IBM ThinkPad R40e TE04TUK

If you've only got around £750 to spend on a computer and you know you want a notebook, your options are fairly clear. In return for features and some extra performance, you can take a risk on the quality of the keyboard, monitor and construction; or you can compromise on specification and, in return, play it safe when it comes to the key parts of the notebook.

As the ThinkPad R40e is IBM's least expensive notebook range, and the TE04TUK the most basic R40e you can buy, it should be no surprise that it falls squarely in the no-risk, low-specification category. In return for £720, you get a 1.7GHz Mobile Celeron processor, 128MB of RAM, a 20GB hard disk and a CD-ROM. Forget extras like USB 2, FireWire and WLAN - hell, you can forget about infrared and serial ports too - just parallel and USB 1.1 are catered for here.

It's not a combination to set the pulse racing, but it does meet the needs of a huge percentage of the UK's computing population. In particular, this machine should appeal to the first-time notebook buyer. Not only because IBM always keeps things simple (to put the computer into standby mode, just close the lid), but also because it supplies an excellent software guide to the notebook (Access IBM) that covers everything from extending battery life to adding more memory. The combination of build quality and investment in customer support is no doubt one of the reasons why IBM has always come first or second in our annual notebook reliability and service polls.

Admittedly, IBM's ThinkPads aren't going to win any awards for style. The black angular look went out of fashion at roughly the same time as Duran Duran, and it's even less likely to make a comeback. At least the R40e is relatively light, though, tipping our scales at 2.7kg even with the CD-ROM in place (although note the lack of a floppy drive, which is only available as a USB extra). This is partially a reflection of a relatively small battery, which only kept the ThinkPad going for two-and-a-half hours in our light-use test.

We've no criticisms when it comes to build quality, though, with every key aspect of this machine well protected. And IBM's high standards again shine through when you start using the keyboard. Forget the sagging efforts you might have previously used on notebooks - the keys are so generously sized, and have so much travel, that you're unlikely to ever feel the need to hook up an external keyboard. My only complaint is the missing Windows key.

People have also criticised IBM in the past for its insistence on sticking with the TrackPoint 'mouse' rather than a touchpad, but it's still intuitive - even to a first-time notebook user. Also, IBM has included a scrolling button between the left- and right-click keys: hold this down and you can scroll up and down through the active document.

Another definite plus is the screen. We've criticised other notebooks this month for having poor viewing angles, which means the brightness doesn't look even across the screen. Not so with the ThinkPad. What's more, it's extremely brightly lit and its contrast is excellent. The more conservative buyer will also appreciate the fact that IBM opts for a 1,024 x 768 resolution with its 14.1in diagonal - this means that system text is easy to read without resorting to adjusting Windows' dpi settings.

The screen doesn't have the fastest response times we've seen, but they'd be wasted anyway. There's no fancy graphics accelerator here, just a basic ATi Radeon chip that borrows its memory from the 128MB of system RAM. It can still cope with older 3D games, but as the ThinkPad's 3DMark2001 SE score of 1,258 suggests you might need to drop the resolution for satisfactory results.