Reviewed on 9/30/02
Updated on: 10/22/02
Release date: 4/24/02
When it comes to designing laptops for the mobile workforce, IBM leads while other vendors follow. The company's thin-and-light notebooks, the versatile ThinkPad T series, share a sturdy, well-designed case with titanium composite covers and come in so many configurations that you can find one that's right for just about any use. The line begins with the T23, which uses older Pentium III-M processors, and ends with the top-of-the-line T30, which uses P4-Ms. All models have a 14.1-inch display and feature one multipurpose drive bay. A separate UltraPort connector on top of the display lets you add a camera and other peripherals. Although its ValueWatch rating is merely average, we feel that the ThinkPad T series is an excellent investment.
Design of Lenovo ThinkPad T30 2366 (Pentium 4-M 1.8 GHz, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD)
The ThinkPad T23 and T30 look virtually identical. They share the classic, matte-black, titanium-and-plastic composite case measuring 12 inches wide by 9.8 inches deep. The T30 is 1.6 inches thick and weighs 5.7 pounds with a combo CD-RW/DVD drive, in addition to another 0.8 pounds for an AC power supply. The T23 is slightly thinner and weighs a little less. Both have a distinctive, beveled front edge that snuggles into IBM's optional docking station, as well as a lip around the lid that seals the system tight when closed. The T30 models are distinguished by thick, exposed metal hinges that give the system's design a little flair.
Rear-panel right. |
Rear-panel left. |
IBM keeps all the ports on the ThinkPad T series neatly out of the way on the back panel. These include two USB ports; 56K modem and Ethernet jacks; and S-Video-out, PS/2, serial, and parallel ports. The headphone, line-in, and microphone jacks are within easy reach on the left side, and the UltraBay, which accommodates a variety of optical drives or a second battery, is located on the right side.
T-series audio ports and PC Card slots on the left side. |
The pointing stick and the UltraNav
touchpad. |
For loyal ThinkPad users, one of the biggest changes in the T30 is the addition of a touchpad, which now joins the ThinkPad's signature pointing stick. This feature has been part of competing business notebooks from the likes of Dell and HP for some time, but IBM's version was worth the wait. The pad, called UltraNav (are you starting to sense a pattern?), can also be used to scroll, zoom, launch applications, and even run macros. A few T30s and all T23s come without the touchpad as well. We also really like the keyboard, which has big, responsive, and quiet keys; only the spacebar is a bit loose and noisy.
Features of Lenovo ThinkPad T30 2366 (Pentium 4-M 1.8 GHz, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD)
IBM offers only mobile Pentium processors in the T series. The T23 uses older Pentium III-M processors ranging in speeds from 1GHz to 1.2GHz, while the T30s use P4-M processors rated at 1.6GHz to 2GHz. The T30 comes with 256MB of DDR SDRAM on a 266MHz bus, which you can boost to 512MB by filling the one empty slot with a $118 module; the notebook can take a maximum of 1GB. Most T23 models come with 128MB of 133MHz SDRAM, which you can bump up to 256MB for an extra $41. Drive sizes vary from 20GB to 60GB, while all models have a 14.1-inch display mated with one of two graphics controllers: ATI's Mobility Radeon 7500 with 16MB of memory on the T30 and S3's Graphics SuperSavage/IXC with 16MB of memory on the T23.
Though the screens are all the same size, your configuration determines how much you'll see on the display. All T23s operate with a resolution of 1,024x768 pixels, and some T30s use the same, though a few offer a native setting of 1,400x1,050. In our opinion, the text looked too crowded on a 14.1-inch screen at this higher reading, though you can always dial it back to 1,024x768. Either way, the top-end T30 with its Radeon controller displayed stunning color graphics and photos, while DVD movies looked crisp and smooth. The T23's S3 controller doesn't match the T30's intensity and color saturation, but it provides sharp and easy-to-read text.
Like nearly all thin-and-lights, the T series offers only one drive bay. But this UltraBay accepts a wide range of options, such as removable storage drives (floppy, DVD, CD-RW, combo DVD/CD-RW, Iomega Zip, and LS-240), a second hard drive, or a second battery. You can also plug an optional numeric keypad ($69) or a cradle ($59) for the Palm m500-series handhelds into the same slot. IBM expands on these options with a separate UltraPort that can accommodate a camera, a microphone, or a receiver for either Bluetooth--already integrated on some models--or infrared. In addition to Bluetooth, some T30 models and one T23 have a Wi-Fi receiver with dual antennae for better reception and a utility, Access Connections, that stores the settings for multiple wired and wireless networks so that you can more easily switch between them.
The T series offers some unique security features. An embedded security chip in the T30 that CNET tested manages passwords and data encryption. You can also equip your system with a biometric device that stores this data. Because the security chip is isolated from the system's main memory, it's less vulnerable to attacks, according to IBM, but it doesn't come with all T23 and T30 models. For a different sort of protection, a rubber, air-bubble shock absorber is located directly beneath the hard drive to cushion it during rough landings and prevent possible data loss.
Performance of Lenovo ThinkPad T30 2366 (Pentium 4-M 1.8 GHz, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD)
We clocked the ThinkPad T30 against the Compaq Evo N800c and the Sony VAIO PCG-VX88, two competing thin-and-light notebooks. The ThinkPad T30's faster chip and speedy hard drive served it well on applications tests, propelling it to the top of the charts. On battery tests, the ThinkPad T30 turned in admirable numbers for such a power-hungry machine but failed to give the VAIO PCG-VX88 a real run for its money.
Mobile application performance
CNET Labs' tests show a dead heat between the 1.8GHz ThinkPad T30 and the 1.7GHz Compaq Evo N800c. Despite an extra 100MHz of CPU power and a faster 5,400rpm hard drive, the ThinkPad T30 tied the Evo N800c for first place in mobile performance. (The Evo N800c's hard drive spins at a slow 4,500rpm.) The 850MHz Sony VAIO PCG-VX88 came in a distant third.
Mobile application performance (Longer bars indicate faster performance)
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BAPCo MobileMark2002 performance rating | |
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IBM ThinkPad T30
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Compaq Evo N800c
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Sony VAIO PCG-VX88
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System configurations:
Compaq Evo N800c
Windows XP Professional; 1.7GHz Intel Pentium 4-M; 256MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 64MB; Toshiba MK3018GAP 30GB 4,200rpm
IBM ThinkPad T30
Windows XP Professional; 1.8GHz Intel Pentium 4-M; 256MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 16MB; Toshiba MK4019GAX 40GB 5,400rpm
Sony VAIO PCG-VX88
Windows XP Home; 850MHz Intel Pentium III-M; 256MB SDRAM 133MHz; Intel 82815 graphics controller 4MB; IBM Travelstar 30GN 30GB 4,200rpm
Battery life of Lenovo ThinkPad T30 2366 (Pentium 4-M 1.8 GHz, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD)
Battery life tells a different tale. With its 11.1-volt, 3,600mAh, lithium-ion battery and low CPU speed, the PCG-VX88 came in first place on battery-life tests at 3 hours, 49 minutes. The ThinkPad T30's 10.8-volt, 4,400mAh battery ran out of steam just 3 minutes short of the 3-hour mark. This is a good score for a notebook with such a fast CPU; however, you may want to pack an extra battery for those really long trips. The similarly configured Evo N800c only lasted 1 hour, 45 minutes, trailing the ThinkPad T30 by more than an hour.
Battery life (Longer bars indicate longer battery life)
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BAPCo MobileMark2002 battery life (minutes) | |
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Sony VAIO PCG-VX88
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IBM ThinkPad T30
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Compaq Evo N800c
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To measure mobile-application performance and battery life, CNET Labs uses BAPCo's MobileMark2002. MobileMark measures both applications performance and battery life concurrently using a number of popular applications (Microsoft Word 2002, Microsoft Excel 2002, Microsoft PowerPoint 2002, Microsoft Outlook 2002, Netscape Communicator 6.0, WinZip Computing WinZip 8.0, McAfee VirusScan 5.13, Adobe Photoshop 6.0.1, and Macromedia Flash 5).
System configurations:
Compaq Evo N800c
Windows XP Professional; 1.7GHz Intel Pentium 4-M; 256MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 64MB; Toshiba MK3018GAP 30GB 4,200rpm
IBM ThinkPad T30
Windows XP Professional; 1.8GHz Intel Pentium 4-M; 256MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 16MB; Toshiba MK4019GAX 40GB 5,400rpm
Sony VAIO PCG-VX88
Windows XP Home; 850MHz Intel Pentium III-M; 256MB SDRAM 133MHz; Intel 82815 graphics controller 4MB; IBM Travelstar 30GN 30GB 4,200rpm
Service and support of Lenovo ThinkPad T30 2366 (Pentium 4-M 1.8 GHz, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD)
IBM backs all T30s and T23s with a commendable three-year warranty that includes 24/7, toll-free tech support, as well as free pickup and return for repairs. An onscreen manual, called Access ThinkPad, provides great information for beginners and veterans alike. In terms of software, T23s come with PC Doctor, Veritas RecordNow on models with CD-RW drives, Mediamatics DVD on units with DVDs, and a license for Lotus SmartSuite Millennium, though the suite is not installed or provided on the media. With the T30s, you'll instead find InterVideo's WinDVD on models with DVD drives. All notebooks in the line have a hidden Restore partition.
