Entered CNET Catalog: 10/04/2003
SKU: 18362UU
Manufacturer: Lenovo
Manufacturer description
Introduce the whole organization to the affordable ThinkPad R50 notebook with Intel Centrino Mobile Technology (select models). This sleek notebook delivers long battery life. Select models even offer 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi wireless technology for connection to any industry-standard wireless network protocol. Chances are you've seen the damage a dropped notebook can suffer. That's why IBM developed the IBM Active Protection System for hard drives. When a fall is detected, this integrated technology can actually park the hard disk drive head. Business advantage? It's in here. Look inside and discover IBM ThinkVantage Technologies and ThinkVantage Designs to help free up IT resources and decrease expenses. You'll see how to work more confidently and efficiently - and gain the time you need to focus on strategic goals.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 10/29/2003
IBM's new ThinkPad R50 series sheds its more restrained past and emerges as a faster, long-lasting desktop replacement. No longer a budget notebook, this machine is an excellent choice for business or personal use, although depending on how you configure it, it may be more expensive than some competing notebooks. (Our test model cost more than $2,100.)
Featuring IBM's classic black case, the R50 series has grown by fractions of inches from the size of the previous generation, the ThinkPad R40. At 13 by 10.4 by 1.7 inches (W, D, H), the R50 series, at its thickest point, is thinner than HP's Compaq Presario X1000, which has a larger screen, but it's bigger and thicker than Dell's Inspiron 500m, which has a smaller screen. The ThinkPad R50 series weighs a fairly light 6.6 pounds, and even with its 10-ounce AC adapter, the system has a tolerable travel weight of 7.1 pounds.
Inside, the machine is loaded with up-to-date but modest components, including a 1.5GHz Pentium M processor, 256MB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive, and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive. Powered by an ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 with 32MB of video memory, the 15-inch XGA screen is sharp, rich, and more than bright enough.
Configuration choices abound, including a Pentium M processor between 1.4GHz and 1.7GHz, a hard drive from 30GB to 80GB, and a 14.1-inch or 15-inch screen. The system's $2,199 price tag is steep compared to that of a similarly configured Fujitsu LifeBook E4000, which sells for $350 less.
This is the notebook for the clumsy among us, thanks to patent-pending technology from IBM. If you drop the ThinkPad R50, an integrated motion sensor detects rapid acceleration, then temporarily "parks" the read/write head of the disk drive before the notebook hits the ground. The technology, called the IBM Hard Drive Active Protection System, is a unique way to prevent data loss, a problem for notebook users who take their systems on the road a lot.
As with earlier ThinkPads, the R50 series' keyboard is second to none, thanks to comfortable, firm keys. An excellent assortment of ports, old and new, line the notebook's edges, too: not only do you get the expected pair of USB 2.0 slots, but also FireWire, audio, S-Video, parallel, and external monitor connections. There's no flash-memory card slot, however, which may disappoint some digital camera shutterbugs.
Our test system did well on our MobileMark 2002 benchmark with a score of 156--just 1 point behind Compaq's Presario X1000. And the ThinkPad R50 series' excellent 4-hour, 50-minute battery life surpassed the competition. Should something go wrong, the notebook comes with an excellent three-year warranty on parts and labor.
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User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
User Rating: 
10/10
R50 another iorn horse by Ibm/Lenovo
Pros: Awsome design, durability, and performance
Cons: High Cost $2000 +
User Rating: 
8/10
Excellent value, few very minor complaints.
Pros: I have had an R50 for about 6 months now; it?s basically the cheaper version of the T41 desktop replacement, or so I?ve been told. Battery life seems to have declined on me a bit, which i'm in the middle of sorting out, but you can generally get 2.5-3 hrs
Cons: A few concerns aside from battery life (which may just be a fluke with my battery, given the generally positive reviews it?s gotten here on CNET): the plastic is quite squeaky both along the right edge (over the CD-ROM) and under the keyboard (where your
User Rating: 8/10
Way above the competition
Pros: This is my second Thinkpad, the first one being a five-year old 600E. The quality construction of this R50 is just amazing; no other manufacturers can come close. The keyboard is second to none, although the 600E and older generation Thinkpads had better
Cons: The wireless is overly complicated to use and it requires you to restart the computer if you want to turn on/off the wireless to work. Also, Windows XP is preloaded without any CDs provided.
User Rating: 10/10
Towers over the others
Pros: Nice screen, many features, easy to use, portable, wi Fi exclent, nice design, Exclent battery life
Cons: Needs another USB drive
User Rating: 8/10
Standard choice for business profession-becoming rookie
Pros: R50 has minimum standard feature for good noteook for college student and businessman in terms of keyboard, memory size, and other accessories. You'll understand the pros better when you do your own notebook comparative study (homework before purchasing)
Cons: RAM only 256
User Rating: 
6/10
Great Laptop BUT Poor Built Quality Get a T Series instead
Pros: IBM Reliability Decent Features HD Protection (Sometimes it activates when you don't want it to, so I turned mine off)
Cons: Plastic Squeaks too much Build quality is questionable
User Rating: 
9/10
Excellent Machine, not expensive
Pros: I bought the 1.6GHz centrino and the 15" svga display (actually the R51). Price:$1730 from one of the big mail order houses (including an extra 512 Ram). Meets or beats the price for similar Dell, gateway, etc. And it's an IBM. It feels and looks a bi
Cons: None, actually. Probably the first piece of electronics I've bought that hasn't generated a litany of complaints.
User Rating: 8/10
IBM simply can't be beat!
Pros: I got this one for an awesome deal from ibm.com, after my old HP crashed for the last time. It came with 1.4Ghz centrino and SXGA+ package, including a 3-year onsite service, and I only paid $1700! Compared with my old HP, this laptop is better in ever
Cons: I wished I had more options to choose a faster CPU, but the deal overall is still awesome for the money I paid. I am having some troubles with IBM rapid restore ultra, and some of the features aren't configured properly when sent to me, I wish IBM can ad
User Rating: 8/10
THIS IS THE BEST LAPTOP
Pros: THE COMPUTER IS EXPENSIVE WHETHER YOU WORK FOR A COMPANY OR GO TO COLLEGE. ITS A PAY OFF AND ALL DELL USERS.. THIS COMPUTER IS GOD INFRONT OF YOU. I HAVE CARRIED THIS LAPTOP AND ITS NOT HEAVY. ITS THE BEST LAPTOP AND GOOD FOR A OFFICE AND SCHOOL WORK. IF
Cons: NO DEFAULT AT ALL. IBM IS THE BEST HAD IT FOR 3 YEARS AND BEFORE R50 I HAD T21.. REALLY HEAVY.. NOW THIS COMPUTER IS NICE
User Rating: 8/10
Solid workhorse R50p
Pros: Loaded: 1.7 GHz M, 60GB at 7200 RPM, amazingly fast 128 MB ATI Mobility Fire GL T2, 802.11.a/b/g, 512 MB with 1 RAM slot open, DVD Recordable. I have speed tested this machine for OpenGL for multiperspective 3D rendering and image extraction, its faster
Cons: Expensive, it was over $3000 when I bought it and last time I checked, the price was holding
User Rating: 8/10
Excellent machine after rocky introduction
Pros: This unit is one the the best systems on the market based on the combination of features and power. IBM has not promoted the R50p that much, probably due to the worldwide shortage of XUGA screens. I have my second R50p. That's right my second. The fir
Cons: Remember not to buy anything the day it is released. Cars, TVs, PCs need to go through a normal course of use. Engineers want to get it perfect but sometimes it just doesn't happen until the syetem goes through enough field trials.
User Rating: 9/10
PERFECTION..No Comparison with any Competitor.
Pros: Ive Owned a Dell Inspiron, Ive had a Gateway 450, and just got rid of a Peice of Junk Alienware Area 51...I received my IBM Thinkpad R50P 2 weeks ago on my doorstep..Loaded with 1.7 Pentium M, a/b/g and bluetooth wifi combo, 1 GIG Ram, 128MB ATi Video, c
Cons: I do have 1 thing im not to funkedified about. Its not the Price. i think its worth its penny..its the speakers. i think the speakers should put out more then what they do..
User Rating: 8/10
The Best with some limitations
Pros: Good keyboard and ultranav, long hours of work with one battery!
Cons: Expensive
User Rating: 8/10
Great 15 inch screen laptop
Pros: Great specification, nice keyboard, nicely made, actually very light though it looks bulky, great mouse pad and other pointing devices. Very nice oraganization of the outlets for ethernet USB 2. The model I have is the R50 with 15 inch with 1400 by 1050 r
Cons: The screen looks a little bulky. The battery sticks out, though you do not have to carry it everywhere
User Rating: 
3/10
Real Disappointment
Pros: All the features make it a wise choice, but...
Cons: The system I got had numerous problems. I had loose screws rolling around inside, there are conflicts with certain drivers that IBM has not yet solved. It was a real disappointment. They certainly tried to fix the unit but it was unfixable. The unit in
User Rating: 9/10
Great laptop. Great service and support.
Pros: This is by far an excellent choice for mobile users. Easy to use and very reliable. I had one problem and I called IBM, the first person who answered the phone fixed my problem. Why Dell doesn't understand customer service like IBM is beyond me. Pay a
Cons: The fan is sort of loud. Should be moved to the back for q quieter work environment.
User Rating: 6/10
soild machine but big $$$
Pros: great keyboard, solid feel, good battery life, good screen, firewire, fast, no fan noise or heat problems.
Cons: My system was misconfigured, and IBM took it back, but its taking forever to get me another one. No wide screen or dvd burner.
User Rating: 9/10
R50P Wonderful Desktop replacement
Pros: -Sturdy and well built -Beautiful bright '15 screen and the 1600x1200 resolution is perfect. -Very good keyboard & UltraNav -Relatively sleek and light enough for non road warriors -Useful IBM software included. Unlike Dell who includes a lot of usele
Cons: NO FIREWIRE!!! The other cons are minor -Somewhat Expensive but you get what you pay for in this case. -DVD R/RW only 2x -Edge is sharp when leaning on stomach for the times I am working or surfing horizontally. -No Titanium or Magenesium coated cases lik
User Rating: 10/10
best product on the planet
Pros: AWESOME BABY
Cons: NO NEGATIVE.. IT BEATS DELL 8100 TAKE THAT DUDE... YOUR WHOLE COMPANY STINKS
User Rating: 8/10
Perfect for business or study
Pros: The R50 is by far the best laptop I have ever used. Rugged, portable and powerful. The build quality is phenomenal, from the tactile keyboard to the bevelled screen edges (for structural rigidity), solid metal hinges and the easy-to-grip matt surface. It
Cons: The 14.1" XGA screen is lacking in contrast under default settings. Vertical view angles are a little narrow. No Firewire on my model (some models have a built-in 4-pin port). DVD-R/RW drive is expensive.
User Rating: 9/10
Leaves Dell in the Dust
Pros: Great keyboard, Vastly improved Screen much better than Dell's 8600 and 8500, Their tech support is light years better than the foriegn support from Dell. I got a fully loaded unit for only $125 more than a fully loaded 8600 from dell. Plus with IBM I g
Cons: I will let you know more in 90 days. By then I will have had more chances to use it in various conditions.
User Rating: 
5/10
Too expensive for avail. competion
Pros: Standard IBM laptop features. Extremely easy to navigate keyboard - suffient ports for the modern gadgets
Cons: If compared to what is available in terms of memory and speed, this product should be priced at 1,500. 1.4 gigs with 32 video mem is just not enough these days - compaq and onkyo offer similar for less.
