I have a compaq and a thinkpad (t43p). The compaq is older but it have given my a lot of problems. I also know a lot of people who have made issues with compaq and their customer service sucks. The thinkpad works great. I would really suggest dropping the compaq off the list.

-Niche

thnx for the reply niche! but what would choose between the t42 and the r51..?

I would go for a Apple Ibook G4 133 Mhz -$999.00

store.apple.com

1.33GHz PowerPC G4
512K L2 cache @1.33GHz
512MB memory (DDR333 SDRAM)
12.1-inch TFT Display
1024x768 resolution
ATI Mobility Radeon 9550
32MB DDR video memory
40GB Ultra ATA hard drive
Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
Built-in AirPort Extreme
Built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
Scrolling Trackpad
Sudden Motion Sensor

Out of the 3 you have selected I would go with the T42, personally I don't like IBM laptops but it will be better than the compaq. I've always found HP/Compaq support to be among the best, but I only deal with the business support so the home support could be worse.
The R series thinkpads always seem really cheap. The T will be lighter and more portable and probably have better battey life.
My only reason for not choosing the compaq is that it is more of a home PC where as the IBM will be aimed more at the Pro market.
Don't forget that if you choose to go with IBM you will have to live without your Windows keys.

ooops guess i messed up this quoting thing...

moved to general =)

we use t42 at work here and they are pretty reliable.

It is quite obvious that Mac was not an option. So unless you're getting a kick back from Apple, stow it (seratosnath)!!! Or if ya'd like to hand hold the PC user till they get up to snuff in a whole new environment....

j-u - thanks for noticing all the issues that the Mac people are having, I'd be willing to bet that alot of those issues are due to users that are not familiar with operating system and then that directly effects SSL.

nobspangle, why dont you like thinkpads?

Personally, I've always held the IBM Thinkpads to a high regard, very well liked by several businesses near me. The only thing that would make me not purchese one now, is Levano bought that division... so it's a Chinese manufacturer now, and I'm normally warey of goods from China, quality wise that is.

hey! i finally got my lazy self up and brought a T43 back home. thanx to all ya'! it was really hard to decide if i should go mac or not, so i took my time and looked for the ibook/powerbook specs they sell over here. i kinda liked the powerbooks but they were soooooooo expensive. so i went to go for the t-42, but all the shops ran out of that model. on my way home (sadly) i got a call from a friends who told me about a shop where they have these t-43s on discount (thats my man!!!!)! luck at last i'm sittin here with my brand new laptop & ssl, working PERFECT for 2 days so far and didnt paid more then 1600000won(thats 1500USD)!
ibm T-43 1.73GHz 2GB memory 80GB internal HD, and a combo drive!!
thnx again ya'll, and wish me luck with it!!!

Out of those three, Thinkpad T42. I want to get a Dell X1 (2.5lbs) just for use with Serato. That's my dream.