A Good Business Decision
Written: Jun 19 '01 (Updated Jun 19 '01)
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Pros: Perfect size for travel and office use.
Cons: Price
The Bottom Line: If you can afford this laptop and require durability and reliability, then I would suggest the T20.
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| lilbigblue's Full Review: Lenovo ThinkPad T20 (264746U) PC Notebook |
I'm usually not one who would encourage anybody to invest over $3,000 for a computer (desktop or laptop). However, I have been at my new job for just 2 weeks, and I have fallen in love with the laptop they gave me. At first they were going to give me an old old Micron desktop computer to use. The problem with that computer...well, everything was wrong - small hard drive, 32mb ram, microsoft office could not be installed, Windows 95, no database programs that I needed, etc. So, the purchasing agent for my department managed to find someone who had an extra laptop. It turns out they gave me a brand new IBM Thinkpad T20. I was surfing the web and noticed that the laptop cost about $3,800. If this hadn't been given to me by my employer, I most certainly would NEVER have considered it. After only 2 weeks of using the laptop, I feel that it is my duty to share my opinion with the rest of you.
Specs: The unit that I am working on has a PIII 650MHz CPU, 128MB Ram, 12.1" LCD, 4.1GB Hard Drive, and CD-Rom all running on Windows NT 4.0. Seeing that I can save all my work on the internal network, I have no need for a large hard drive nor a floppy drive. The floppy drive can be purchased and swapped with the installed CD-Rom drive. This thinkpad offers hot-swap capability, which means you can swap internal drives without powering down. This comes in handy when you are trying to transfer documents or trying to write reports. There is the standard printer port, ps/2 port (for keyboard or mouse), USB port, gamesport, monitor port, built in modem and ethernet (no separate cards needed). Also offers speaker/microphone/input capabilities. There are 2 credit card slots for devices such as a storage drive or network card.
The keyboard layout is very convenient and it even includes volume controls. the pointing stick is useful if you are on the road and the ergonomic design of the case has been very good to my wrists. All in all, the laptop weighs about 6 pounds with the battery, hard drive, cd-rom installed.
The graphics are extremely good for a laptop. My T20 is using an S3 Graphics Chip that allows for true color AND the ability to use an external monitor or TV to view my screen.
I run at least 4 programs at once at any given time and I have had no problems with speed issues or memory drainage. Perhaps this is due to Windows NT, but i'm sure the stability and quality of the IBM Thinkpad T20 has something to do with the spectacular performance thus far.
I have taken this laptop to other buildings for meetings and presentations, however I have not taken it beyond the company campus. I don't see any problems with weight or durability if I had to take it on a long trip. It's size would definitely compliment the tiny tiny tray tables on an airplane and the computer is very quiet (it won't disturb your neighbors on a plane).
In conclusion, if you are looking for a laptop for your business or for personal use, I would highly suggest the IBM Thinkpad T20. Although it's price is a little on high side, it is well worth your money to pay for the reliability and quality craftsmanship of IBM.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 3,000+
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 601-700
Screen Size: 12
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: CD-ROM
Hard Drive (GB): Under 4
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Epinions.com ID:
lilbigblue
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Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 15 members
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