CrunchGear

I have an idea. You buy the Thinkpad AND the Alienware, then send one to me. After a month of usage we will then which one is a winner ;)

In all seriousness though, why not try a MPB, that way you can go for OSX and XP/Vista.

Tom has a good point, OS X, XP/Vista on the same box- and with the new vmware on OS X -you could have it all. I use a T-43p daily (only cause I have to) so the T60 wouldn’t be a bad choice at all, it will just leave you out in the cold and with the latest feline almost here it would be a shame to miss out. So wait for the next rev of MBP or get one now.

I’m a developer who deploys rather large applications to both linux and windows environments and I’m very happy with my macbook pro. I’m not sure why you need a faster harddrive but I certainly haven’t had any trouble. Perhaps hardcore gamers and/or video editing might justify that need but I would assume 3gig of ram would solve the problem.

I also don’t understand the reasoning about price. How can money be an issue for someone who makes a living using and writing about technology… you can write this stuff off you know. If you want to spend most of your day working on a $500 machine then by all means. That said, if you are willing to fork out I’ve seen Vista running like a champ on those newer HP’s and Acer’s. That might be a little more your style.

“A 5400rpm hard drive? No thanks.”

Last time I checked, 7200rpm drives did in fact use more power and contributed to lower battery life while not being a great deal faster… just something to consider.

the 7200rpms hards actually give significantly better performance when loading windows, games, and file accessing apps. True though it does kill the batter fast… If you dont mind 17″ wides, why not the HP dv9000? Its a great performer, with great specs and looks… And not a bad price tag…

I’ve got a Dell Inspiron 6400 with a C2D proc and I’m really happy with it. The specs are: C2D 2.16ghz, 2GB ddr2 667, 80gb 7200RPM Sata Drive, 15.4″ TFT ultrabright, Nvidia Geforce 7300 Go, 8x DVD RW Dual Layer, Btooth 2.0 and 54G wifi.. I got it for a steal price from Dell for $1500.00 w/ XP Pro and 3 year warranty.

Just don’t buy a Sony. I was a huge fan of the TR2A — tiny, usable, great battery life and incredibly lightweight. It was my all time favorite laptop out of the many I’ve owned and used. I replaced it with a larger mid-range Vaio and the thing is a badly designed POS. It’s amazing to me that the same company designed both. I’ll not buy Sony again after this experience.

http://www.powernotebooks.com

Check out the PowerPro A 2:24 FORCE (ASUS Z96J)
http://powernotebooks.com/configure.php?special=339

I purchased this model before Core 2 was out and my notebook is lightning fast. I can’t even begin to imagine what it could do with a C2D chip. I easily run two and a half hours on my battery, more than enough to get me though class. You can customize a great notebook with the link above in the price range you’re looking for. Oh yeah, the 24 hour support and 3 year warranty is great!

I should mention that they have updated the model to include the Core 2 Duo chip since I bought it. :-)

I know you’re not looking for this recommendation, but I’ve recently purchased my first Mac (Macbook Pro 15inch 2.33 Core 2 Duo default config) and after three months I’m convinced this is the greatest computer ever made.

I’m a long time Windows user, and I’m floored by the os/hardware integrations. So many thoughtful design considerations in the hardware itself (break-away power cords, ambient keyboard for working in the dark, super sleek form factor, brilliant screen, usb on both sides, track pad with two-finger scrolling, built in camera, ultramega-fast mobile cpu and gpu, with tons of memory and every built in wireless protocol you could want).

On top of that, I use Open VPN and Parallels for my cross OS work. This machine truely is a masterpiece, and comes highly recommended.

Good luck with your decision!

What was so wrong with your Macs?? You’ve got to go with the Mac for a portable…got to!

I’d go with the Thinkpad myself. I’m typing on an Alienware laptop right now (I’ve forgotten which model, but it was classified “replacement desktop”), and while it’s served me well over it’s lifetime it’s starting to give me headaches in its later years in life.

First, it was exactly as advertised. It was fast. It was heavy, it was basically a small form factor desktop with an integrated screen and keyboard. No complaints on that front.

The main problem was (and is) heat. I took the back panel off and keep a fan blowing on it constantly just to make sure it doesn’t die during virus scans. However, I don’t know what you’re target life cycle is, and that only showed up in the past couple of months. If you think you’ll be replacing it in three years I wouldn’t worry too much. Or maybe a fresh install would help…. but I’m too tangled up in my program settings to ever get them all right again.

Anyway, that’s my peanut. Honey roasted for tasty chewing.

can’t go wrong with a TP. my last 3 have been TP (A30, T30, X23) and I haven’t had a problem with any of them. still have 2, gave one away which still works. tried and true…

I’ve got an IBM T41. It’s the latest in a series of laptops stretching back to the dawn of time, and it’s been the best of the bunch, by far. For me, that means durable, has a great keyboard, and the best service of any of them (I tend to wear our laptops–it’s on 24/7, and anything that can happen, will). It’s got seven days left on its three-year warrantee, and I’m going to see if they’ll extend it another year or two, or I’ll have to get a T60, I think. The Compaq before it was in the shop several times for three to six weeks (spare parts problems)–IBM has never had this one for more than three days in the shop! Let me say it again, differently: the three reasons to buy an IBM/Lenovo service, service, service.

FYI: 7200RPM hard drives generate no discernably heat or battery life loss. I can’t believe that FUD still floats around the internet…check out the tests at laptoplogic.com.

Forgot to add that I had a thinkpad t42 before. It did not have the 15.4″ screen, but it did have the shock protective hard drive and it was portable as all hell. I needed something to game with though.

you know, the more i think about this, the more i think you’ll be happier with the thinkpad. it’ll be sleeker, and you’ll be able to get rid of all the bs that’s pre-installed on it a lot faster than on the alienware. plus, you can probably get it for cheaper.