Solid, No Frills Performance By The_GPT_Reviewer on Jan 14, 2008 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

Apparently I fit in a small niche of laptop buyers. For one, I don't like widescreens; they're far too bulky and heavy to lug around. I also don't care to watch movies on my laptop; I have a very nice TV for that. What I want is a solid computer that with the size and durability to go everywhere with me. The laptop that fills those requirements is my IBM R51 Thinkpad.

The R51 should not be confused with the T series of Thinkpads. Those are a little fancier and therefore carry a higher price tag. The R series sports the look of the T series, but with a mostly plastic build. I can flex the case somewhat, but never enough that it feels fragile enough to snap. The best aspects of the higher end line carry-over however, principally the IBM keypad. I love the raised buttons and solid tactile feedback the provide, almost like typing on a standalone keyboard.Nothing under the hood of my laptop will impress anybody (1 gig of RAM, Celeron CPU), but these can all be easily upgraded. I'd never dream of doing any gaming on my PC, but for normal office work and web surfing it performs adequately.

All I want is a laptop that works, leave the bells and whistles to people with deeper pockets. If you're anything like me, you'll be more than happy with a R51!