Lenovo ThinkPad® R51 (1836Q4U) PC Notebook

The IBM ThinkPad R51 is one sturdy little notebook computer. Since it carries the IBM brand name, the price is a little higher than laptops from other manufacturers, but the difference in quality is obvious. This laptop has been my work computer, so I don t know the price paid for it. I m sure we got some kind of corporate discount since there are a few dozen floating around here, but I did look up the price on IBM s website. It ranges from $800-$1,200 depending on the features. Compaq/HP and Dell sell similar machines for a $100 or so less, but that doesn t make them better.

Have you ever sat inside a really nice car and been able to physically feel the quality? As soon as you shut the car s door, you notice how things seem more solid. That is the feeling I get from using this ThinkPad. It comes in a hard black plastic frame that is reinforced around the screen area so that it won t bend. The front of the machine slopes so that it is more comfortable on your wrists. When you rest your hands on top of it and type, the plastic does not creak. Even if it has been running all day, it never gets too hot and it is always quiet.

Here is what you get with the ThinkPad R51: Intel Pentium 1.6 ghz processor with Centrino technology, 256 megs of 333 mhz RAM with a meg of cache, a 40 gig hard drive, a 24x DVD/CD-RW combo drive, a built-in ATI Radeon 7500 video card with 32 megs ram, and a 15 XGA TFT screen. It also has two external USB ports, headphone and microphone jacks, a VGA and parallel port, and modem and NIC connections. It also supports wireless networking. If you were to buy this machine, the only thing I would recommend is adding another 256 megs of RAM to it. It can support up to 2 gigs of RAM, if you want to spend that much more on memory. This PC comes with Microsoft Windows XP pre-installed, plus a few other utilities. I like that IBM didn t load it up with a bunch of junk. It has plenty of programs for managing the special functions of this machine.

I think IBM did a great job with the design of this laptop. Most of the connections are located on the side panels and in the rear half, so you won t have any plugs sticking out of the front or front sides of the machine. I own a Compaq Presario laptop that has most of the connections in the front and my cables can sometimes get in the way. In addition to the standard touchpad mouse, a small rubber ball is included for an optional mousing device. I m not a big fan of touchpads, but the rubber ball is a nice addition. The screen is very bright and clear, though I have to lean it back at about a 30 degree angle in order for the colors to be the most vibrant. If I look directly at the screen, it seems a little too bright. The hinges for the screen are so stiff that I have to hold down the base when adjusting the tilt.

What most impresses me about this ThinkPad is that it does not get hot. It barely even gets warm. The front plastic panels in front of the keyboard stay so cool that you couldn t touch them and tell whether or not the machine is turned on. Most of the heat seems to be sent through the back and bottom of the machine, rather than just rise up through the keyboard. This reflects a very efficient design since heat is usually a concern with laptop computers. There is also a small light built into the top of the screen, which is a really nice little feature.

The only complaint I have about this machine is that the Function (Fn) key is located in the extreme lower left side of the keyboard. Normally, the Control (Ctrl) key is located there, and it has taken me a while to adjust to it. I still hit the function key when I m trying to copy and paste things, but luckily Fn-C or Fn-V don t do anything. The keyboard also lacks a Windows key, which I rarely use anyway.

For the money, I think this IBM ThinkPad is a great machine. I am glad to have it here at work and really enjoy using it. If you are in the market for a laptop PC, you might want to reconsider your budget and spend a little extra for this kind of machine. The internal parts might compare to other cheaper makes and models, but the other features and overall quality do make a difference.