Lenovo Thinkpad T61 14.1" or X61

I am a student who commutes on a bike to class. I used to own a Thinkpad, and I am currently on a Dell and the difference is night and day. IMO, the Thinkpad is far superior.

So, I am looking at the T61 14.1" inch screen or the X61. I have looked around on this forum and picked up the following tips:
-Go with the 512 RAM and upgrade through Newegg
-PC Card Slot & Express Card Slot

I was curious what the good folks on this forum thought about which model to choose?

when I should buy the laptop (any deals coming up)?

and any other tips?

THANKS!

 

I think this needs to be moved to the "What should I buy" forum....

I would get the X61, definitely. Its just as powerful, much smaller and lighter, and the new GMA graphics are just as good as the previous generation low-end graphics cards, so that shouldn't be a problem either. If you do need more graphical prowess, then the nvidia quadro in the 14" T61 is the way to go.

 

the difference between a 12 and 14" isnt going to make an impact on your commute

i cant use anything but a touchpad, so the x series is a no go for me. be sure you like that before choosing it

 

lol, i disable the touchpad (waste of circuitry).

The difference between the X and the T for portability is HUGE. The T61 with 8 cell is 6 pounds, the X60 with with 8 cell is 3.5 pounds and almost half the bulk.

Listen to someone who has both... its a big difference. Also, the X is better built than the T imo. (the t61 is the worst-made thinkpad probably ever... same plant as dell inspiron. Dont buy the Dell T61 ! lol it's a junker!!

 

There she goes again with the incessant, unproven criticisms of the T61.
In all honestly, from reading your comments now and from the past about the T61, everyone and their dog can tell you are inherently prejudiced against the new model laptop since Day One. Why? We and our dogs would like to know.

The Geo Prizm and Toyota Corolla came from the same plant. Care to claim that those cars are both of the same quality?

 

exactly, do you have a T61? Do you have a new X61?
I didnt know the T61 has an 8 cell option :|

You are talking about a 2lbs difference, and "half the bulk"? hardly true. Sorry, thats not going to make a difference on your back when riding a bike. I ride a motorcycle to work about half the year, and having a 15.4" Brick Latitude Vs my XPS M1210 isnt that significant (~4lbs difference). I guess if youre a turd and can barely lify a 2lbs weight, this might make a difference.

Also if you plan to carry your laptop in a handbag, yea the X61 will be better.

 

The T61 has the same build quality as the T60 and Z61....so yea, somehow I think you are a tad bit biased. I think the quality went down *slightly* in the jump from T43 to T60, but it hasn't changed other than that. Having a widescreen does not make it have crappy build quality.

 

Yea, just mosey on over to SkiBunny's post history. Not a single post is without some sort of T61 flaming, and most of it is completely baseless.

 

The X61 doesn't support high rez output like DVI does it? Not even on the dock! That SUX in my opinion!

 

I SERIOUSLY hope you're joking with this comment, they are indeed the same freaking quality.

 

Not only of the same quality, they're the same cars with different name tags.

 

Uh...so, am I to assume that the T61 is of the same quality as the crappy dell? Hence, I should have bought an X61!?

Gripes

 

i looked at a bunch of t61 reviews and everyone of them says that the build quality of the t61 is on par with any other T series thinkpads.
I don't really know though since i have never had a thinkpad before

 

They're just the same engine. Everything else about Geo sucks in comparison.

 

T series are built in Lenovo IIPC tax-free factory in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. The IIPC was previously owned by IBM and Great Wall Computer. In 2005 it was merged into Lenovo after Lenovo's acquisition of IBM Personal Computer System Division.

I assumed the CTO models of ThinkPad was not built with the same components and the same manufacturing quality as TopSeller program models. They are generally sold to home and home office users rather than business, education and government users.

GAV and CMV models are built under the same manufacturing process and I assure that the manufacturing quality is much higher. Also it save factory work time and reduce delivery time. All the models sold in China are TopSeller Program models (GAV models) and very expensive compaing to CTO models sold to US consumers. So far I have never heard about any complains with GAV models in China. I do recommend purchase TopSeller program models from your local retailers in US. Please correct me if there is any mistake.

IIPC also built Lenovo branded PC and servers. R series and X series are outsourced to Wistron in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China. It is said that the X series have the highest manufacturing quality among all the ThinkPad models. Actually, the X series has highest building cost according Wistron engineer, because their tiny motherboard are very expensive and the assembly are more complex than T or R series.

 

Yeah reviews mostly positive, but remember that chinese review pointing out some downgrades from previous generations (flex in the case, weak light, and how the lcd was attached)- seemed like he was pleased overall though.


dx- please breakdown "CMV" and "GAV"(=topseller) terminology further, or point me to where I can learn more. It's funny you say that, I usually see "topseller" models discounted to a highter % at online retailers.

 

Yes, I notice that a lot of Chinese users have criticism on Lenovo, who is also an Chinese company. They believe Lenovo has made downgrade on ThinkPad brand. The most famous case is "Yellow Jumper Line" found from the ealiest T60 notebook computers produced last year. But I do believe these criticisms are exaggerated, because there is no perfect notebook. ThinkPad, especially the T and X series are simply the best among all the brands.

CTO (Product definition Dynamic Configure To Order) models are configured at Lenovo website (only available at few countries) and then generate e-orders to IIPC plant or outsourcing factory. Lenovo has made a mistake during their ordering and caused major delay for T61 orders. Since CTO models for T61 are first introduced in US, many US customers are affected.

CMV (Custom Model Variant) are negotiated between IBM/Lenovo and customer, such as universities, government and many large enterprises. They has different pricing systems and special features, such as preloaded network configurations, academic or industry software.

All the TopSeller program models are also known as GAV (General Announce Variant). They are pre-configurated to meet most small business needs. That's why these models are called "TopSeller". Unlike the Lenovo direct price on CTO models, "TopSeller" models have list price which may be much higher than their actural sales price. You may notice, new models like T61 have a much lower discount because their list price is lower than formal T60 models.

 

One issue I have with X61 is they don't have optical drives. I find that inconvenient. Also, what about cooling? Is X61 as good as T61?

 

How often do you use the optical drives? Can always get an external USB 2.0 DVD drive.

 

Nah, that was a deal-killer for me. I had an X60 and it's just too limited. Plus it costs more than the T61. I don't need an ultralight with less functionality for even more money. Maybe for people with back problems...