IPS vs. regular SXGA+ screen

Stumbled onto the site and have a question for you. Is the 15" IPS screen worth the $200 premium over the 14" regular SXGA+ screen?

Also, there are various sales going on and I have not done much research. Is EPP (now available to the public) or Holiday Sale a better offer? Pre-configured or customized models? I need a SXGA+ screen and 1GB memory and preferably a Core 2 Duo CPU; as for other specs, standard configurations are fine.

Thank you.

Taylor

 

Well, one machine is noticably larger than the other. The IPS will offer viewing angles from all sides.

The sales are similar for both EPP special and holiday special - notice how they offer both at the same time...

Try customizing and comparing to pre-built models.

 

The best price (epp vs holiday sale) depends on your configuration. Check both. I just ordered the IPS flexview screen, based on all the good reviews it got from people in this forum.

Check out this thread for student/alumni EPP pricing.

 

It really depends on what you are doing with it. Photo editing or giving presentations where the FlexView will have obvious advantages. If you just need something is light for better mobility, I say the 14" is fine. I have the SXGA+ R60 which uses the same panels as the T60. It is fine for general use.

 

Thanks.

If the IPS screen just offers better viewing angles, I would save the money.

The 20074AU is the chepest EPP SXGA+ model at $1,123. The CPU is Core Duo and the 512MB memory needs upgrade ($90); other specs are decent.

I configured one "similarly" spec'ed HS model and it came to $1,089 with a Core 2 Duo CPU and 1 GB memory, but a 3-year warranty would cost another $250.

A lot information to absorb...

 

There are many many different configurations, and the same configuration can have multiple prices and change every week. So, either drive yourself crazy looking at all of them, or just buy one and get it over with.

Something you might want to take into consideration, the sales rep told me a memory upgrade is more difficult than on other notebooks. It is located under the keyboard as oppsosed to just in its own panel underneath. You might want to confirm this with someone who already owns a t60, unless you are confident enough to attempt it anyways.

 

I do think it is the right time to buy. Maybe in half a year the current pricing will be un-beatable.

I will have Lenovo install the extra memory. I don't want to mess with the laptop and worry about store-bought memory being in-compatible.

 

from what I've seen and heard, the advantages of the IPS screen extend far beyond simply improved viewing angles...check out this review to see photos comparing a regular LCD to an IPS one;

also, somebody posted some great comparison photos on the thinkpad forums displaying the regular and IPS Thinkpad displays side by side...

 

great link npish!
a very comprehensive review.

 

Wow! Thank you. The Dell has serious light leakage and contrast is far worse.

 

If you look at the photos in the review, the one where they are side by side at the correct angle, they look similar. The ones where they are at an angle, the IPS is clearly superior. The FlexView is more color consistent which helps with photo editing.

 

I shelled out extra $315 for Flexview (That is what cost me when I configured mine.) for the feature of better viewing angle. I don't edit photos, but I figured that it will come in handy when my wife and I and possibly one or more kids get around the notebook looking at phots, whatching videos, and/or doing web-cam chatting with other kids' families. I hope nobody will have to strain their eyes or constantly moving around to get a better viewing angle.

 

while it is certainly difficult to make an objective case based on the photos included in that review, it is quite clear that, beyond superior viewing angles, the color depth and apparent fidelity is vastly enhanced in the Thinkpad/IPS screen relative to that Dell screen; even in the first photo--with the two screens at a normal angle--look at the difference between the whites and blacks; the carpet is presented with significantly finer detail, with more texture in the greys, whereas the left is almost completely blown out; also, the IPS screen displays a markedly warmer balance, whereas the Dell is much cooler--ie more blue--which is something I've noticed particularly with non-IPS Thinkpad screens; of course, some of these attributes can be accounted for in calibration/profiling, but only to a certain extent;

again, it's hard to make these kinds of assessments from basic photos, but the differences in color and detail are clear; I should also add that I photograph art for galleries and stare at color pretty much all day, so I'm a bit more tuned--i.e. picky--than most when it comes to displays and color reproduction;

 

When I had my T42 which had the FlexView screen next another notebook at the correct angle that was the impression I had. Off-center was another story and color consistency is better on the FlexView.

 

Can someone please do a proper comparison test. I'm planning to get a T60 soon, don't know if the flex view is really worth the extra bucks.
Thanks