Current owners of older Thinkpad models

To all owners of the older ThinkPad owners not sold by Lenovo, will your next laptop be a ThinkPad?

Every once in a while I'll check what other companies have, but I really like my T61 (even with the Nvidia timebomb. Still under warranty) so I'd probably go again with a Lenovo, but this time with an onboard Intel. Hopefully, the keyboard and built quality are as good, or near as good.

What about you guys?

 

Yes, I'll stick with the Lenovo TP b/c of the keyboard, professional looks and ....the lengendary trackpoint.

 

I am so accustomed to the Thinkpad layout, it is hard for me to go with any other companies...

 

I voted not sure. There's lots of things I like about ThinkPads and a few I don't. When I'm ready to buy again, I'll have to look around and see which is the best fit for my needs. I'd lean towards ThinkPads, just because I've had good experiences with them in the past, but I would not buy them blindly either.

 

Thanks, man.

Even though lenvo sucks big time (G8xM, SATAII) I don't have much choice either. Need a cool machine, w/o fan exhaust to the bottom, real keyboard, three mouse buttons, matte high-res screen, good linux compatibility. So probably Thinkpad again.

 

As a prior owner of an IBM ThinkPad T40 (2003-8 as my only laptop, and still serving a friend to this day), I'll count myself as eligible for this poll.

My next laptop/tablet (probably won't be till 2012 or 2013) will most likely be a ThinkPad as well. I find that ThinkPads offer by far the best combination of reliability, heat management, input device quality, battery life, weight, and serviceability of any brand. These features, and support in the event of a failure (of which I also have been quite satisfied), are far more important to me than the features that other manufacturers pursue (high gloss, minimum cost, maximum performance at expense of heat/battery life, etc).

However, I do have some fear that Lenovo ThinkPads may not exhibit excellence in all of these features in two to three years time as the brand is becoming more consumer and cost focused (as demonstrated by the SL and 'Edge'). If that occurs I would have to reevaluate my choice. However, I believe the X and T4x0s line will hold their position as top quality designed products, cost secondary, for the foreseeable future.

 

I had a T41.
Now I have a T61p.
I'll most likely get a T410s or W510 later when my warranty expires or I get itchy fingers.

The only reason I stick with Lenovo/IBM (Thinkpad) nowadays is the trackpoint and keyboard.

 

I voted not sure. I currently own a T60 and am extremely happy with the performance and support of the machine. However, I do a lot of photo editing and I find none of the Thinkpad screens anywhere close to what I need. Currently I use an external monitor work with Photoshop. I am watching the RGBLED's and the Macbook screens for my next purchase - hopefully 2 years down the road. However, all is not lost on the Thinkpad front, for basically the Thinkpad wins on every other Pugh criteria I have in mind. And there is hope that someone in Lenovo might finally think that it might be a good idea to have better displays!

 

I voted "not sure." I love a lot of the things that Thinkpads have to offer, which were not available anywhere else, which is why I went with my T500. That may change from generation to generation, though. For example, the T500's switchable graphics were a very compelling reason for me to go with it over an Elitebook 8530p, but that advantage seems to have disappeared in the new generation, unfortunately.

You may want to look at the T510/W510 with the FHD 95% NTSC color gamut LED-backlit display

 

I recently bought a T60p and so far it is an awesome machine. Its the 14.1 standard resolution and the whole unit just feels solid. The keyboard and ultranav is the selling point for me on THinkpads.

My next purchase will definitely be a Thinkpad, either a a T or W510. What I regret is buying Macbook Pros for the last 4 years...what a waste of money.

 

Not sure over here. I have a T60, and have had many issues with it, but I really do like it. And support has always been good to me.
I bought a T400 last week and am loving the machine itself, but I called today with a support issue, and with a bug report. Instead of willing to make any sort of compromise or ask another coworker or manager about my issues, he just insisted that since he hadn't heard of them, there was nothing he could do for me.
So overall, it depends on the experience with my T400 and the support I may need to use down the road.

 

if get this sort people just hang up the phone and call again.

 

I voted not sure.

Thinkpads are engineered well. I love the keyboards. I like the Lenovoblogs.com site and the forums on Lenovo's support site. But Lenovo fails at so many simple things it's hard to tell if they want to grow their consumer business in North America or if it's just an after thought to their higher margin business sales.

A few of Lenovo's problems
- Thinkpads with poor quality screens. (This might be getting better now)
- Lenovo's website with typos, inacurate spec information.
- Sales reps giving wrong spec info over the phone.
- Thinkpad W series with a blu ray drive, no HDMI, and a display port that doesn't have audio. LINK to a forum complaint about this. Why wasn't this made clear to the consumer?

Dell has their problems too. But I will definitely be watching their products closely as some of them look very nice.

Dell Vostro V13 around $600
http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/08/dell-vostro-v13-is-450-65-inches-thick/
http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/08/dell-vostro-v13-hands-on-impressions-yes/

 

the Vostro V13 looks good, but how is the functionality? If most people were after the look side of things, they would probably have avoided Thinkpad in the first place and got a MacBook Pro instead.

But 600 dollars sounds enticing for a portable machine that is not Netbook like in quality or feature.

 

Except for the Nvidia "time bomb" and some other smaller issues ie SATA2, roulette on which screen one receives (which seems to be an ongoing problem spanning several TP generations) it is a very reliable machine with above average build quality. I dont like NBs with flexing, squeaky palm rests, thin plastic, etc. ThinkVantage despite many people hating it is great for keeping the machine very easily up to date.

 

I have a T61P that still going pretty fine, running on Win 7 Pro. I am considering my next Thinkpad being an X series model.

 

Likewise, my T61p is going strong and I have a freaking 4 year warranty that wont expire for about another 18-24 mos. I am quite happy the computer has served me well. My next computer will be more travel friendly and will be either a x3xx or a T4xxs.

 

i've been using lenovo's and ibm's for years now for work. at home, however, i prefer something more media friendly - a machine that's cutting edge and can be used as a media center.

that's why i got my hp dv7t. it came with a media center remote, hdmi out ports and it's overall a pretty nicely built/designed machine. i paid less than $1600 for my decked out dv7t where a lenovo equivalent would have been over $2300..........

I am personally growiny weary of lenovo / ibm design since it's really lacked in originality but i know that's not what these units are for. for a stable, bullet proof and rugged laptop, you cant go wrong with lenovo.

so, will i buy another lenovo? no, i will stick with whatever they give me at work. my next laptop (maybe in 3 years) will be another HP. this thing has been the best bang for the buck.

 

Same here - my warranty still has about 500+ days to go. I kinda like the smaller models like the X series. Probably won't go for a T4xx series as it is pretty similar to my T61p. But haven't had any issues with my T61p and still looks brand new - I keep it pretty well. Got rid of those ugly stickers on the palmrest ages ago too.

 

Voted not sure here . My X200 has been very good for the year I've had it now (probably will serve at least another year or two) but when I buy new, like others, I shop around first. My school is also all Apple-centric and I figure they'll be all over my *** if I don't buy the "right" thing if you know what I mean, lol. On the PC side I've been looking at 14"ers so the new Elitebooks, T410s, etc. Over on the white side I suppose the MBP 15" is OK apart from that price...oh well.

 

I have a T61p but the 14inch model with a weaker GPU. My computer gets choppy because of the nVidia problem that Lenovo refuses to address unlike other companies. I'm never buying a Lenovo again.

 

Actually, this is an interesting question.

I find that I also am not sure. I don't wan't a computer for the masses, I'm not the masses. I cherish the T61p Keyboard, the design and rollcage. I do not cherish that Thinkpads are getting to be a commodity or the heavy weight. I'll have to wait and see whats available.

Renee

 

That's a lot of yesses when u consider all these threads about flexing plastic/keyboards and other annoyances with the latest models... Lenovo must still be doing something right then.

 

I have a T61 with Intel GPU which should run for ages without developing GPU problems.
My next Thinkpad would be a either new or used W500 with high resolution display. I refuse to go 16:9 just yet, those machines are nasty and without vertical space, but that is not Lenovo to blame.

 

After 6 consecutive pro-version Dells (last 3 with W/UXA), I moved to a W500 with WUXGA. Once I upgraded with a third party SDD, I have been very pleased with it in almost every way
- except:

1) Lenovo switchable graphics video drivers OK for 32bit Win7, not good enough for 64bit Win7. Vista drivers in this area are still superior.

2) IBM/Lenovo tech support a bit like running the gauntlet. Quality of experience very variable.

Next laptop will probably be a T510 or similar - pleased that the HDD screen is also now available on the T-series. Would prefer to have a switchable gpu, but with present state of Lenovo Win7 gpu drivers, I don't use integrated gpu ever now anyway.

 

I think Lenovo is doing a lot of things right - but like any OEM who makes business computers that cater to consumers with high demands, they will inevitably take a whole lot of criticism for the mistakes they make and the faults their products do have. And that leads to improvement - the Tx10 series addressed many issues that cropped up in the Tx00 series, and I expect that to continue in the future.

 

I spent a considerable amount of money to go from a T61 to T61p because I thought having a better graphics card would allow me to keep the computer longer. If the Intel GPU doesn't get warm and then run video choppy after 5 minutes of video and Lenovo refuses to address the Nvidia issue, then I'm never buying from them again.

 

I would also point out the people here tend to be enthusiasts and overly anal about any perceived flaw. They are not afraid to be vocal about it, but we're such a small slice of the pie, it's easy to get the wrong impression.

 

Probably, I like my T400s alot, but prefer 16:9 screen layout with higher resolution. I will sell it for W510 with FHD screen ASAP.

However if the screen on W510 turns out to be sub-par, then it will probably be my last thinkpad. going to look into sony or apple products.

 

How much different really will the new HDD screens be, other than a tiny bit bigger, a few less pixels (a PPI of 141 rather than 147)? And I would think LED and 30% brighter screens than the present ones would be nice? (and should last longer at full brightness)? I guess there are other issues that will make or break them. It will be very interesting to see the first reviews. So often i find it is the quality of the gpu drivers that runs the hardware that is as important. I really like my present W500's WUXGA screen, but will observe with great interest the new generation!

 

sorry i am not up with the nVidia problem - what's the issue? does it only apply to the NVS140M? I've got the FX570M.

 

all the 55 nm and 65 nm GPU of the Nvidia is reported to be affected by the eutectic bump material, which when stressed by GPU intensive operation (so if you turn all the graphic eyecandy off, no games or other GPU intensive operations, then the GPU would last a while), would lead to increased current (due to the increased data) that causes electromigration within bump material, which causes failure due to electromigration.

The eutectic solder usage is part of the RoHS, where electronic manufacturers try to reduce the use of high lead content solder in electronics manufacturing.

 

so there is overheating which then results in display problems? I've googled it and there is mention that the nVidia FX570M (which is what I've got) also has this problem. So far I havent experienced the issue, and fingers crossed, it stays that way hopefully this is covered under warranty - still have over 500+ days warranty

 

overheating in the GPU is a response to the increased current in the GPU, which is what causes electromigration. Nvidia FX570M is basically a 8600M GT which is produced on a 65 nm process.

 

No.

Overall my first experience (T500) was good but I will not buy again because:

1.) My tastes are now more geared towards multi-media rather than business.
2.) The screen was awful.

Give me a ThinkPad design with consumer graphics/display and it would be perfect for me.

 

I am using the Windows Basic theme now even though I really like the thumbnails in 7's new taskbar. My temps aren't dropping though.

 

It's more heat related IMO, i only disable any frivolous features (Aero Peek, Transparency) when i play GTA 4, but I find my temps are fine even with every bit of eyecandy, i wouldn't worry about it that much dude. Hell, if i were you i'd try my best to rapidly heat the GPU and cool it just to get a new mobo out of the warranty, so that the failure timer is reset and you have a good 2-3 years out of it. You should use TPfancontrol, HWmonitor, or speedfan to control your fan setting, using TPfancontrol i always keep my fan on the 2 setting, which is 2556RPM constant, and it keeps my GPU quite cool, so it reduces the sudden temp dropping effect when you shut your laptop down, this fan setting for me is also very quiet.

 

Yeah, I use speedfan, but I can't control my fan speeds for some reason. They just don't show up for some reason.

 

What laptop do you use? If it's any sort of ThinkPad use TPfancontrol, although i'd only use TPfancontrol to control the fan on ThinkPads, it doesn't seem to be very accurate temp wise, for mine, HWmonitor's GPU temps always show 10 degrees higher than TPfancontrol, and HWmonitor also shows lower CPU temps than TPfancontrol

 

14inch t61p so the 128mb version of the 570m

 

Ah, yeah use TPfancontrol, and that 570M shouldn't have a problem for a longer time since it was quite gimped, as in a 64-bit memory bus width, vs 128-bit, downclocked, and i think it used slower DDR2 memory, and also obviously the lower GPU memory.

 

I see. Maybe that explains the choppiness I experience when using Windows 7 and when I play videos full screen on my 22 inch external.

 

What temp does your GPU run at? I'm at 55-58 when I'm just using Word and Firefox.

 

My T61's gpu runs at 56 Celsius right now. The hottest I've seen it go in were 62-63 degrees.

So I guess the newer ThinkPad gpus run at the same temperatures?...

 

that is pretty good...

 

Really? It seemed high to me when everything else is below 40.

 

Sorry, could you tell me what issues they addressed ? 16:9 screens ?

 

16:9? Are you kidding me? What companies didn't ratify 16:9 laptop screens as soon as they became mainstream? Well, Lenovo for one, their newest models aren't 16:9. However i do see your point, they've been bags with the deffective GPU's, they never extended warranty on machines with affected GPU's, they never even had the nuts to at least admit that there is a defect in them and that it may shorten the average lifespan of them.

 

That could be the processor, use RMclock to monitor CPU speeds, play a DVD and if the processor is still at it's lowest core clock stepping, then use the high performance power plan when playing vids, my T61p doesn't struggle at all to play internet 720p TV on a 32" 16:9 flatscreen. Anyways the GPU as i know does not accelerate DVD codecs, only certain ones like H.264.

 

Thinkpad it is. I am a recent convert. Only reason why my next purchase might not be a thinkpad is if i convert to Mac.