Deciding between two ThinkPad configurations

I am currently deciding between the following ThinkPads:

R61 - $1,201.01
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T9300 (2.5GHz 800MHz 6MBL2)
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
14.1 WXGA+ TFT
nVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M
1 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
250 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
Intel Turbo Memory 1GB
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Enhanced
PC Card Slot & Media Card Slot
Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (supporting Centrino Pro)
Integrated Bluetooth PAN
7 cell Li-Ion Battery

T61 - $1,397.26
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T9300 (2.5GHz 800MHz 6MBL2)
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
14.1 WXGA+ TFT
nVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M
2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
250 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
Intel Turbo Memory 1GB
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim
PC Card Slot & Media Card Slot
Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (supporting Centrino Pro)
Integrated Bluetooth PAN
7 cell Li-Ion Battery

As you can see, the two are pretty much identical with the exception of the RAM which I will upgrade myself to 3 GB. Also, I wish I could swap the PC Card for an Express Card. The Media card reader is very important to me but I may change that configuration to PC Card Slot & Express Card Slot if I end up deciding that the Express slot is more important. Either way, this will not affect the price.

I'm having a hard time justifying nearly $200 more for a T61 versus an R61 but I'd like to hear your thoughts. Weight is an important issue for me but I'm not so sure if it is worth $200.

I would have even considered the T61p (for its vastly better video card) but the 14.1" model is not available in widescreen. Anyone have any idea why Lenovo chose not to offer a widescreen version of the 14.1" T61p?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

I guess it comes down to this.

Would you like a mobile computer... I.E. something that will stay at your desk but come with you on trips and vacation and occasionally to the couch.

Or

Would you like something that is constantly with you everywhere you go?

If you want the super mobility go for the T. If you want a mobile computer that will mostly stay in the same place for long periods of time, get the R.

 

Sounds to me like you have made your choice. I say, if your going to upgrade the RAM yourself anyway, why pay the extra price for the T61? I can't comment on the weight differences as you did not list them, but all-in-all, I say go with the cheaper R61, upgrade the RAM and be happy.

 

I'm going to have to upgrade the RAM on either one of them. That's not the issue.

I do not know the weight or dimension differences between the two. I am hoping someone will share some feedback.

 

You can get spec sheets on Lenovo's web site, for careful comparisons. From what I remember, with 14" screens, the R61 is only 0.2" thicker and only 0.2 lbs heavier. Build quality is identical.

I got the R61... just last week and like it a lot.

 

T61:
# Dimensions of 14.1" widescreen system: Width: 335 mm (13.2 in) x Depth: 237 mm (9.3 in) x Height: 27.6 to 31.9 mm (1.09 to 1.26 in)
# Weight for 14.1" widescreen: As light as 5lb

R61:
# Dimensions of 14.1" widescreen system: Width: 335.5 mm (13.2 in) x Depth: 237 mm (9.3 in) x Height: 30.0 to 34.9 mm (1.20 to 1.37 in)
# Weight for 14.1" widescreen: 5.2lbs

source: notebookreview.com

 

I got the R61, and even though it's thicker than the T61 it's still by no means not portable. It's very easy for me to carry around in my backpack.

You could always get the PC Card/ExpressCard combo, and buy a card reader for the ExpressCard slot. My card reader has been nothing but a nightmare for me, it formats every card I put into it. Granted, I have not taken the time to delve into the issue, but I was a bit disappointed at my having to use a USB card reader for reading purposes.

Whichever you choose, I'm sure you'll be happy!

 

"I'm having a hard time justifying nearly $200 more for a T61 versus an R61"

well, factor in the 15% off coupon for R61 and 10% off for T61....you'd have 5% more "hard time justifying...."

also, some T61 owners are "complaining" about the thinner palm rest...you should factor that into your consideration.....

lastly, linux option only for the R61...if this would be your 2nd or 3rd laptop, that's a great saving.

 

I noticed that you have 2GB in your T61 config and only 1 in your R61 config. Still, even with that, I'd still recommend the R61 over the T-series in this case.

 

I've owned two different R-series ThinkPads since 2002, an R31 and R40. I just ordered a T61 (T8300/15.4" WSXGA+) and I was set on getting a T-series for a long time. My wife, sisters, and dad all have various T-series TPs (T41, 42, 43, 61) and in my experience, they're just better.

In my opinion, the build quality is superior and they are more lightweight. My wife's T42 is 3.5 years old and it's only had one repair (the LCD had a 1-pixel green line in it), while my R40 has had the mobo replaced, the lid hinge and case replaced, and the DVD drive replaced twice. My R31 also died within 18 months from what I think was a fractured motherboard, and I was stupid enough to not get a warranty beyond the standard 1-year. From personal experience, I'd get a warranty for either choice for as long as you need the laptop to work.

From what I've seen, the T-series is just a notch above the rest. The R-series is good, but the T-series really is better. Maybe things have changed in the last few years.

Find a coupon or sale, and get a T61.... But you can't really go wrong with either choice.

 

You're right. This is because up until yesterday, they were not offering the T61 with 1GB of RAM. However, they now are so I was able to bring the price down to $1,307.48 so I am now leaning towards the T61. I will buy myself a 2GB stick and upgrade it to 3GB of RAM. 4GB would be nice but since I'm sticking with a 32-bit operating system for now, I'm limited to 3GB.

I am now debating between hard drives. I've opted for the 5400rpm 250 GB hard drive but I'm wondering if I should jump on a 7200rpm drive? It's considerably more expensive unless I drop down to 160 GB although I think 250 GB is a better size for me seeing that I take lots of pictures and have lots of music. I currently am on a laptop with a 40GB hard drive which I've maxed out so I would like to get a fairly high capacity hard drive, especially if I end up doing a dual boot in the future (loading XP).

I hear of heat issues on the 7200rpm hard drives. Also, how reliable are they compared to the 5400rpm hard drives? I've heard the Hitachi Travelstar drives have a tendency to crash.

Also, could someone tell me the battery life differences between the 6-cell and 7-cell batteries as well as their weight? From the pictures I've seen, the 7-cell is only slightly larger so I don't mind the size, but if the battery life increase isn't much, then I may drop down to the 6-cell to save some money.

 

If it was me, I'd buy the base size hard drive and upgrade it on my own to the 7200rpm drive. You can find a 200GB 7200RPM drive nowadays for around $140 on sale, and I'd doubt it'd cost that to upgrade to the 200GB 7200rpm with Lenovo.

There may be increased heat, but it shouldn't be anything big enough to bother you. I don't see why they wouldn't not be reliable, they should be in every way just as reliable as 5400rpm drives today.

I haven't heard a lot of complaints from users about the Hitachis. Keep in mind that there are always more people who post about a failed drive than ones who post with good stories, so it may throw you off a bit in determining reliability.

I don't know about the battery life differences, but if I were to make a guess I'd estimate 30-45 minutes more battery life with the 7-cell, depending on usage.

 

I agree with chubbyfatazn in this case. It's usually a heck of a lot cheaper to upgrade things like RAM and the HD with aftermarket parts. You're just paying more for the same sort of equipment.

 

What is the recommended process for swapping out the hard drive for one I buy on my own in terms of getting the OS, drivers, and software on it?

 

You create recovery discs from the stock HDD. Then swap the HDD with the new one and use the recovery discs you just made to install the OS, drivers, and software that came on the computer from when you first received it.

 

Thanks, I figured that was the best way.

Does anyone here have the 7-cell battery for their ThinkPads? Is it worth the extra $50 over the 6-cell battery?

 

I have the 7-cell. It depends on how often you'll be relying on battery. I move from class to class so I got it. Also, both the 6 and 7-cell batteries stick out so that's not something to worry about except the 7-cell may stick out a couple millimeters more than the 6-cell. I thought it was worth it. I'd say you'd get about a 30-45 min increase, so it's about $1.25 for extra minutes.

If you're going integrated video card, then with the 6-cell you're already getting 4+ hours of battery life. Discrete video card will shave off about 45min to an hour of battery life regardless of the amount of cells.

 

Thanks, I guess I'll go with the 7-cell battery, especially since I'm planning to pop in a 7200rpm hard drive.

I have a question regarding the Windows Vista Ultimate option when customizing a computer on Lenovo's site. Is this the 64-bit version or no? I see they have an option for the 64-bit version of Vista Business, but not Ultimate.

 

It's the 32bit version.

 

Thanks, what's the best way to upgrade it to the 64-bit version?