Laptop Screen Size

[als814]

I'm going to be in the market to get a laptop for college soon, and I want something portable with good performance, but I don't plan to play games on it, so I don't really need a good video card. I was thinking of the Dell D620 model, but I have a question of screen size for all laptops in general. When it advertises itself as 14.1 inch screen, is that the viewable or the total? My dad has a 17 inch 6000 which I think is too big for a laptop, and my mom has a G4 from school which is 14.1 total, but only 12 viewable which I think is too small. I'm just looking for advice here.

[Alaron]

LCD diagonal measurements are true screen sizes. So on a 14", you have 14" of viewable space. This is unlike CRTs, where a 17" CRT only has 16.1" viewable. Laptops are LCDs, so the screen size reported is what you will have to work with.

As for your laptop purchase, I would go with a 15" or 14". 17" and higher are too big for portability, and lower then 14" makes it tough to be productive. Keep in mind that the larger the screen, battery life decreases slightly.

Take a look at thefultonhow's guide to laptop buying: http://www.pcmech.com/show/internal/946/

[thefultonhow]

The 6000 is actually 15.4" -- if you think that's too big and 12" is too small, you should look at 13"-14" laptops. The D620 is a 14" one (widescreen, though).

[als814]

That's a big help then, and I think I want a 14 inch seeing as my mom's is just a little too small at 12 viewable. I read that guide a few days ago, but I'm still having trouble deciding between the Dell D620 and a Lenovo R60. I've never really heard any bad things about thinkpad's, and the Lattitue models seem to be more reliable than the regular dell's. Can anyone provide any additional recommendations on this subject?

[thefultonhow]

I like ThinkPads a lot, but the R series build quality isn't on the same level as the T series or X series. You might want to look at the T60 just for kicks -- it's more expensive but really quite nice. The R series is thicker and has a plastic shell -- the T series has a magnesium shell (although the inside trim is still plastic).

That's not to say the R series build quality is bad, though -- it's just not as good as the other ThinkPads.

[als814]

Would the R series build quality be on par, better, or lower than that of the D620 in your opinon?

[thefultonhow]

I haven't seen a D620 in person yet. The build quality of the D600/D610/D800/D810 was slightly better than the R51, though.

[als814]

Man, this is really making the decision hard. I've got about 1600 to spend total on it, but that would have to include a case and maybe a printer, which would be probably $30-40. Configured the way I want it, a T60 is about 1589, an R60 is about 1450, and a D620 is about 1300. Do you think prices would come down between now and my birthday (july 30), which is I think about the latest I would want to get it? I read one of the headlines about AMD lowering prices when the new Intel desktop chips come out, but they didn't mention if this would affect the mobile lines. I mean there really isn't a good way of predicting these types of things, but it's still something to consider.

Would the extra 150 for the T60 over the R60 be worth it in the long run? I hope to keep this for at least a few years after I graduate.

Thanks a lot for the help btw, I realize this is a lot of questions.

*I guess the real question is whether the T60 is worth the extra 300 over the D20?

[thefultonhow]

What warranty are you configuring each laptop with?

[als814]

I don't think I was configuring any warranty.

[thefultonhow]

The IBMs are probably coming with a three-year warranty; the Dell is probably configured with a one-year one. That might account for part of the price difference.

[als814]

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure neither of them were coming with any more than like a 1 year warranty.

Although the T60 looks like it comes with the fingerprint reader, which while i question the actual usefulness for myself, is freaking cool. Makes me feel like a secret agent.

[glc]

Have you looked at the Dell Inspirons? There should be an equivalent to the Latitude D620 you are looking at (I think it's the 640m or E1405), and you may be able to get a better deal on it. This also might allow you to get a higher line model within your budget - look at the 6400 or E1505 (same thing I believe). The prices also vary between the home and small business sites. You can find additional discount coupons quite frequently.

However, I feel the T series Thinkpads are probably the most reliable laptops on the planet.

[als814]

It might sound weird, but I like the mouse configuration that IBM and the D620 use a lot better than just the regular touchpad.

[glc]

I'm with ya there - I hate touchpads, the IBM cow tongue is a lot more comfortable for me. If I have to deal with a touchpad-only laptop for more than occasional use, I plug in an external mouse.