Even the Greatest Things Have Their Flaws
Written: Sep 12 '01
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Pros: Powerhouse, crisp & clear screen, sturdy feel, excellent DVD playback
Cons: Not the lightest, difficulty changing OS, graphics lacking
The Bottom Line: A great notebook for professional work, but loaded with enough power and features for occassion leisure entertainment as well.
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| Westsider03's Full Review: Lenovo ThinkPad T20 (264746U) PC Notebook |
Hi There! Let Me Introduce You To…
The laptop that is hailed as a top choice in the world of notebooks. This machine is for the professional user and has some very wonderful points in its favor, but it falls short of being the perfect laptop.
The IBM ThinkPad T20 can come in a variety of configurations. Just to clarify, this particular machine I am reviewing is equipped with 256MB RAM (upgraded) and runs at 850mhz. It runs Windows 2000 pre-installed. We bought this machine from a friend in new condition. It came with a power adapter, Intel 10/100 PCMCIA Network Card, Restore CD’s and a single battery. No docking station was included.
The Good…
This machine is powerful. The T20 doesn’t miss a beat. DVD movies play very well on this notebook, even with a multitude of system tray programs running background. I have also tested game performance. Quake III runs very well on this system, but not at full detail mode. The graphics card is a bit lacking (ATI Rage Mobile 16MB), but as I stated before this notebook was intended for the business professional. But of course even the business professional needs to relax, so rest assured you can play Quake III, but it won’t look as great as it would on a game-oriented machine.
The colors are vibrant and the test is crisp on this beautiful screen. The notebook itself feels very sturdy. The ThinkPad T20 is slimmer than the majority of notebooks, but isn’t exactly the lightest notebook I’ve even held.
The Bad…
I enjoy using Win98SE. It is the most stable version of consumer Windows in my opinion. Being that Windows 2000 is a bit too professional for my needs; I wanted to replace it with my Win98SE OS. This was a problem for Mr. T20. The main problem is detecting the hardware on the machine. The Restore CD has the drivers for all the hardware, but it also has the drivers for all the hardware for many different lines of IBM notebooks. This way IBM can distribute the same CD with many of their notebooks with less hassle for them, more hassle for us. Since there are 40+ directories, and the device manager shows undetectable hardware as unknown, how do you know to look for modem drivers or sound card drivers? After several hours of tinkering, I was forced to restore the system back to Win2000. So if you plan on installing another OS when you get this machine, it might be a hassle.
The speakers aren’t much to speak of, which is common with notebooks. If you enjoy those DVD movies, than I suggest an external pair of speakers to go along for the ride. The notebook doesn’t come with an abundance of software, and for what the retail price goes, I would appreciate few more perks.
The Details…
If you’ve owned a notebook before than you know there are two basic types of devices that notebooks usually include as the primary mouse. You have the touch pad type and the “Eraser-head” type. This one is the eraser-head and I personally do not enjoy it.
The T20 features PS/2 ports for external mouse/keyboard, an s-video out port, VGA out, 2 PCMCIA slots, internal 56k and USB. With this notebook you have both floppy and DVD drives. Keyboard configuration is a standard compact layout with some proprietary IBM ThinkPad functions. You do have buttons to control volume and mute. Battery life is fairly good. Approximately 3 hours on a fully charged battery. That is plenty of time to finish the average movie and check your e-mail.
I would recommend the IBM T20 to any professional as an excellent mobile computer, with qualities that make it ideal for a work-related role, but also carries enough features to be a part time entertainment center.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1000
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 801-900
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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Epinions.com ID:
Westsider03
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Member: Anh Nguyen
Location: Orange County, CA
Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
I write my reviews to help others make decisions.
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