written by John R on 09/12/2004
Good Points
ThinkPad R40e:
Value for Money
Good quality keyboard
Solid design - nothing flimsy
Bad Points
None
General Comments
The R40e Thinkpad is probably IBM's bottom range product - but don't be put off.
I bought mine for £600 seemed a real bargain at the time. Since then the price has dropped further - see below.
If you want a basic home and office laptop without frills then this machine is an excellent contender. Bear in mind it is not pretending to be an entertainment centre - just a good quality basic workhorse at a good price.
14.1" screen keeps the size compact and has excellent readability.
DVD/ROM: - not a writer but do you really need a CD writer in your laptop.
USB: Only two provided but plenty for normal applications(one at the side, one at the back).
Touch Pad: Uses the IBM trackpoint device in place of a touchpad. I, like many others prefer the trackpoint device.
Memory: 30GB HD, 256MB Ram
Expansion: PCMCIA + Add In Card compartment
Reliability: This machine has travelled up and down the country with me for 12 months. It still looks and operates like new.
I did have a problem after 11 months, when a lightening strike hit a local telephone cable and knocked out the modem. (Everything else continued to work).
My supplier EuroSimm suggested I contact IBM for a Warranty repair. Again to my surprise this turned out to be much simpler than I had anticipated. After some initial 'over the phone' trial diagnosis I was asked to deliver the machine to a local transport depot. Three days later it was back for collection and in full health.
To continue my list of surprises I noticed recently (Dec 04) that Eurosimm are offering more of the same for £500. I can only describe it as a bargain.
Greekpatriot's Response to John R's Review
Written on: 06/04/2005
I must agree with your comments. The only think I have to add / or confirm is that the R40e is a total bargain. I got mine for £300 + VAT.
<br>:)
<br>Specs:
<br>2.4 GHz Celeron
<br>DVD-Rom
<br>30GB Harddisk
<br>128 MB DDR PC2100 (I have to upgrade this soon)
<br>Windows XP home, WinDVD, Norton Antivirus 2003