
IBM ThinkPad R51 Notebook
| WorldBench 5: Performance word scores reflect comparisons of notebooks in the same category running the same operating system. See Guide to the Top-Rated Products for more details. | Good: 67 (Windows XP Professional) |
| CPU | 1.5-GHz Pentium M 715 |
| Screen size | 15.0 inches |
| System memory | 512MB of DDR333 SDRAM |
| Hard drive | 60GB |
| Graphics | 32MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 |
| Pointing device | Touchpad and eraserhead |
| Bays | One |
| Bundled removable-media drives | One multipurpose bay with DVD-ROM and CD-RW combo drive |
| Floppy drive | None |
| Ports | Parallel, two USB 2.0, FireWire, microphone, headphone, S-Video, PC Card slot |
| Communications | V.92 modem, gigabit ethernet, 802.11g |
| Business suite | None |
| Other features | N/A |
| Overall design | Outstanding |
| Battery life (hours:minutes) | Good: 3:54 |
| Weight (typical/minimum, in pounds): Typical weight includes the computer, AC adapter, optical drive, and floppy drive (if offered). | Average: 7.4/5.5 |
| Vendor's reliability/service | Average/Better |
| Support policy | One-year parts and labor warranty; free unlimited 24-hour daily toll-free support |

IBM ThinkPad R51
ThinkPad R51 Notebook Review, by Carla Thornton July 28, 2004
It doesn't have a hip new wide screen, a six-in-one media card reader, or a built-in DVD burner. But if you're looking for a terrific deal on a mainstream notebook, the IBM ThinkPad R51 delivers. The excellent keyboard, expandable design, long battery life, and 5.5-pound weight add up to one great portable for $1694.
The keyboard features deep-depressing keys in an easy-to-navigate layout. Both pointing devices, touchpad and eraserhead, are included. Each has its own set of mouse buttons, and eraserhead fans get two additional bonuses: a good scrolling button and three swappable caps (we found the smooth soft dome the most comfortable). If your work keeps you in the dark a lot--say, on a plane or in meeting rooms--you'll appreciate the ThinkLight, an LED mounted in the screen frame that softly illuminates the keyboard. Do you find yourself squinting at the screen, even under plenty of light? Launched by the combination keystroke of Fn-Space, the spacebar magnifier zooms the current window to fill the screen. The result is not 100 percent crisp, but it's plenty readable.
Like to keep your upgrade options open? Think you might want more RAM, a bigger hard drive, more connections, or longer battery life down the road? It will cost you, but the R51 offers more choices for expansion than any other notebook we've reviewed in this price range. Our unit had 512MB of RAM installed. You get 256MB built in, leaving you one open memory slot to fill with an additional DIMM up to 1GB for a total of 1.28GB. That's short of the up to 2GB of main memory some expensive notebooks offer, but it should be plenty for most users. You can easily access the socket by removing one screw from a bottom panel. Ditto for the 40GB hard drive, which you can pull out of the right side of the notebook by its cover.
You get expansion possibilities galore with the battery and docking options--not that you necessarily need them. The R51's standard battery, a rear detachable unit, turned in excellent performance in our tests, lasting almost 4 hours on one charge. For even longer-lasting independence from an outlet, swap in the extended-life replacement battery ($99), which lasts 30 percent longer, according to IBM (we did not test it). Finally, you can use either the standard or replacement battery in combination with a second 3.5-hour battery ($170) in the notebook's right modular bay (you will have to remove the combination drive first). When you aren't using the bay for the optical drive or a battery, you can insert a second hard drive. A release on the side, instead of the bottom, of the notebook lets you pop devices out using one hand.
The Wi-Fi-ready R51 comes with a full set of notebook connections, including a parallel port (but no serial) for legacy fans, two USB 2.0 ports, and FireWire and TV-out ports. But for easier desktop cable management and for expanding your horizons, IBM offers three docking options, ranging from the simple (the $179 ThinkPad Port Replicator II) to the slightly more sophisticated (the $229 ThinkPad Mini-Dock, with its own power adapter and two additional USB ports) to a high-end base that includes an additional modular bay (the $399 ThinkPad Dock II).
The R51 should be fast enough to handle just about any type of application. In our testing it set a WorldBench 5 mark of 67, which is 3 percent faster than the average score for notebooks equipped with Intel's 1.5-GHz/600-MHz Pentium M processor and 512MB of RAM.
Wrapping it all up is the excellent on-screen user manual, in our opinion the best in the industry. Considering this manual's dedicated launch button and step-by-step animated tutorials, it's hard to fault IBM for dropping print documentation.
We have just a couple of minor complaints: The set of mouse buttons provided for the touchpad sit a tad too close to the front of the notebook. We were able to press them most of the time, but occasionally we instead thwacked the edge of the case with our thumbs. And like most ThinkPad notebooks, the R51 is not a music machine, despite a nice set of press-and-hold volume buttons at the top of the keyboard. The sound quality is fine, with no distortion or extreme tinniness, but a bit too low for more than casual listening.
Upshot: Slim, fully featured (including an excellent keyboard), and extremely expandable, the R51 strikes just the right balance for individuals and businesses desiring mainstream features more than bells and whistles. No other $1700 notebook we know of offers so many docking and battery expansion options. You do, however, have to pay extra for business software, starting at $130 for Microsoft Office Basic Edition 2003.
Carla Thornton
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Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
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Reviewed by: kmukh
Strengths: ruff-n-tuff body, wonderful performance, fully loaded (the 1836-Q7U version), strong finish, runs like a race horse...overall it's IBM
Weaknesses: THIS IS IBM, THERE CAN'T BE ANY
Overall: I have read few reviews regarding R51: 1836. Well I am a proud owner of one the IBM models (1836-Q7U). Those of you who are still thinking/waiting/reading opinions to buy a laptop, simply GO FOR THIS ONE (check the model no., I mentioned). The machine is simply awesome for the price. It comes loaded with in-built mobile wireless (a/b/g and Bluetooth too), 1.7 GHz, 512MB RAM (expandable to 2GB), 80GB HDD, a DVD-CD-RW burner, 2MB L2 cache and a wonderful graphics (1400x1040). I never hear a fan-noise and the battery life is almost 4hrs!! And all in the price tag for $1699.00 from IBM. Lucky me, I got a special dicount offer and got it for only $1529.00. CAN YOU IMAGINE ANY QUALITY LAPTOP AT THIS PRICE????Well before this laptop I had a TOSHIBA (A35-S159). It is just over a year old, and it started giving me problems. I decided to buy my 2nd laptop this time, and I have been reviewing, going to stores, checking out models before buying one. If one of my friends had not advised me, I would have gone for SONY VAIAO FS-570, thank god I opted for this IBM piece. C'mon, SONY, TOSHIBA, DELL, HP whoever they are has a lot way to go comparing with performance and product finish with IBM. Customer satisfaction is 100% with IBM unlike others.If you are not going for beauty or fashion models, and believe in performance and overall finish, IBM is the final solution. I needed to have one for the longrun activity not a short term lease stuff (e.g. my eralier TOSHIBA). I love the business like finish of this model and it doesnot matter to me as it weighs 6.5 lbs. I love this piece. And I would advise IBM to revise their business strategy, as no one is going (needing) to buy a 2nd IBM machine for atleast 6-7 years after buying this one; a loss for IBM but a total gain for the consumer!!Believe me, this one is a real computing SLAVE and true CHAMPION.
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Reviewed by: arup10
Strengths: Solid Build QualityVery good Keyboard and convinient Trackpoint MouseQuite fast (mine is 1.7 Ghz)Good screen quality (15")Very good Carrying Bag
Weaknesses: A tad heavy, would a preffered a slimmer design, but the build quality and functions kind of make-up for it.
Overall: +Solid Build QualityVery good Keyboard and convinient Trackpoint MouseQuite fast (mine is 1.7 Ghz)Good screen quality (15")Very good Carrying Bag-A tad heavy, would a preffered a slimmer design, but the build quality and functions kind of make-up for it.Best buy in this price range!
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