I have two options for laptops for the school year. They seem to be pretty sweet deals, but the 2 systems are so closely speced I don't know which to go with. I've always been a desktop guy, so know very little about notebooks. So here are my options, anyone with experiance with either, let me know what you think. Option 1: Dell Latitude D830 CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 2.00GHz RAM: 2.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMM VIDEO: 256MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M HDD: 120GB 5400RPM Display: 15.4" WXGA+ (Wide) CD/DVD: 8X DVD+/-RW Ports: Serial, VGA, 3-USB, S-Video Network: 10/100/1000 Wireless: Intel 4965 WLAN (802.11a/g/n) Other: Touchpad with UPEK fingerprint reader OS: Windows XP Professional SP2 Price: $1,248.00 Canadian Option 2: Lenovo ThinkPad R61 CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 2.0GHz RAM: 2.0GB PC2-5300 DDR2 VIDEO: nVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M HDD: 120GB 5400RPM Display: 15.4" WXGA (Wide) CD/DVD: DVD Recordable 8x Ports: VGA, S-Video, 3-USB 2.0, IEEE1394, 4-in-1 Multi-card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/XD), DVI Network: 10/100/1000 Wireless: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG OS: Windows XP Professional SP2 Price: $1260.00 Canadian
Have you checked out Toshiba? Dell's tech support is terrible. Lenovo, Mac, and Toshiba always rank in the top 3 in consumer reports for quality and customer support. If I had to pick on of those, I would go with the Lenovo.
I have to choose one of those 2. Its part of the architecture program that we pick one of the computers approved by the school. Otherwise you would get a bunch of people buying crappy computers that can't handle the software, thinking they got a good deal. It kind of sucks for people like me who know to get a decent system and know what they are buying, but for the majority, they have to approve them. All the support, replacements and warrenties are done right through the school, so when it comes to customer support, its not an issue, I just want to figure out which is the best built system and highest quality.
I have to disagree with Paul79UF on the support from Dell as the Latitude D830 is covered by Dell's business support and not your normal home consumer stuff. Like the XPS support, the business support is actually very good (well, I know the UK one is very good ). Both the D830 and Thinkpad are good laptops. The D830 does look far better compared to the ridiculous old design Lenovo still opts for on the Thinkpad R61 but both laptops are well built. One thing you will have to consider is the screen. The D830 with it's WXGA+ offers a 1440x900 resolution whereas the R61 only offers a 1280x800 resolution. That little bit extra workspace can prove to be important depending on what you are using the laptop(s) for. Unless I am mistaken, the WXGA+ is no longer supplied by Dell on the D830, but instead, the WSXGA+ is supplied, which gives a better 1680x1050 resolution, you should check on this. You also have the advantage of a fingerprint reader, a worthwhile security if set-up correctly. The lack of a DVI port and media card slot on the D830 could be a turning point for choice when looking at the R61 but given the choice, I would pick the Dell. From a business perspective, the extra DVI port on the R61 doesn't hold a real advantage over the D830's VGA port. If the laptop is used for e.g. presentation, most projectors are still VGA-port based or provide connections for VGA. The R61's media port are an extra that provides no real purpose unless you use facilities like digital camera where the ports will be handy for quick access to photos.
I hear what your saying, and those are some really good points. I didn't even think about desktop space, doing alot of cad and whatnot, I'm sure the extra space will be very important, not to mention I'm already used to using 2 monitors on my desktop. The dell definately seems better speced, however, how is build quality? Anyone with experiance lugging a dell or lenovo around alot, that would know how they hold up to abuse? I'll be taking this from home to school and back everyday, either in my backpack on my motorcycle, or on the trains and busses, so it will probley get a fair bit of beatings over the 3 years I have to make it last.
I've used the D830 on various occasions and the R61 once (the R60 on many occasions due to my field of work) and both are enclosed in strong magnesium alloy frame. Dell and Lenovo have invested on protection such as shock so you can be rest assured that they are very durable and protective too. The D830 is lighter and slimmer than the R61 mainly because Lenovo has yet to move away from IBM's ancient Thinkpad design. The Thinkpad design simply does the job it needs to and it has worked wonders for many years, "a winning combination" is what I believe Lenovo will say. However, lugging the R61 around and you will slowly move towards the D830. The R61 will feel more sturdy as it is chunky and hence will feel better built but both laptops are well-built so it'll be hard to judge. Although they are mid-range laptops, their target audience as business laptops mean there are no corners cut to build these laptops. Both are professional, business laptops and both will do the job. They will last a long time even with abuse but it will come down to the small details, in this case the screen resolution, DVI connection, media connection and even battery life (Thinkpads aren't reknown for long battery life but I haven't compared it to the D830 nor have I used the R61 long enough so I can't really comment on this). Couple this with size and weight and only you can make the call
