Lenovo ThinkPad T61p

Pros: Processing speed and power, sound (!), construction and durability

Cons: Screen could be better?

Summary: I'm guessing that if you are reading the reviews for this ThinkPad, you are looking for something powerful with alot of options and maybe even considering the MacBook Pro... I did, and as a long time ThinkPad fangirl, I'm a shamed!

But I stuck to my guns and ordered the ThinkPad in a panic on the last day Lenovo was offering the 25% off holiday promotion. I was also able to stack a 15% off corporate discount on top of it - take that, Apple!! Anyhow, the price was beyond right (I got my upgraded T61p for under $1,300!), and it arrived the day after Christmas.

The goods: The processing speed and capabilities are pretty sweet. I can run my Adobe CS2 package as quickly as I can on an Apple G5. I'll start doing some render work soon to test out how that compares, but I'm guessing it'll be pretty comperable to a MacBook Pro. The screen is a nice resolution (I didn't opt for the 1080 b/c I'll be hooking this laptit up to an external screen), and the colors are vibrant for a non-glossy. The Xbrites are nice, but the reflecting glossiness really wears out my eyes. The speakers on this ThinkPad blew my mind, but then again, I upgraded from a four year old X32... Everything else is satifsactory ThinkPad. It has a great sturdy feel and construction.

The Bads: The screen isn't the best screen I've seen. It's not as bright as I would like it to be, but I didn't upgrade it to the 1080, so perhaps that's better? Also, the Turbo Memory is incompatible with WinXP, but I found this out after I chose that combo. I guess I can always upgrade to Vista in the future. Lastly, I think the machine is pretty heavy, but that's switching from a 12" laptop.

Overall, I love my purchase. I don't regret sticking with the trusty ThinkPad as opposed to paying almost double for a shiny Mac.