Considering another laptop (PC, Mac, ??)

Hey guys..

Well, I bought an IBM Thinkpad T22 off of ebay for around 300 before this semester - my dually is in rebuild construction, and I wanted something that was easy to move in to my dorm room, and easy to move around. I love it.. 900mhz of raw fury, gonna be using Gentoo at some point..

Anyways, I am considering another laptop. My father is going through a Masters Degree program in which they need a laptop with Office and Wireless. His laptop from work will not work (They use Citrix.. similar to Lotus in some respects.. to get to the network.. I think its forcing an incompatibility) so I told him that he can use mine for as long as he needs. Thing is, he may need it for the next 18 months.. So I am without a laptop. He may end up getting a new one, or properly configuring his work laptop.. Or, he may just keep mine, and just get me another..

So now we come to my question: What kind of laptop would you get? I am thinking that I would like to try out a mac. If I were to get a mac, it would need to run OSX, and be peppy enough to not be a huge pain. I would most likely eventually wipe it out and use Gentoo or something, but It'd be nice to at least try the other side of the fence.

My price range is gonna have to be less than $450, and most likely more around $375 shipped. I'm looking at just getting a T23 thinkpad.. slightly better than what I have. I just want to know if its possible to get a decent mac for a similar price - the only stipulation on the mac is that it has to be "pretty".. cause what other reason would you get a macintosh for? :- ] I don't want one of the clamshell ones..

What other things could I consider?

I think that in your price range, you'll find very limited options in the Mac arena. Best stick with a PC, as the performace per dollar ratio will be much better.

Umm I never looked into a laptop at that range. but many look for the older Generation Centrino's, I still have a first gen PM 1.3 Centrino working just fine

only advice i can give you is avoid Compaq Presario 700 series at all costs. i had the worst expierences with those, hinges letting loose, plastic panels cracking, metal peice that is supposed to hold the computer down coming right out on a slight tug, the list goes on (read any forum on those things). they are the worst laptops ever made.

anyways, seems that the laptops that stand up best are dell and IBM for the mainstream names, not sure about the little guys.

Since you already have a T22, I'd suggest sticking with that one. The 23 is a nice machine, but if you ever need to do any work on it, a lot of components are not the same. You can find a 1.0 for the 22, to kick it up a notch.

Don't get me wrong, the 23 is a better machine, but it will only go to 1.2. It does have a 512 KB cache, and will support 1024 MB of 133 SDRAM memory, though. Removable or external stuff, (DVD, CD, and floppy, battery, HDD) will run in both of them. Memory will not, up to a point; I can run 128 sticks of 133 in my 22, and my 23. You'll need low density 256, in the 22, and high or low 133 in the 23. You can also run 512 sticks in the 23. (Can't in the 20-22.)

If you had a 23, I'd say to get another 23. Since you have a 22, get a 20-22. (They are all the same, except for the CPU, which you can switch out.)

steve

You could save or sell something, push your budget into the $500 range, stand in line Thursday night before black friday... you get the picture .

Well, T22 vs. T23 for compatibility issues, I doubt that I would be doing any testing like that.. if I manage to break ONE of the laptops, I better keep myself from breaking my other one too ;- ]

I'm thinkin T23 mainly for a little more ram.. and it seemed to be that the ram could be found easier.. IE: my limited research showed much less ram was compatible with the t22 vs. the t23. I could be very wrong, but even so - I wouldn't mind a gig (or at least the possiblilty).

How hard is it to swich out the CPU in a t20 / 21 / 22? If I could find a steal on a t20, I could consider a proc swap.. although at that point, I'd probably just leave it...

perfectturmoil said:

How hard is it to swich out the CPU in a t20 / 21 / 22? If I could find a steal on a t20, I could consider a proc swap.. although at that point, I'd probably just leave it...

Click to expand...

Unscrew 2 screws on the back, lift out the keyboard.

Unscrew 4 screws, on the heatsink, and lift it out.

Turn the socket screw, and lift out the CPU.

Reverse to install. Use AS5.

It would take less time to do it, than it did for me to type this out.

T23 is similar, but it has a different HS/F. You have to remove the K/B bezel to remove the HS, before you can remove the CPU.

If you get a T20, look for a T21 HS. It has spring-loaded screws, and doesn't use a rubber pad. (If you need one, PM me.)

steve