ThinkPad: Where to buy?
 

I'm in the market for a ThinkPad, and was wondering if anyone can recommend a good place to pick one up. Any recommendations?

I brought my T41 in Dec '03 directly from ibm.com (now lenovo.com). It was the cheapest i could find even with NY Sales tax. It showed up in less than one week with a free carrying case, even though it listed 2 weeks wait time during the order process.

And their depot service was VERY VERY FAST (had to replace the faulty motherboard after my trip to hk last year). The only complain i have about the ThinkPad is no "window key"....

Last August I got an X40 from ThinkPadWorld:

http://stores.ebay.com/ThinkPadWorld

I stopped by their offices here in NYC to save shipping. I guess they re-sell Thinkpads that get returned, unopened, to IBM - mine came through IBM's financing unit.

Their prices are good, but the downside is that their warranties are usually from a 3rd party.

Best prices for Thinkpads that I have seen is through an OSU purchase program at IBM (I found this deal through Fatwallet.com).

http://www.ibm.com/shop/ibmdeals/osustudent

Discount structure (from retail list price):

Laptops: 34%

PCs: 36%

Monitors: 36%

Servers: 35%

Accessories: 20%

Accessories with Server Purchase: 35%

Printers: 20%

Nobody seems to care if you are an OSU student or not, huge numbers of people who are not have ordered through this link. But if that still worries you, go a different route.

Good luck, TJ

Try Bill Morrow's site at www.thinkpads.com

It's the ugliest website you'll ever see, but Bill is a longtime member of the Thinkpads listserv and I've dealt with him before and he occasionally has very good deals.

I just bought a ThinkPad z60t from www.sparco.com. For my model, pricing was identical to the OSU Student site posted above. They offered cheap shipping and the option of "rerouting" the shipment through their HQ to avoid charging me CA sales tax. And since they are an IBM/Lenovo reseller, my purchase qualifies for the the current round of mail-in rebates (from $75-150).

Thank God for that :p

Thinkpads are great for Linux and they wanted to give the customers a good feel hardware wise as well. Some linux nerds dont like the windows key since they boot Linux only.

However if having a Windows key is important to you, Thinkpad does give you the option to configure any of the special keys as your Windows Key.

->Start->All Programs -> ThinkVantage -> Keyboard Cutomizer Utility

-> Click on the Tab "For Use with ThinkPad Keyboard" and Mark "Enable Key Assignments"

-> Function Windows(R) key -> Choose any of the 6 special keys available here. Most people go with the Right Alt Key since its seldom used.

-> Click Apply and Close.

All set. Locking your workstation ( Windows Key + L ) also becomes easy since the right alt key is right near the L key as well.

i have an employee discount if anyone would be interested...not sure of the price differences...and no worries about using it, we are allowed to give the code to friends and family.

There's no Windows key because there's no room for it. Easier to leave that key out than removing one of the Ctrl, Alt or Fn keys.

The new series in the X and Z line have Windows keys, IIRC.

I understand that Linux might be the reason they left the key out...but they simply could just offer two keyboard options during customization. One with WIN key, one without.

The Customizer is a band-aid, not a real solution to the problem. Plus it's not as good as a native WIN key. I tried it before but it sucks up a lot of resources.

The IBM/Lenovo employee discount progam is a great way to go and with the poster above in this thread offering to give you the necessary info (employee last name and employee number) to use it, that's what I would recommend. I got mine that way, a T42p which listed at the time for abpit $2,600 for about $1,750 including tax.

A not widely known fact is that with the employee discount, you can get virtually any model you want at a greatly discounted price. In other words, the program is not limited to just the models that are shown on the employee discount site. You just have to call the toll free number listed on the emplloyee discount site and discuss your needs/wants with a sales rep. or tell them which model you want and they will quote you the discounted price and usually will give you free ground shipping.

Another tip, don't pay extra for express shipping. Most of the computers purchased direct from Lenovo are shipped UPS Global Express from Kowloon even if free ground shipping is selected, and unless they get held up clearing customs are delievered about two days after they ship.

One of the best things about TP's is the factory (not third party) warranty and telephone support. I would recommend getting a model with a three year factory warranty (like most of the "T" series have) or paying extra to get the factory warranty upgraded to three years. I don't recommend used or refurbished models or relying on any third party warranties because I have heard bad things about them but have no personal experience with them.

Another benefit of purchasing direct from Lenovo is that you get a no hassle 30 day return period if you decide you are not happy with your particular unit for whatever reason.