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IBM is one of the major technical innovators in the world of computing, so a new Thinkpad is always an interesting development. The A30 is purely a desktop replacement: overall weight is pushing 3.5kg and, at 329mm wide, 272mm deep and 46mm thick, it's hardly a notebook to use on the go.
Our variant of the A30, the 45G, came with a 1.13GHz Mobile Pentium III, 15in LCD screen with 1,024 x 768 resolution, 30Gb Travelstar hard drive and 128Mb of Ram.
As with the rest of the A series, graphics are well handled by an ATI Mobility Radeon chipset, with 16Mb of dedicated memory. Standard options for other models in the range include screen resolutions up to 1,600 x 1,200, processor speeds up to 1.2GHz and video memory up to 32Mb.
The 45G has one internal slot free for an extra main memory module, and 128Mb will set you back £36 including VAT. You'll probably want to take advantage of this, given that the A30 comes with Windows XP Professional, for which 128Mb is Microsoft's recommended minimum. The screen has a very effective anti-glare coating that gives it a lovely muted lustre.
IBM is making much of its expansion modules. The A30 has two removable device bays: the Ultrabay Plus on the right and Ultrabay 2000 on the left.
Our model came with its Ultrabay Plus slot filled with an eight-speed DVDRom drive and the Ultrabay 2000 left free. Currently available Ultrabay Plus gizmos include a device carrier with a slide-out tray to which you can attach either a numeric keypad or a cradle for an IBM Workpad c500 (a rebadged Palm PDA). The DVDRom will also fit into the Ultrabay 2000. A DVD/CD-RW combo drive is also available.
The A30 45G has built-in Wifi 802.11b wireless networking, with twin antennae mounted in the lid. Conventional connectors at the back include a serial and parallel port - good to see on a desktop replacement machine - as well as 10/100 networking and 56K modem, plus VGA and S-Video out.
There are two USB ports, but no Firewire. At the top of the lid is yet another port, this time dubbed the Ultraport, into which you can plug a Bluetooth module.
No surprises over the A30's colour, but the case has been restyled in comparison to previous Thinkpads. The area in front of the keyboard, which has always been completely flat, is now slightly raised and has been dubbed a 'contoured wrist rest'. It's not terribly attractive and is reminiscent of some of the cheaper Compaq Armadas, but there's no doubting that you can rest your wrists on it.
Other new features are the shortcut buttons along the left, which you'll either find invaluable or never use. As with the R30 you get a Thinklight to illuminate the keyboard at night, although it isn't very bright.
If it all goes horribly wrong, IBM's recovery program is excellent. Hit F11 as the machine starts up and you can choose to restore a complete installation of Windows, plus all device drivers and extra IBM bits and pieces, from a hidden partition on the hard drive. Set it running and about 40 minutes later you'll find yourself back at a clean installation.
Build quality is what you'd expect from a Thinkpad. Although the outer casing is plastic, it feels sturdy and doesn't creak or flex when lifted or when opening the lid. Battery life isn't a major concern for this class of device, but the A30 managed an hour and a half in our battery rundown tests. The A30 45G is pretty speedy, turning in a Sysmark 2001 score of 133. A memory upgrade would no doubt improve the score further.
We've few complaints about this machine: it's well-built and well-featured and should last a long time. New systems with Windows XP should really feature 256Mb of Ram as standard but, aside from that, we'd give this machine the thumbs-up for users who need the wireless networking option.
Contact: IBM 0800 169 1458
www.pc.ibm.com/uk
See also:
A hot new processor and power to burn in the new Apple notebook. 15 Feb 2002
All Notebooks & Tablets PCs
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