Dell m1210 or Thinkpad X61/T61 or Macbook

Hi All,

In a bit of a dilemma looking for some sound advice.

Here are my options with pricing (all taxes etc. included)

Macbook - Core2Duo 2.0Ghz, 1GB, 80GB, DVD Superdrive, 13.3". 1yr wty etc. etc.
$1250

Dell XPS m1210 - (barely used) Core2Duo 2.16Ghz, 2GB, 100GB 7200RPM, 7400 Video, 9cell battery, 1 yr wty, 12.1:, Vista Home Premium etc. etc.
$1375

Thinkpad X61 - XP Pro or Vista Business?, Core2Duo 2.0Ghz, X3100, 2GB, 80GB 5400RPM, 12.1", 3yr wty etc. etc
$1664

Thinkpad T61 - Vista Business, Core2Duo 2.0Ghz, 2GB, 120GB 5400RPM, CDRW /DVDROm, X3100, 15.4", 3yr wty etc. etc.
$1549

Thinkpad T61 - Vista Ultimate, Core2Duo 2.0Ghz, 2GB, 160GB 5400RPM, DVDRW, Nvidia 140M, 14.1", 3 yr wty etc. etc
$1708

Please Help !!!! What would you do?

Thanks In Advance,

jtp

 

Please refrain from posting the same thing in multiple forums.

 

whoops sorry. Just thought I might get varied responses from the different viewpoints in a couple different forums. A little bit of urgency as well as I have to decide today.

Thanks

jtp

 

but you need to tell us what do you do and do you mind the size(X61/T61), the off-center screen(T61), no-built-in optical drive(X61), a quite different operating system(MacBook), and the budget ...

IMHO The build quality of MacBook is not as good as Thinkpads but better than Dell

 

Thanks for the reply...

The struggle is portability vs power. I am basically looking for the best deal or bang for your buck. I would give an edge to portability being more important but would like a bit more power. Mainly used for teaching, but would also like to do some video editing and programming on the unit. Games would just be a bonus, but I have a powerful desktop at home.

I currently own a Dell 710m and have been pretty pleased....getting older and worn out...starting to crack, speakers crapped out a while back (wire in hinge, pain in the a## to fix). ....basically looking for the best deal I can dig up to put through an interest free plan at work.

Don't mind the size of the T61, but if going that route intrigued by the 14.1" smaller screen and the better graphics. The X61 is small, and as for no optical drive I have a firewire/USB2.0 external DVD Burner. Budget.....looking for best bang for buck I think as I can be happy with any listed, that is why I narrowed it down....Interested in learning the Mac and seeing what it has to offer, no experience with one.

Thanks Again for replies...keep them coming.....Take Care

jtp

 

I've had a t61 for a little over 2 weeks. I really like the notebook but my whole experience with lenovo has been quite bad. It took them 7 weeks to get me my computer. At first my computer was freezing every 20 minutes while on battery, and tech support was useless. I figured out the fix through these boards. A few days ago I realized that my computer doesn't sit even on a flat surface. The rubber pad on the right side is very slightly raised and this could mean any number of things. Quite frankly I'm so fed up at this point that I don't care to have it looked at.

All in all the t61 is a very nice machine, but it's not good enough to justify all the problems I'v gone through. If I had to do it all over again right now, I would go for the dell m1330 or in your case the m1210

 

I went through a similar shopping experience, except that with build to order options online you can get much better prices than you listed above. My thoughts:

Macbook : A pretty good deal if you get the white model. Since you won't be gaming, the GMA 950 graphics don't matter. Make sure you play with OSX first before you take the plunge, I didn't like the "Dock" and the 1-button mouse built into the machine.

Dell 1210 : A pretty porky machine! My wife as an old 700m, and it feels much lighter. I wouldn't even consider this for an ultra portable.

T61 : This is what I'm getting, 14" 1440x900. You should be able to configure this for about $1200 or less (I'm in the US)

 

First of all, I would go with the overall reputation of the ThinkPad line than listen to any isolated complaints from customers who tend to post on forums. The bunch that posts on forums are a bit more obsessed (yes, myself included) with their computers than others and/or have bad experiences and want to get back at a manufacturer by turning others away from a product. ThinkPads are one of the best built notebooks, if not the best, that money can buy. Even Honda Accords and Toyata Camry's fail to please cutomers once in a while.

That being said, I would always opt for more power over portability expecially since you can buy a thinkpad, or other notebook, in a 14.1" form that offers both power and portability. The older the system gets the more power hungry applications will become and if you start with a stronger machine it will remain relatively fast for a longer period of time. The screen on the thinkpad will not be as bright as that on the macbook but the macbook has had legitimate quality issues (as you can find in many articles outside of the notebookreview world) and it may get hot during use. They have great service but I know too many people who have visited their local i-genius more than once.

I would say that the dell and thinkpad are very close in what they offer but they specialize differently. I think the dell would offer a brighter screen and flashier looks but the thinkpad would get my vote in the engineering/reliability department. Then you can get into specifics with screen resolutions and grapshics comparisons.

I would drop the x-series unless you travel A LOT and the macbook as well because I think having a graphics card will keep you running faster for longer. If these will be your only systems and only monitors you may get sick of squinting/scrolling as well. It would be surprising if the dell or thinkpad could not meet or exceed all of your expectations.