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ND4SPDR
8.25.05, 1:05 am
Okay, so since I'm leaving for college in a week, my parents footed the bill for my new note-taking device, an IBM ThinkPad X41.

Specs:
-1.5 gHz Intel Pentium M (bundled with Centrino wireless capabilities)
-512 MB 533 mHz PC2-400 DDR RAM
-60 gig 4200 RPM hdd
-12" XGA display
-8-cell battery (gets around 5.5 hours of battery life)
-fingerprint scanner (I'm serious)
-magnesium case (w00t)
-X4 Ultrabase dock with UltraBay Slim DVD-ROM drive (detachable dock thing)

The thing weighs like 3 lbs (3.3, actually) with the battery installed and closer to 2 with it sitting out of the computer, so it's insanely light. It's also very thin, at less than 1" thin in front and a little over 1" in the back, as you'll see in the pictures below.

Sorry in advance for my crummy photography and crummier camera.

Comparison shots to my old Sony Vaio PCG-FXA48:
http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/7461/thickuse3hw.jpg
http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/677/topsmall6ro.jpg
http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/7345/sidesmall2it.jpg
http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/3115/openboth7cn.jpg

The laptop itself. The thing where the touchpad should be is the fingerprint scanner which I'm currently using as my password for Windows logon. I can, however, also use it as a startup password for maximum security. The red thing in the middle of the keyboard is the TrackPoint, my mouse. There's also a light built into the top of the screen that you can turn on to light up the keyboard for night typing. The part sticking out of the back is the extended-life 8-cell battery.
http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/4096/padopen5io.jpg

Yes, that is a quarter:
http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/2254/quarterfrontsmall1qc.jpg
http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/9950/quartersidesmall7cf.jpg

And of course, the shot of the computer next to a good drink and a crappy drink my mom likes:
http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/8515/conbebidassmall3fx.jpg

Performance-wise it's wayyyyyyyy more than adeqaute for what I use it for...basically Counter Strike, internet apps, Google Earth, and word processing. It computes the first million digits of pi in 51 seconds, which might mean something to some of you.

The case itself is fantastic, with really, really solid hinges and a fantastic feel of solidity. The thing feels like a tank and is supposedly designed to protect the computer against 3 foot falls. The hard drive will also park the read/write heads if it senses a fall to reduce the chance of data loss. This is extremely cool to watch...it uses accelerometers. The keyboard is also second to none in this weight class, and I've found it more comfortable than every other laptop keyboard of any size with the exception of the ThinkPad T series.

Anyways, just felt like sharing my new toy. :)

hoov100
8.25.05, 9:39 am
damn! ive got a question for you though..how much did it cost?

ND4SPDR
8.25.05, 11:13 am
It was an expensive computer...list price is around $2200. That's not how much I paid, not even with shipping and accessories. Because my parents are teachers, the whole thing ended up being a little short of $2,000.

hoov100
8.25.05, 11:15 am
how well does the thumb print scanner work? (i might actually buy one.)

mike5721947
8.25.05, 11:55 am
only problem i see is if you burn/cut your scanning finger. my finger prints have changed as ive burned and cut them fairly bad over the years. :rollin:


teacher: "Johnny, why didn't you get your project done on time?"
Johnny: "I burnt my finger."
teacher: "Thats not an excuse Johnny, im giving you an F."

:rollin: :rollin:

ND4SPDR
8.25.05, 12:25 pm
You sorta slide a finger across. It's very cool. Plus, you can enroll all 10 of your fingers, so even if you lose a hand, you're still cool. It can also be overridden with a password if you like.

hoov100
8.25.05, 12:28 pm
the mafia needs the information on your computer so they cut off your thumb?

penguinrusty
8.25.05, 3:49 pm
Jeez that thing is skinny. Nice little lappy you got yourself there.

Peder2002
8.25.05, 6:19 pm
51 seconds for a laptop is great! Those are wonderful laptops, I've loved IBM laptops for years. How's the display. Nice and vibrant?

Good drink choice too. On the left. :alien:

ND4SPDR
8.25.05, 7:04 pm
Hoov, possible, but the mob and I get along pretty well.

Thanks pengiun. :)

Peder, the display is pretty nice, although I'm partial to those shiny XBrite ones. Granted, the shiny ones suck for text, but they're still pretty. :lol: And Bawls is like the best drink, ever.

MicroFreak387
8.25.05, 8:45 pm
My desktop runs 1M digits of Pi in 53 secs clocked to 2.2Ghz... I wonder where my bottleneck is.... Oh well. Great looking laptop man. My brother has an Apple Powerbook and it is insane, but this looks like a worthy PC opponent.

ND4SPDR
8.25.05, 9:25 pm
My desktop runs 1M digits of Pi in 53 secs clocked to 2.2Ghz... I wonder where my bottleneck is.... Oh well. Great looking laptop man. My brother has an Apple Powerbook and it is insane, but this looks like a worthy PC opponent.
Pentium M's are generally much quicker than is suggested by their clock speed. Super Pi is also heavily affected by RAM type/speed/amount, stuff like that. Also, kill any programs running in the background...lots of programs like to hog the cpu and RAM.

Powerbooks are pretty sweet. Too big, though. :p

bubba069
8.26.05, 7:18 am
been kicking the idea of building a lappy, trying to justify the cost.

WESTOZ racer
8.30.05, 7:25 am
Great lappy, but expensive for the features....NO GRAPHICS CARD???

Coulda got an Acer lappy a mate bought here in Aus for 2000AUS, 2.0ghz P-M and radeon X700. Widescreen too.

Anyway, superpi my desktop now gets 31s :p