I know it is really funny talking about a laptop this way. But i have always liked to personify things. I mean, how can one not feel attached to a laptop that has been around with you ever since you entered Uni, see through your graduation and 2 job switches? It practically feels like it has grown up to adulthood with you. I would never forget the countless times that i have to lug the 2.9kg machine to school to do my project work as my friend's laptops have given up on them a long long time ago. Only my trusty machine stayed with me throughout the entire ordeal. I will also not forget the times when my friend would laugh at me for buying such a monster as a laptop but i would have the last laugh since my laptop is the only one that stays with me all the way to the end of my uni days and even wayyy beyond.
This is Cnet's review of my darling machine. Do note that despite its laughable specifications at this time and age, it was a wonderful machine at that time. And it still is, standing strong and processing at a speed beyond its age. I will always love MY Thinkpad R51. I really hope my idea pad will also stand the test of time :) :
- Average user rating: stars out of 26 reviews
- See all user reviews
-
Product summary
Specifications: See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 08/04/2004
- Updated on: 09/13/2009
The IBM ThinkPad R51 includes one convenient, swappable drive bay that supports various modules, including a cutting-edge DVD-RW drive. The 9.5mm-high modules for the thin-and-light IBM ThinkPad T42 conveniently fit in the R51's 12.7mm bay, but not vice versa. The bay opens out of the right edge, which also has a VGA port. A smattering of standard ports and slots reside on the left edge: there are ports for 56Kbps modem, Ethernet (either 10/100 or Gigabit, depending on which configuration you choose), headphone, microphone, S-Video out, two USB 2.0, and two Type II (one Type III) PC Card slots. FireWire isn't included in the offering. A lone parallel port occupies the back edge. The front edge slopes in, making the system appear slightly slimmer from a head-on view. Unfortunately, however, this design also points the speakers and their tinny sound down at your desk rather than straight at you.IBM offers a dizzying array of component options for the ThinkPad R51, including Celeron M or Pentium M processors, ranging from 1.3GHz to 1.7GHz; up to 2GB of fast 333MHz SDRAM; a CD, DVD, DVD/CD-RW, or DVD-RW drive; a 4,200rpm hard drive measuring between 20GB and 80GB; and a 5,400rpm hard drive at 40GB or 80GB. The R51 comes with IBM's Active Protection System, designed to protect your hard drive from sudden jolts. You can choose among three graphics options: the Intel Extreme Graphics 2 (855GME) integrated graphics subsystem, which borrows up to 64MB of video memory from system RAM, as well as ATI's Mobility Radeon 7500 or 9000 graphics chips with 32MB of dedicated video memory. Screen sizes range from 14.1 to 15 inches, and they feature native resolutions of either 1,024x768, which makes for large, easily readable text, or 1,400x1,050, which results in smaller text but more detailed graphics. You can also choose between 802.11g and dual-band 802.11g/a adapters.
The IBM Web site doesn't list all of these options, though. If you don't see an option online, order your system by phone. Keep in mind, however, that you can usually save a little cash by choosing an Express (that is, preconfigured) model from the site.
With all these options, how do you configure the ideal laptop? Luckily, based on the IBM ThinkPad R51's impressive performance in CNET Labs' tests, you can likely pick low-end parts without sacrificing too much speed. Plus, high-end models tend to cost more than comparably configured systems, such as the Gateway M405XL.
One of three Microsoft Windows operating systems comes preloaded on the IBM ThinkPad R51: XP Home, XP Professional, and for those who still can't make the leap to XP, Windows 2000. IBM also throws in InterVideo's WinDVD Creator for systems with a DVD-RW drive, and an IBM-branded version of Sonic's RecordNow for laptops with a DVD/CD-RW drive. IBM also bundles its Rescue and Recovery software for data retrieval when your system's in trouble. Finally, the company includes one user license for the Lotus SmartSuite Millennium office suite, along with the option to buy several variations of Microsoft Office.Mobile application performance
The IBM ThinkPad R51 easily takes the top spot in this small test group. The R51 scored 12 percent ahead of its nearest competitor, the Gateway M405, and 15 percent ahead of the Toshiba Satellite M30-S350. This performance difference can be attributed mostly to the fact that the IBM ThinkPad R51 houses twice the RAM of its comparison systems.
Mobile application performance (Longer bars indicate faster performance)
 | BAPCo MobileMark 2002 performance rating |
To measure mobile application performance and battery life, CNET Labs uses BAPCo's MobileMark 2002. MobileMark measures both application performance and battery life concurrently using a number of popular applications (Microsoft Word 2002, Microsoft Excel 2002, Microsoft PowerPoint 2002, Microsoft Outlook 2002, Netscape Communicator 6.0, WinZip Computing WinZip 8.0, McAfee VirusScan 5.13, Adobe Photoshop 6.0.1, and Macromedia Flash 5.0).
Find out more about how we test notebooks.
System configurations:
Gateway M405
Windows XP Home; 1.5GHz Intel Pentium M; 256MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; Intel 82852/82855 Graphics Controller-0 (up to 64MB-shared); Hitachi Travelstar 40GB 4,200rpm
IBM ThinkPad R51
Windows XP Professional; 1.5GHz Intel Pentium M; 512MB DDR SDRAM 333MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 32MB; Fujitsu MHT2040HT 40GB 4,200rpm
