Lenovo T60 or Sony SZ390?

Hey everyone I am currently looking into getting a new laptop but am not sure which one too choose. The Thinkpad T60 is a very nice machine, but the Vaio SZ390 is lighter, and perhaps tougher with its carbon fibre casing? Also was wondering if its worth buying the Sony purely for its Core 2 Duo 2.33ghz processor, which currantly is not avalible in the Thinkpad, which has the Core Cuo 2.33ghz.

thanks for the help

 

The sony is nowhere near the build quality of the thinkpad. I would still get the thinkpad with the core duo or wait about another month when ibm updates it.

To me sony notebooks are a waste of money; they are extrememly overpriced based on looks and have terrible build quality for the price. The thinkpad is by far the better choice.

 

Not much of a performance difference in those CPUs. You could look at the Z61t or X60 if you would like something lighter.

 

Do not listen to this guy, I work for IBM S/N 4*7206 as a Professional Services consultant (In-Field). The T-60's are crap. We have been having major problems with them. Also, this guy s has no clue about Quality. Sony is number one in fit to finish per Gartner. I researched MAC, IBM, DELL, etc... and settled on the SZ390 with T7600 CPU's. Yes, the multi-core is worth every penny. This guy has no idea what is talkig about. Dude Vista is coming out and you will want every CPU core you can get. Speak with professionals when looking for solid information. - JJ

 

Sure ya do.
IBMers write in the style you demonstrate... NOT !
Another one post wonder

 

Where is your proof?

Quality doesn't mean how sexy a laptop looks. It also means durability and other categories.

Maybe mikeal321 doesn't need the fastest laptop in the world. Maybe he is looking for great battery life for a C2D. Maybe he might not get Vista the second it comes out. Why does Vista make a Sony, Mac, or any other laptop better than a IBM? Plus, both CD and C2D have two cores. That is the max # of cores you can get now.

Does this mean you are the only professional and ZaZ and jtom just spammed to get 11800+ posts and 54 rep points?

 

Thinkpads are good but I just don't believe that Sony's products are of less build quality though I never used it.

Plus Sony's screen is very good.

 

They are different types of screens so a direct comparision is difficult. The Sony screen will be brighter. One plus for the ThinkPad is you can get it with a higher resolution. The SZ I saw was decent, but not as good as the ThinkPad though it was not the premium model.

 

Wrong,.. sony is the 4th worst brand for laptop reliability

 

I am very interested in seeing more follow-ups on this topic because I am about to make a purchase and need to decide between X60 and SZ360.

 

I got an SZ 370 a little while ago.

Totally sucks. Feels like it's gonna fall apart, the stock software install sucks (I wiped everything installed a clean copy of XP Pro, and downloaded all the drivers one by one from the sony site.) The screen is too thin for it's own good, the hinges look like they're gonna break, the keyboard doesn't feel bad until you type for awhile on it (hour or two). Then your hands start to hurt. The EDGE antenna is a TERRIBLE design. It just flops around whether the laptop is open or closed. Plus, I hate the idea of having a legacy network built into new hardware, wouldn't be so bad if it had EVDO. The WORST part is the battery life. I locked the CPU at 50% scaling (1.0 GHz), put it on stamina mode (intel graphics), put the screen brightness at 10/22, and let it sit idle for as long as I could. 2 hrs 15 min That's terrible. It's going back to the store tomorrow.

I have no idea if Lenovo is any better, but I've got my eye on an X60.

 

I've had a SZ240 for the past 3 months and love the thing. The keyboard keys are "looser" than I'm used to on my old toshibas but I love the thing nevertheless. I use it every day, at least 6 hours per day for work and no issues so far. I'm even buying a second laptop, the new SZ390.I can't comment on build quality of thinkpad vs. vaios, but everyone has an opinion. Even the "reliability" chart that was posted earlier shoudl be taken with a grain of salt.

 

Mikeal321: I'm not sure where you were looking but the current T60 has up to a Duo 2 Core T7200 (2 GHz) and the T60P goes up to an Duo 2 Core T7600 (2.33 GHz).

 

Glad you're happy with your Viao, but quality isn't really evident until a couple of years later or more. Sony laptops have a less than stellar track record according to several sources, never mind the anecdotal horror stories. Only time will tell whether the T60 holds up as well as the T40's T30's and T20's did.

 

Hey thanks a lot for the help! I just had one more question, corymcnutt mentioned the differences between the top processors on the T60 and the T60p. Is it worth buying the T60p just to get the T7600? Im not a particuarly power user, perhaps a bit of Photoshop, multitasking etc, but i want something that will last as long as possible!

thanks a lot
mike

 

Mike: The price difference is steep between the T7200 (2.0 GHz) and the T7600 (2.33 GHz) and I don't think you would notice much difference, if any, especially "Photoshopping" or normal "office" work such as MS Office. But hey, if you got the money, go for it, ha!

 

I have owned both, and used many other models within Company brand. In my opinion (and yes, I too am in the "Tech Business"), it comes down to what is important for the user; Sony screens are great if your looking for the high-gloss reflective effect. Lenovo's have a great keyboard, and can be more durable in everyday use. HOWEVER, they all can share some common build elements as disk drives, hard drives and memory. Hence, performance should be roughly similar in same build components. Bottom line: look them both over and decide for yourself which one fit's your needs. Unless your involved with significant / graphics work, either will most likely be ok. The rest is just personal/professional chatter.

 

I'm torn between the Sony SZ320 and the Lenovo Z61t and possibly the T60.

I do like the Sony screen but not so much the keyboard. I'm concerned if I will like the Z61/T60 screens but from what I've read I'll like the keyboard more than the Sony.

There's no where I can go try an IBM product locally.

decisions decisions ...

 

uniquestco: I know what you are going through. I would love to have the 14" glossy screen on a T60, but it ain't gonna happen, at least for a while. I use a Sony 4:3 glossy screen on my desktop and it is wonderful. I looked at the Sony SZ machines and they are nice, but the T60 just "reeks" of quality, and the keyboard is terrific (I only know that because my wife was given one for work and brings it home). The screen is matte, there is no getting around that, but they wouldn't sell them like they do to companies if employees couldn't use them well. That's why I went with the T60...it has everything else, except the screen, whereas the others have the screen, but not the feel of the T60. Good luck!

 

corymcnutt - you where once looking at the Z61t right? Was it the graphics that made you go with the T60 ? Do you think you will like the square screen versus the wide.

And finally, how is the screen on your wife's IBM ? Is it bright? I'm ditching a 5 month old Dell D820 because I HATE the dull and blurr screen ... drives me nuts...

Then I got my wife an SZ220 and the screen is unreal, but the keyboard is a little hard to get used to...

such a hard decision !

 

T60's are now Core 2 and the prices haven't changed much...if any. There's a deal on them right now...

T60 Upgrade Deal
And receive these FREE upgrades:
Hard drive: Upgrade from 60GB to 100GB 5400rpm SATA hard drive ($60 value).
Battery: Upgrade from a 6 cell to a 9 cell Lithium-Ion battery ($50 value).
Optical drive : Upgrade from a CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo drive to a DVD Recordable drive ($70 value).

Hard to pass up if you're in the market for a T60.

 

Not hard at all... you dont have to compromise on the screen.

Get the optional IPS Flexview screen on your T60... possibly the best screen on the planet.
Some people buy the thinkpad JUST for that screen!
As well as having the best viewing angles and color accuracy, the flexview also is 200 nits bright versus 150 nits for the standard screen.
The standard screen is only average (many others are better).

Also, dont forget to get the Atheros card (thinkpad 11a/b/g) instead of the bad Intel 3945.

 

1a) Yes, the graphics card was a big part of it - I was also a little leary of the new machines from Lenovo (although everything I've read has said that the original IBM design team still does their work) - and money is VERY tight for me and the T-60 equipped the same way as a Z61T, BUT including the graphics card, was cheaper because of the specials until 10/31.

1b) My 19" Sony desk monitor is a 4:3 and I love it...I have never had a widescreen (except my Sony LCD TV) for computer work so I do not miss the 16:9.

2) I have only touched, opened, and "played' with her Thinkpad...I did not actually turn it on (she was paranoid about the company finding out). She uses the docking on her desk and has a separate monitor & keyboard! I told her, what a waste, but that's how they set her up!

 

corymcnutt, would it be possible to post your thoughts on your new laptop when it comes, i'll probably be getting one with the excact same specs as you so would like to hear your thoughts on it

mike

 

I can respond to that, I just got mine which is configured similarly.
The build quality is top notch except for 2 areas. The palm rests have a little give if you push on them. It's only noticeable when you press on them though. The other thing that I noticed is the area directly above the keyboard is a little flexible. Otherwise it feels like any other Thinkpad, built like a brick.
The keyboard is especially perfect. I like typing on my notebook more than I like typing on my desktop!
The thing also runs fairly cool. I've used my friend's MBP and the thing was just plain ridiculously hot, to the point where it burned me when I picked it up... Even after running 3Dmark06 the bottom was barely warm and the palm rests were cool to the touch.
There are 2 things I've noticed that might be "downers". The 14" SXGA+ screen isn't very good. when you've got the viewing angle perfect it's ok, but when you get a few degrees out it starts washing out and gets dark. I've seen worse screens, and I'd personally take it over any glossy screen, but it is one thing to note.
The other thing I've noticed is that the touchpad is really small. Doesn't bother me at all considering I use the trackpoint exclusively. Oh, it also comes shipped with A LOT of bloat. 80 processing running on boot when you first start it up is ridiculous, the first thing I did was wipe the drive and reinstall just the things that I needed, which still ended up with ~43 processes running on boot. I'm not terribly happy with that, considering on my desktop I rarely exceed 40 processes ever, let alone on boot.

I had an X21 before I bought my T60 and loved it, and the T60 has made me love the Thinkpad even more.

 

Teranfirbt, thanks a lot for your opinion on the laptop! I just have one question, despite the bloatware, or once you removed most of it, was the system still quite fast?

 

Once I got the drive wiped and everything how I like it, the notebook is blazing fast. It starts and runs programs quicker than my desktop and just seems a little snappier overall. I find myself wishing the 19" LCD I have on my desk ran at 1600x1200 rather than 1280x1024 because I like having the extra desktop space on the screen... Overall I'm more than extremely pleased with it, especially compared to my Averatec which feels like a cheap laptop knockoff compared to the Thinkpad.

 

Hey beware!!! that IBM's guy is a fake, how you dare to talk in such unprofessional and biased way? Nonsense Vaio's manufacturing quality is under Thinkpad... I considered too buyng an SZ premium and finally decided on the T60, no regrets... I am truly satisfied with it. Vaio? oh my good!

 

rleo25, what are your T60 specs?m Does it run cool and quiet?

 

Not rleo25 but, my co-shared-with-my-father T60 runs cool and quite even when playing Star Wars Empire at war. The fan never went on! IBM must have but some fairy dust or something to keep the inside cool.

 

What are the specs of the laptop?

 

T2500 Core Duo 2 Ghz
1 GB DDR2 667 Mhz
100 GB 5400RPM HDD
Bluetooth
DVD/CD-RW
Intel 3945
Ati X1400 512 MB total
15" Flexview screen the 1400 x ???? sized one

Don't have the laptop on so that all I can remember.

 

Nice set up. The ATi X1400 is actuall 128MB.

It's the larger one, so heat will be displaced better.

 

It is the 2007-65s. Core Duo T2500 (2.00Ghz), 2GB RAM (PC2-5300 667 DDR2), 100GB 5400rpm Hard drive. Display 14.1" Ati Mobility Radeon x1400 128MB GDDR1. Mobile Intel 945PM Express Chipset. Optical DVD-ROM/CD-RW. Mini PCie 802.11a/b/g.
Temperature management is ok, fan runs quietly, it only produces a soft hum, no heat in keyboard or palm rest. After 14 continous hours working, air coming out from the vent grille is just warm. This is the coolest and quietest notebook I've ever had. Not to mention other important issues. As I said before I am glad to have bought it.

 

Very good. I am considering a configuration similar to that one, good to hear heat and noise are non-issues.

 

If you include Hypermem its 512 MB on my system.

 

On your X60? Or your Father's T60...?

 

On my T60. X60 is stuck with GMA950.

 

I didn't know the ATi X1400 using that much system RAM to actually bump up to a total of 512MB. Are you 100% certain about that? Is that additional memory the 'hypermemory'?

If that is the case, how much would the ATi X1300 be max.? 256MB?

 

I was lucky indeed, zero pixels and a TMD display that has me in love of the machine, I had a little aprehension because my late Thinkpad a T42 had a washed out display, little contrast and color saturation, this one is excellent!.

I have been unable to find out the keyboard manufacturer among the three providers, NMB, Chicony and ALPS. However the keys are very stable, no flex, no boobling, a little hard to press, which presume with time will get softer, no any concern about that, keys have a little clacky sound, remenber the first IBM keyboards? well something like that.

As to the design changes, they don't bother me. This is not a machine to make any show of it, it is for working, and its beauty resides in its performance and usability. I think many people has put too much emphasis on that issue, believe me I know a little about designing objects, I teach architectonic design at a university...

 

Yeah I suppose it is 128MB Integrated and 384 MB system RAM.

 

Yeah Qhs is right about hypermemory, so you would better have 2GB RAM...

 

To do that, i'd have to find a pre. configured machine that has 1GB, and add 1GB more. There is no other way, unless I go through a third party, which actually, here in Canada, turns out to cost more in the end.

 

but using the hypermemory, does it still keep the notebook running quickly and efficently? or does the graphics card hog all the ram?

mike

 

If you have 2 GB of RAM, it won't hog any, atleast you won't feel it. If you have 1GB, some apps may slow down, but still be usable. If you have 512MB stock, well, good luck.