Thinkpad T30 P4 1.8GHZ 40GB DVD Wireless Laptop

Discount Price: $1,899.00

Customer Reviews:

Continuing IBM's fine Thinkpad tradition [Posted on 2007-04-27]
I just last weekend bought this product refurbished, but I've already had enough experience with it to know that I'm retiring my old Thinkpad 600e (with profuse thanks, as that other IBM product has rendered yeoman service for the last 3+ years) and making this my main backup computer (if that makes sense - I mean that it's the computer I will be using when I'm not in front of my Sempron 2800+-based home-built). About the only real faults I can find with the T30 are that there are no USB 2.0 ports integrated into the machine (you need to buy a PC Card for that, but they're easy to get and fairly cheap and will literally plug-and-play install with Windows XP) and that the factory-install 40GB hard drive is a bit too small and, at 4200 RPM, a bit slow for modern purposes. However, any good modern HD with a capacity of 60GB to 80GB should suffice to upgrade this part. Optical drives and RAM expansion modules for this model are readily available, as are batteries; I've already oomphed up my T30 by boosting the RAM to 1GB, which causes the Windows XP Pro SP2 installed on this machine to run very smoothly indeed, and putting in an 8X DVD+/- writer (I am intending to find a lightweight, portable scanner and a USB 2.0 hard drive next). I really like the integrated wireless; for the first time in my computing career (and I'm admittedly rather late coming to this point) I really am experiencing the power of Internet mobility. The notebook is very sturdily and handsomely constructed, if rather utilitarian-looking on the outside compared to some offerings from other companies, and it's the first Thinkpad to offer a touchpad in addition to its famous "eraserhead" pointing device. The power button is well-placed on the keyboard itself rather than on the side as in earlier Thinkpads, which prevents awkward accidents with the machine switching on and draining the battery inadvertently. The various ports are well-arranged. Please note that the floppy drive on this model is a separate expansion unit which must be installed into the UltraBay; it's up to you whether you want to purchase one, since floppies really are pretty much obsolete these days with flash drives getting so cheap. The 14.1" screen is not as big as some other companies' models but delivers clear, crisp pictures. All in all, highly recommended for somebody who needs a high-powered laptop without wanting to pay a premium price for a new machine with the still-teething Windows Vista.

EDIT: After nine months of using this laptop, there are several issues that have come up. None of them is a showstopper, but taken together, they'd probably take the overall rating down by half a star - still very good at 4.5 stars, but not quite as overwhelming as I had earlier deemed it.

1) The Thinkpad T30 has a rather notorious problem with its RAM slots, in which the bottom slot often works intermittently or not at all. Depending on how much RAM you need, the impact can range from negligible to major, and is almost always frustrating because it cuts your total amount of RAM by half. In my case, this means that what should be 1 GB of RAM is actually 512 MB RAM - not inadequate for Windows XP Pro, by any means, particularly for the business purposes to which the Thinkpad series is usually put - but annoying. There are several workarounds for this problem, ranging from the field-expedient of inserting a folded piece of paper over the problem RAM slot (this is said to hold down the DIMM enough to make it contact properly) to outright replacement of the motherboard with a properly working unit.

2) The LCD front bezel is rather flimsy. It cracked at the left front catch back in the late summer, making the unit a bit difficult to open. I haven't had the opportunity to get this fixed yet, but it's actually a fairly simple matter of getting a new front bezel - replacement parts are readily available through eBay and other sources.

3) Make sure, as I indicated earlier, that you get a proper USB 2.0 PC Card for this unit, particularly one that has a power adapter. You'll need it to run an external hard drive such as the Seagate FreeAgent Go, which doesn't have an AC adapter of its own.

Still very highly recommended, but do be aware of the potential pitfalls. Also be aware that at this point, warranty has very likely expired on any of this particular model you find, so you'll need to know a local computer shop that has good repair rates if something goes seriously wrong.

IBM computers suck [Posted on 2008-05-09]
I have owned IBM pc's and laptops before and they have all been cheeply made and didn't perform. Neither does this.

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