Thinkpads and Windows 7

[mbpark]

I've been a very loyal Thinkpad user for years. I've either used them or Macs for work, with the exception of the Dell Latitude e6400 at my desk now. I am on my fifth Thinkpad (380D, 770Z, R31, T43, and now the new one).

I just got a Thinkpad T61 at work off of the "excess" pile since one of my old co-workers used it and then left. Since we're a Dell shop, it wasn't going to get circulated out to a customer. It's got 3GB RAM, a 160GB HD, DVD burner, and Nvidia graphics.

I loaded up Windows 7 32-bit on this laptop via a USB key. Within 30 minutes after installation (which took about 1 hour from within XP Pro) I had every driver loaded, Aero working, and all the patches. It took me a few hours to get TrueCrypt 6.3 running with full disk encryption (in my line of work, I have to use it!).

Lenovo knows how to make some really solid kick-ass hardware. Every time I use one of their machines, I am reminded of how easy it is to get the drivers set up and working. They even still have the 9x drivers for my 770X and 380D online. The machines also work really well under Linux, which I have run on 4 of the 5 (the T61 is strictly for work and the e6400 dual-boots Ubuntu 9.04 with TrueCrypt protecting Windows). The last time I used the 380D for work was late 2005, and it was as solid as ever, even running Windows 98 for an ancient DOS program.

Even though these machines are the anthesis of cheap, they are incredibly solid and I recommend them for anyone who needs reliable hardware. I've got my Dell at a desk, but I've got either a ThinkPad or MacBook on me to do my work.

I've used Toshiba, HP, Gateway, Acer, Sony, and Dell at various times throughout the years. I would not recommend Toshiba to anyone due to the fact that they cannot get their drivers right, and they like to use proprietary drivers in really hacky ways. Sony is just as bad as Toshiba. Acer is not bad with drivers, but the build quality is not good. Gateway is the same as Acer. HP makes solid laptops, but only for their business side of the house. The consumer laptops are just not that good from them.

Dell does make a stable product that works really well, and they support them well, but you have to make sure to get Intel wireless cards with them, not the Broadcom crap that Dell sells as their TrueMobile cards, or that other vendors bundle, else you will really hate life configuring wireless under Windows or Linux. They also don't have the System Update feature that the ThinkPads or Apples have.

In short, I've used Thinkpads for over 10 years. I am very satisfied with them, and this continues with the fact that I was able to stand up a T61 running Windows 7 with XP Mode and Aero in 30 minutes. They make some really nice machines. Pricey, but very nice, and solid for work.