IBM Thinkpad or Dell?

[1150A]

Getting a bit more into photography and video editing and also just finished my college apps so I thought I should treat myself.. :)

Basically, I'm surfing the net, storing photos, videos, and editing them. I'm currently running a Thinkpad T61 and before this, I was running a 1st gen Macbook Pro. Both laptops are great. That being said, the Macbook Pro got stolen and I purchased the T61 for cheap. They were both similarly speced.

I've found that I like Windows 7 so I'm thinking of sticking to that. A new Macbook Pro is possible, but I'm leaning towards a dedicated Windows laptop since it looks like it might be cheaper.

What I want in a laptop:
-Not too bulky. 13"-15"
-sturdy.. this is one I love about the Thinkpad. Macbook Pro was okay, but thinkpad felt very sturdy.
-screen - not so much the size, but high resolution and quality. I've got the lower-end display on the Thinkpad so I'm maxing out at 1280x800, which I hate. LOVED the macbook pro matte screen.
-batterylife

-decent graphics card is a plus. I'd love to play some Call of Duty.

Mainly, I need it to be sturdy. Lenovo, to me, is a no brainer there. But, I've seen Dell Studios get some good reviews and they're cheap. How's the quality structurally?

[basroil]

http://www.squaretrade.com/pages/laptop-reliability-1109

That should speak for itself

[MaxxuM]

IBM has sold most of it's name to Lenovo now. Still good laptops, but not my favorite; that place is reserved for MacBook Pro, then HP ENVY line followed by Sony Vaio.

[Moppie]

I would choose a new MBP over the thinkpad, sadly Lenovo are not putting as much care into them as IBM did.

However, for photo work, gaming etc, I would find a an i5m or i7m based laptop before the MBP, only I'm not yet aware of anyone other than Dell making them.

[basroil]

I would choose a new MBP over the thinkpad, sadly Lenovo are not putting as much care into them as IBM did.

However, for photo work, gaming etc, I would find a an i5m or i7m based laptop before the MBP, only I'm not yet aware of anyone other than Dell making them.

HP has them in their high end side, but sadly those numbers for reliability are going down... and with the added heat, not something I would like to see

[BeritOlam]

Max is right about Lenovo -- it was better before IBM sold it off.

I have a friend running Linux on an HP Envy, and he raves about it. Haven't seen the thing up close yet.

[Damian75]

http://www.squaretrade.com/pages/laptop-reliability-1109

That should speak for itself

That was interesting, they never say what classifies as a malfunction. Does a HD going dead count as a malfunction if so then Toshiba could be responsible for the malfunctions of many of the other brands as many use Toshiba HD's. Just curious.

[basroil]

That was interesting, they never say what classifies as a malfunction. Does a HD going dead count as a malfunction if so then Toshiba could be responsible for the malfunctions of many of the other brands as many use Toshiba HD's. Just curious.

They lump together every hardware failure there. So yes, they could be responsible, but generally the other companies have a mixture of toshiba, fujitsu, and samsung 2.5" drives, so maybe that's why they have more failures ;)

[canybo]

Don't go for the Dell. Their highend laptops look well put together, but still not up to par with a MBP, HP envy or Thinkpad. Even though the Thinkpads aren't what they used to be, they are still better then 90% of what's out there, in terms of build quality.

It bothers me that laptop manufacturers don't really consider build quality as an important factor.
Some mention it in their product presentation, most don't.

[basroil]

Don't go for the Dell. Their highend laptops look well put together, but still not up to par with a MBP, HP envy or Thinkpad. Even though the Thinkpads aren't what they used to be, they are still better then 90% of what's out there, in terms of build quality.

It bothers me that laptop manufacturers don't really consider build quality as an important factor.
Some mention it in their product presentation, most don't.

Not sure when you last used their high end products. studio xps line moved up in terms of build from the xps line, especially latches compared to my old xps1210, and the only real issue is heat (as it is on all laptops with a thinner profile, even the MBP had an issue where it would idle past 60C).

And they do think build quality is important, just that each company decides what "build" means to them. Some thing outer casings are "build", others think components are "build", and yet others think functionality is "build".

[dehoff]

I would choose a new MBP over the thinkpad, sadly Lenovo are not putting as much care into them as IBM did.

However, for photo work, gaming etc, I would find a an i5m or i7m based laptop before the MBP, only I'm not yet aware of anyone other than Dell making them.

Asus, Acer, Toshiba, and HP also have i7m's available right now. Probably more offerings out there, but I was just looking at Newegg right now.

[canybo]

Not sure when you last used their high end products. studio xps line moved up in terms of build from the xps line, especially latches compared to my old xps1210, and the only real issue is heat (as it is on all laptops with a thinner profile, even the MBP had an issue where it would idle past 60C).

And they do think build quality is important, just that each company decides what "build" means to them. Some thing outer casings are "build", others think components are "build", and yet others think functionality is "build".

I wasn't really talking about XPS as high end, see them more in the same class as Alienware and VooDoo stuff. Spec-wise they are high-end indeed.
Should have called it "business" or "classy" or something.
I was referring to the original Thinkpads; no frills, built like a rock, no BS laptops.

I think the Latitudes are the Dell counterpart in this niche, right?
My girlfriend has one (E6500) from work and it looks very classy and seems very sturdy. Pick it up and you'll notice moving latches, battery not snug fit, etc.
I noticed Dell is releasing a Latitude Z series though. Design looks good.

And I think 95% of consumers think build quality has to do with how good something is put together, no moving pieces of plastic or other material, all different parts of the exterior put together nicely, attention to detail, ...
This is what reviewers talk about when they talk about "build quality". You can give all kinds of meanings to it, but that is the general understanding when someone talks about it.

For example, I'd say the build quality of the MacBook Air is great, but it's not very functional with a missing optical drive and very few connections.

[SuzyView]

My son talked me into getting him the 13.3 inch MBP which was around $1200 with the student discount. He got a free printer, ipod touch and other stuff. It was a bargain. I kept the printer, though. :)

[canybo]

For students there is also the very nice ADC option. You become an Apple student developer, for 99$ a year. During your membership you receive a DVD every month full of dev tools, SDK's, whitepapers and info. When a new OS comes out (not 10.6.X updates) they send you the DVD. You also get a T-shirt (always too big, mine was XXL) AND a 1-time discount of 20% on a pro-machine (macbook pro or mac pro).

You need to send Apple some proof that you're registered at a university (or college) and some detailed info.
http://developer.apple.com/products/membership.html

[Todd Lambert]

Dell Latitudes are the biggest pieces of crap, avoid at all costs. They're cheap and seem like a good deal, but at my office, we see them come in by the truckload, all of em in a sadder state than the last.

I'd never by a Dell, Gateway or even an HP for that matter. (based on the techs here, their opinions, and what I've seen and experienced myself)

[Andrushka]

For what it is worth i've had 2 mid-range Sony Vaios in a row (one replacing the next as i passed the first on to my wife) and they have taken all kinds of abuse and daily use and travel back and forth and around Eastern Europe during the last 5 years and have run very solid! I use a MBP at work and its fine, but for 3 times the price it had better be!

So props to Vaio laptops... they've been a good VALUE for me.

[cdifoto]

I have a Latitude. The screen is too dim for airports and the build is only decent. It's not crap but I won't buy another one.

[MaxxuM]

We have hundred's of Latitudes - 600's to the more recent (and ugly) E series. They're the budget business class machine for Dell. The only ones I would avoid like the plague would be the L series. The ATG are dog ugly and heavy, but pretty strong. If I was going out into the wilds I'd take that rather than my MBP (it's too pretty for mud :) ). Otherwise, the Latitude series are average computers IME that break down about the same rate as other PC laptops. Maybe a little more than the premiums, but not by much.

[basroil]

For students there is also the very nice ADC option. You become an Apple student developer, for 99$ a year. During your membership you receive a DVD every month full of dev tools, SDK's, whitepapers and info. When a new OS comes out (not 10.6.X updates) they send you the DVD. You also get a T-shirt (always too big, mine was XXL) AND a 1-time discount of 20% on a pro-machine (macbook pro or mac pro).

You need to send Apple some proof that you're registered at a university (or college) and some detailed info.
http://developer.apple.com/products/membership.html

They actually charge you for whitepapers/sdk? Not cool...

[MaxxuM]

They actually charge you for whitepapers/sdk? Not cool...

No. You're paying for the support base and for them to bundle everything nice and tidy for you. If you want to work with Apple SDK's you can start here (http://developer.apple.com/SDK/) but you'll be on your own (like with Microsoft unless you join the developer network). Apple has one of the most comprehensive support, training and development programs in the industry. Very few companies have the ability to do it all in house (IBM, Avid, Ti are others). That's why colleges, universities and vocational institutions really like to deal with Apple. It's all included under one umbrella training program. With Dell, HP, Sony or Lenovo you are going to have to deal with multiple companies for hardware, software, development, infrastructure and so on.

IBM is the only other computer company that I know of that resembles Apple as far as turn-key solutions - but they've sold off like 90% of their computer department in favor of larger computers, terminals and other business machines.