I'll be replacing my machine early next year, and have not been impressed with any of the options on the market right now.
I bought a W510 a couple of years ago and it has been a good machine, though not as solid as my T61p. The screen is great, and I really like the keyboard and three-button touchpad. But it tends to run hot, and the Linux support is not flawless like the T61 was. I have been pleasantly surprised with the quality of Lenovo support. Hold times have always been pretty short, and they sent a field technician to replace the fan assembly for me when I first got the machine (it helped, but it still runs hot). Build quality for the Lenovo's appears to be getting worse over the years. I really liked my Thinkpad Tablet until a month after the warranty expired when the power button failed. Reading on the forums, it looks like shoddy connectors on the motherboard that only outlasted the warranty because I was careful with the device. <arg> I'm thinking about getting my next laptop from System76: https://www.system76.com/laptops/model/bonx6 It looks comparable to my current machine, and cheaper than what I paid Lenovo. I bought a nettop from System76 that has served well (https://richard.esplins.org/siwi/2011/11/26/system76-shows-promise/). I really love having perfect Linux support. They aren't staffed for 24x7 global on-site support, but they were very helpful the two times I needed to call them (once was just to find out specs for a memory expansion because I was too lazy to crack the case). I hope you share the results of your research. Richard On Saturday January 5 2013 14:22:36 Stuart Jansen <[email protected]> wrote: > I love my T61p, but it's gotten a bit long in the tooth. What would you > recommend as a replacement? My priorities are: > > - Linux compatibility > - build quality > - rocking warranty > - high resolution screen > > Note that price and weight aren't major concerns. I'm willing to pay > around $3000 if I can get high quality and a four year warranty. And I > doubt anything will ever again tip the scales like my old HP zv5000. > > I've looked and looked but nothing available today seems to compare to > the T61p. I have a 17" MBP for work and the build quality is decent, but > the keyboard and trackpad are meh, and Apple's warranty options are only > okayish not rocking. Lenovo's W540 looks decent but a step below my > beloved T61p. Nothing from HP or Dell inspires me. What have I missed? /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
