Affordable IBM R51 ThinkPad at OfficeWorks.

stmok · 23rd July 2005, 5:43 PM

Looks like IBM/Lenovo has some overstocked R51 Thinkpads.

OfficeWorks has them for $1599.

* Intel Pentium-M 725 (1.6Ghz, 400Mhz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache)
* Intel ??? Chipset (I don't know if its i855 or the more recent i915 chipset...I think its i855)
* Mobility Radeon 7500 with 32MB.
* 15 inch display
* 60GB HDD
* DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
* 512MB RAM
* Wireless networking (802.11b?)
* WinXP Pro SP2

Pros...

* Well, its IBM...Has the keyboard light (typing in low-light areas) and good build quality. (Metal hinges instead of the typical plastic ones).

* 4.7 hours at max power saving operating mode. (that's the claim)

Cons...

* Mobility Radeon 7500 (Direct 7 video chip)...Its slightly faster than GF2MX era...Its fine for everything except DirectX 9 games, etc. Works fine in Linux and such. (I have the same video chip in my IBM ThinkPad).

* Display is restricted to 1024x768...I went to Officeworks to see the display...The quality isn't as good as similarly priced notebooks of other brands. (So it looks like the display and video chip is the compromise for the low cost).

The specs are similar to my two year old R40 ThinkPad...Back then, I paid $2400 for mine. (The display on my one goes up to 1400x1050...Its a considerable difference in display quality compared to the newer one at Officeworks.)

Tony · 24th July 2005, 9:21 PM

One other thing.

It has a combo drive.

Acceptable around the $1,000 mark but hard to swallow at $1,600?

T.

23rd July 2005, 5:43 PM	#1
stmok (Taking a Break) Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Sydney Posts: 6,271	Affordable IBM R51 ThinkPad at OfficeWorks. Looks like IBM/Lenovo has some overstocked R51 Thinkpads. OfficeWorks has them for $1599. * Intel Pentium-M 725 (1.6Ghz, 400Mhz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache) * Intel ??? Chipset (I don't know if its i855 or the more recent i915 chipset...I think its i855) * Mobility Radeon 7500 with 32MB. * 15 inch display * 60GB HDD * DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive * 512MB RAM * Wireless networking (802.11b?) * WinXP Pro SP2 Pros... * Well, its IBM...Has the keyboard light (typing in low-light areas) and good build quality. (Metal hinges instead of the typical plastic ones). * 4.7 hours at max power saving operating mode. (that's the claim) Cons... * Mobility Radeon 7500 (Direct 7 video chip)...Its slightly faster than GF2MX era...Its fine for everything except DirectX 9 games, etc. Works fine in Linux and such. (I have the same video chip in my IBM ThinkPad). * Display is restricted to 1024x768...I went to Officeworks to see the display...The quality isn't as good as similarly priced notebooks of other brands. (So it looks like the display and video chip is the compromise for the low cost). The specs are similar to my two year old R40 ThinkPad...Back then, I paid $2400 for mine. (The display on my one goes up to 1400x1050...Its a considerable difference in display quality compared to the newer one at Officeworks.)

24th July 2005, 9:21 PM	#2
Tony Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,915	One other thing. It has a combo drive. Acceptable around the $1,000 mark but hard to swallow at $1,600? T. __________________ "Nowadays things are completely different, and auto makers are much more global in structure. Its difficult to see ANY new car these days as the product of any one company or country. There are honourable exceptions that prove this rule though. The R32, R33 and R34 series Skylines were the babies of an intensely focused faction inside Nissan, a group who still feel their heritage & family tree come from the Prince regime of ex-aircraft engineers who were really serious about racing and making great cars. Sadly, this group now seems to be feeling pressure to change." I drive a stock R33 non turbo automatic Skyline - 120kW at the wheels! OCAU Nissan Skyline Club Member