Well, after much consideration, I’ve pulled the trigger on a new Thinkpad T61.
- Model 6459-CT
- Intel Core 2 Duo T7700 (2.0 Ghz with 4MB L2 cache)
- 1GB RAM (4GB on the way from NewEgg!)
- 15.4″ Widescreen
- 128 MB nVidia discreet graphics
- 80GB HD
- CD-RW/DVD-ROM
- Built-in Bluetooth
- Vista Business
To say that I’m pumped, is an understatement. I kinda had my hand forced into upgrading thanks to the Sharepoint Training that I’m going to in a few weeks. My Thinkpad R51 has served me well for a little over two years now, but it’s a bit underpowered to run the virtual machine that we’ll be using at the training. Just the additional DDR RAM for my old R51 would’ve ran close to $200 since it’s no longer the de-facto RAM standard, so it didn’t make a lot of sense to drop that cash on a two-year old machine.
I ran across a coupon code (USPDECEMBER) that took an additional ~13% off the order total which brought the price down from $1,203 to only $1,042. They are also running a promotion with Paypal where they put $100 cash back in your Paypal account two weeks after the order is shipped – total cost is now $942 – not bad for a $1,200+ laptop!
With Christmas monies and pre-paid gift cards (thanks AT&T!), I’ll only be chipping in right around $600, and that includes the 4GB RAM upgrade from NewEgg. A Thinkpad T61 for 50% off – Merry Christmas to me!
I’ve already started thinking about names and I think it will either be Tank or Dozer to stay with my Matrix theme.
As an added bonus, Bonnie will inherit Neo, and I think it will continue be a fine laptop for her needs. Me – I’m looking forward to the jump to the T-series and the nicer finish on the exterior of the chassis.