Fantastic, luggable, not portable, but does its job very well
Written: Sep 24 '03
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Pros: Sloping keyboard, desktop power, large display, quiet operation, reasonable price very flexible configuration and wireless
Cons: Should come with 512M of RAM rather than 256M.
The Bottom Line: Buy it, you won't be sorry if you need something for your desktop but need to take it alone once in a while.
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| donc13's Full Review: IBM Thinkpad G40 Notebook (238433U) PC Notebook |
The 238433u, a pre-configured (express order) version of the 2388 IBM ThinkPad G40 series. It comes with a 40GB hard drive, 256M of RAM (DDR PC2100), a 15" XGA TFT screen, Pentium 4 (desktop) 2.4GHz CPU, 3.5 Hr Li-Ion 12 cell battery, CD-RW/DVD combo drive, floppy drive, 4 USB 2.0 ports, PS-2 port, built in WiFi 802.11b wireless (with dual internal antennas), 10/100 NIC, 56k V.90/V.92 modem, stereo headphone output, stereo mike input, parallel port, video port and the best darn keyboard I've used on a laptop in a long time. Not only does it have a great feel and tactile feedback, but it's sloped like a "real" keyboard and very easy on the wrists! No touchpad for the mouse, but IBM's TrackPoint is far better (in my opinion).
This machine is a moveable desktop replacement. It is not intended to be a take-it-everywhere-I-go machine. It's heavy (8.5 lbs) and its power brick adds another couple to that. It has no docking station, but you can buy a USB port replicator that replicates all ports and adds a serial port too. At about $80 for the replicator, it's about as simple as it can be to plug it into one of the 4 USB ports and you're "docked." This machine has got about all the power anyone would want for heavy duty business or graphics work. It's video is not intended as a gamer's machine, but rather as a superb business machine. You can, of course, take this machine and use it anywhere. In it's highest power saving mode (and there are many) the battery will last about 3.5 hours with quite acceptable performance from the CPU. Crank it all the way up, and I have gotten about 2 hours out of the unit before the battery drops below 15% left.
I can't think of anything I wouldn't try with this (computer wise that is). I wouldn't use it as a Frisbee, but I wouldn't use a Frisbee as a computer either.
Depending on your needs, the main drawback is that there are no modular plug-ins. That is, the floppy and CD-RW/DEV are in fixed bays. While they certainly can be replaced, it requires taking the machine apart. The out-of-the-box RAM is also a bit low. Considering this is intended as a desktop replacement, 512M would have been better out of the box. It'll take a max of 1GB of RAM (2 512M SODIMMs) and I've added a 512M SODIMM to mine for a total of 764M and that is plenty for my needs. To go beyond that, I'd have to pitch the original 256M chip or trade it in. Right now I don't need any more, but if I did...that'd be a waste.
This machine is absolutely reliable, appears to be very well built and the slopped keyboard is a huge bonus for me.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1329
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 15 inches
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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Epinions.com ID:
donc13
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Reviews written: 13
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