Is it still worth $2000? Please help

[jerkto]

Okay, so we have an ixl laptop program in our College of Bus & Econ here at the University of Idaho. Every student is required to lease a laptop for $2000 with an option to buy it for 1 more dollar.

This year's laptop is very similar to the one a year ago with the exception of some upgrades…But it’s been twelve months. I would really appreciate an honest assessment of whether the laptop is still worth the 2K.

Here’s last year’s build (Fall 2007):
ThinkPad T61
Operating System Genuine Windows XP Professional
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz)
Memory (RAM) 2 GB (1 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MH x2)
Hard Drive 120GB 5400 RPM SATA
Display Screen 14.1" WXGA TFT LCD display @ 1440x900
Video nVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M
Removable Storage DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer
Modem 56K V.90
Ethernet Intel 82566MM Gigabit Network Connection
Wireless Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965A 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth™
USB 3 USB 2.0 connectors
System Battery 7 cell Li-Ion, 1 year warranty
Warranty 3 Year Depot, 2 Year IXL Support
Extra Features PC Card Slot & Media Card Slot, UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad),

This year’s build (Fall 2008):
ThinkPad T61
Operating System TBA (preferably Genuine Windows Vista Business 32bit)
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 (2.0GHz)
Memory (RAM) 2 GB (PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MH)
Hard Drive 160GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA
Display Screen 14.1" WXGA TFT LCD with Camera
Video nVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M (128MB)
Removable Storage DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer
Communications Integrated Gigabit Ethernet, Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965A, Bluetooth™, 56K V.90 Modem
USB 3 USB 2.0 connectors
System Battery 9 cell Li-Ion, 1 year warranty
Warranty 3 Year Depot, 2 Year IXL Central On-Site Support
Extra Features PC Card Slot & Media Card Slot


The software and warranty are pretty much the same. Thanks a lot for your input :) . Oh and the laptop is to be used for business applications...obviously.

Jerkto

[hockey man]

Well I was able to find almost that exact ThinkPad T Series T61 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146329) laptop from newegg for $1500. It differs from the the one you have the option to in that it only has a 6 cell battery, it runs OS is Vista Ultimate, and only has a one year warranty. So the extra $500 is probably going to that.

Warranties are an interesting beast. I personally don't really bother with them because I know either I'll be able to fix it on my own or people here can help me. If that is not something that you are comfortable with then though then the extra warranty can be nice. So that is your decision. Just for fun I looked up notebooks at newegg for around $1800 and you can get something with a one year warranty that that has a little more CPU power and storage space than your '08 build.

Of a matter of interest, what sort of "business applications" are you going to be running? Because that dedicated graphics card is nice, but if you don't run anything that needs it then it will probably put your money to waste.

[jerkto]

Thanks a lot for the quick reply hockey man. It's actually a mandatory program for every business student so we don't get to choose the warranty and we have to lease the laptop. Also I have no idea what kinds of business programs we will be running next year.

But overall, I'm really glad you found that site on newegg because it relieved my fears of our college being ripped-off by Lenovo when they signed this year's contract. I guess I was expecting too much advancement in computer hardware tech and price over the span of one year.

Thanks again

[saphalline]

This year's laptop is very similar to the one a year ago with the exception of some upgrades…But it’s been twelve months.Yeah, you'd think so, huh? Turns out a lot of the upgrades are behind the scenes, though. But for the most part, the last 12 months have been fairly boring on the portable side of things (unless you get really really excited about new mobile chipsets! :p).

The CPU is a big change, however. Not groundbreaking, but pretty good. The new T8000/T9000 CPU's are much better than their T5000/T7000 counterparts. Note the typo: T8300 = 2.4GHz.

T7200
2.0 GHz
667 MHz FSB
4 MB L2 cache
65 nm process
12.0x multiplier
1.0375-1.30 Vcore
34W TDP

T8300
2.4 GHz
800 MHz FSB
3 MB L2 cache
45 nm process
12.0x multiplier
1.000-1.250 Vcore
35W TDP

Now keep in mind that the T8000's are meant to replace the T5000's yet they're still better than the T7000's! That's quite a feat! Not very sexy on paper unless you rattle off all the specs like this, but still pretty cool. Notice for instance that the T8300 has a 20% higher clock speed while only producing 3% more heat dissipation. That gives you a much more powerful CPU for about the same battery life and heat output vs last year. Nothing to sneeze at!

There are some other enhancements behind the scenes as well, such as the newer chipset being used. There are a few things I would change for myself, however. Such as the inclusion of an ExpressCard slot instead of the "Media Card slot", or getting a WXGA+ screen instead of just WXGA with a camera (I'd never use the camera myself), but these are personal preference. You may have no choice in the matter, so...

Also, it would be best (and cheap!) to upgrade the RAM to a full 4GB. If this year's model has a single 2GB stick, adding another would set you back less than $40 right now! :cool: And in the interests of battery life, I'd swap that 7200rpm monster hard drive out for a larger capacity 5400rpm model (like say 250GB), then turn the 7200rpm 160GB drive into external storage.


Overall, this year's model ranks in at $1700 if you configure it on Lenovo's site (minus the sale they're having right now as I type this). All things considered, that's only $300 for a 3-year warranty! Again, nothing to sneeze at! It's a bit more than that straight from Lenovo as a normal customer. In the end, you're getting a slightly better deal through school than you normally would. And I ain't gonna complain about any sort of discount! ;)

[jerkto]

Yeah, I wouldn't be using the camera either =|
I just wanted somebody to compare the two models. But if we're talking about the 2008 one by itself and if it is worth the 2k, there are actually some extras. We have a list of additional $$$ software (granted some of them are freeware and a few of them I think would only waste precious pc juice) though I'm not sure if they are included as standard from Lenovo. And the college also provides an on-site troubleshooting and repair shop where we can temporarily switch to another laptop if ours fail.
Here's the ixl laptop program website: http://www.ixl.uidaho.edu/laptops.htm

[hockey man]

Yes MS Office programs are worth a lot of money and that in itself is worth around $400. I am a student to so more than once I have been able to get deals through my school which bring MS software costs down. So you do get a pretty good deal out of that new laptop.

[jerkto]

saphalline, i went on lenovo's website and tried to configure a laptop using the specs. It came out to be $1927.52 cash, which includes the 3 year-depot warranty, accidental damage protection, and the software. The lease price, on the other hand, is 60$/month for 36 months or a total of $2160. Norton antivirus would be provided by the college (not lenovo) as well as the 2 year college ixl service. Therefore I don't think the college gets much from lenovo for buying in bulk except waived a $160 from the lease (but also shortening the lease to 24 months).
Please prove me wrong and tell me there's something i forgot to add in my calculations. Maybe it's the 6.00% sales tax?