc and it gets the job done for her. She never leaves the house with it so I figured that an Acer would suffice as an 'only at home' machine for Ebay, email, and photos. I paid about $550 for it including taxes and it was a great deal at the time for a machine with those specs and most improtantly, it does what she wants it to do. As for build quality, it's no Thinkpad but it's construction is way better than Acer's of times past. It's been 8 months now and no issues with the lowly Acer.

My older R60 was about $850 pre tax and had lesser specs than my wife's Acer, but I was very satisfied with it even though it was not as powerful. I was looking for a more durable and rugged laptop since I would be travelling with it sometimes. It also had to come in under $1000 and be able to handle MS Office, email, Photoshop, and some accounting programs.

After using my notebook a few times, my wife wishes she had a Thinkpad too but she is content with her Acer. Even though my machine was not as powerful, her Acer didn't have a thinklight, or that great keyboard.

So, I guess my wife feels a bit like you do but she wishes she had been given a Thinkpad.

 

Its like comparing a Lexus to a Ford, they will both do the same job in reality but which one is a better quality product... Just depends what you prefer driving and knowing its a better built machine.

 

Just wait till he drops or bumps it and it breaks in half. Then you'll feel better

 

I have one that I have been using as a bedroom computer. I think that they are o.k. if you do not take them anywhere. When I hit the road it is with my Thinkpad. I want to be sure that there is a good chance that what I take, won't break. If you use it to earn a living, do you want it to be an Acer? Don't get me wrong, they have their place but...

As soon as the new 14" Thinkpad arrives, the Acer is toast. I'm giving it to the 8 year old child unit.

 

VMT88
You may be "bored" with your T60,after a time when you have purchased something else,you may find your self lamenting the loss of the thinkpad.I have strayed many a time in the quest for the newest cool laptop,only to find myself ordering yet another IBM/Lenovo. You don't know how much you will miss something,till its gone.

 

I think it is more than just chasing after the latest tech/hot machine. If you use your laptop a lot for work and/or personal stuff, chances are that the laptop - whether old or not - will become a part of your routine, a chunk of your daily system. You'll probably have customized settings and know the machine inside-out, its capabilities and limitations. I guess the moment you get bored of whatever machine you are using, it could possibly mean that the laptops has integrated itself so well into your routine that you take it for granted

While the squeaky wheel gets the grease, the real superstars are the ones that don't squeak at all and whose existence is easily forgotten!

 

I think the main reason is having to pay a premium at the time of purchase (when the hardware was considered above average), then 6 months later see someone buy newer and more powerful hardware for much less money.

 

hey buddy watusp, you know something i have had dells for a long time. actually i have never owned anything other brand. and they worked fine. i have never had any problems with dells. but you know something i was given a thinkpad from school. and after using it was really the best laptop i have ever owned in my life. it was really nice. i thought to my self that i am never going to get a dell again.

basicly wat i am trying to say is that it was a great buy for me. but it may be different. if your one of those guyz that say that you are going to get a new machine every year and you dont care bout wat system you buy. then go right a head for a hp, acer, and etc... but if your a person that like to keep something for long time then spend the money.

you know something in the market ther are products that cost $20,000(honda accord) and another which cost $85000(mercedes benz). both products are cars and they both can get you from one place to the other. but owning a honda and a benz is 2 different experiences

 

Exactly, so it'd be like tuning up a honda civic that you got for 5 grand, putting in a whopping 150 horsepower, and comparing it to a benz CLS 63 AMG or a BMW M6 or an Audi R8 (I LOVE CARS ). Damn it I despise those who get that kinda car and tune it up, thinking it's comparable to a REAL sports car.

Anyways, build quality only depends on what you're using it for. You don't see a family going out in a Corvette, no, you see them in their lil toyota sienna. It just depends what you use the laptop for. If all you wanna do is check email, then yeah, acer is for you, but if you're going to do more than that, then you'll want something higher quality. But for the most part, acer is regarded as being very low quality, because most who rate it do much more than just check email. I personally, would NEVER, EVER EVER EVERRRRR buy an ACER, no chance in hell would i be caught dead with one of those machines

 

Yes, you are right the Accord is probably the better car.
But back to laptops, I have owned Dell, Sony, Compaq(in the good old days), IBM, HP and I can tell you that without a doubt the 3 IBM/Lenovos I had over the years both mine or the business were the best in terms of built quality, keyboard and wireless connection above average in most everything else and just a joy to use on the road everyday.
As far as the prices go they have come down a lot. If you are patient and play the coupon game right you can get a heck of a great deal on one as long as you are not looking for the latest and greatest.