looking for a new laptop - recommendations?

[Nyper]

I currently have a Thinkpad T41 (which I'm selling) and a Latitude D610 (for work).

I am looking for a replacement for my T41.

Requirements:

14.1" display (not bigger, not smaller)
Thin & light (~5.5lbs and 1-1.25" thick)
High resolution display (better than 1024x768 - preferably 1400x1050, etc)
3 year warranty
$1500 or less


I am considering the Lenovo Zseries or Dell Latitude D620. Both of these are widescreen. I am someone interested in the widescreen, but can't make up my mind.

I will use the laptop for some small-time development (web & .NET applications), as well as some FoxPro work. Nothing too intensive. I will buy it with as little RAM as possible and upgrade it myself to save money. I will likely never use it for watching or burning DVD's, but must have a CD burner.

Prefer a 7200rpm hard drive, but am not set in stone. All of my past laptops have had a 5400rpm drive. How noticeable will the difference be?

My current T41 is 1.6ghz processor, 1g RAM, 40g hard drive. It suits me fine, but the warranty is about to expire and I want to sell it and just get something newer.

Can anyone comment on how the display of the Lenovo Z series or T series compares with the Dell line of laptops? My T41 has a very dim display compared to Dells. It is fine for normal use in my apartment where the lighting is dim, but if I take it to work under bright fluorescent lights (or airports, outside, etc) it is pretty hard to see.

Also, I can get Dells a couple hundred dollars cheaper than normal through our Dell account rep at work.

Anyone have any other recommendations? Thanks for your help.

 

[motoxer4533]

In all actuality, it might be easier for you to go to somewhere like Find a Notebook, Desktop, Server, Printer, Software, Service, Monitor or TV at Dell., choose a laptop, customize it, and then post the Customized specs for us to look at.

That way, you can get the brand you want and we can tell you if it is satisfactory.

 

[Nyper]

I guess my biggest question is really about size & weight and brightness of the display.

I don't know anything about Sony/Toshiba/etc and was wondering if any of those brands are reliable and offer laptops in the size range I'm looking for.

And also, is there a noticeable difference in the 5400 & 7200 rpm drives. Is there a difference in the weight of the drives by chance?

For kicks & giggles, here is the D620 I would get if I were to buy one...

And again, I would just upgrade the RAM myself.

----------------------------

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHz) 4M L2 Cache, 667Mhz Dual Core

Genuine Windows® XP Professional, SP2

14.1 inch Wide Screen WXGA+ LCD Panel

512MB, DDR2-533 SDRAM, 1 DIMM

80GB Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 7200RPM

24X CD-RW/DVD w/ Cyberlink PowerDVDâ„¢

256MB NVIDIA® Quadro NVS 110M TurboCache™

 

[motoxer4533]

It sounds like you aren't going to be using the laptop for really intense applications. So, I think that laptop you built would suffice, as long as you are going to put more RAM in.

One thing I would suggest is putting a DVD drive in - you never know when a program is on a DVD instead of a CD, and then you will be SOL.

The Difference b/w the 5400 and 7200 rpm drives is how fast the drives seek the information - shouldn't (not 100% positive) increase weight. Even if it did, it would most likely not even be noticeable.

Sony Viao makes very good laptop and Toshiba is good quality too.

The only thing I've heard bad about Dell is their Tech Support.

 

[Nyper]

Just ordered a Dell Latitude D620 through our business account.

Intel Core 2 Duo T5500, 1.66GHz
14.1" WXGA+
256mb NVIDIA Quadro NVS 110M
1.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 1 DIMM
80GB Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 7200RPM
XP Pro
24x CDRW/DVD
6-cell battery
3 year warranty

Total: $1,080

You just can't beat that for the price. I got it with only 1 DIMM of RAM so I can upgrade it myself to 2g cheaper.