Lenovo z61m ThinkPad vs. Sony VAIO FE

Hi guys,

I've been debating over which laptop to buy for a while now, and I wanted to see if anyone has some good advice. I have it down (I think) to two models: the Lenovo ThinkPad Z61m and the Sony VAIO FE series. I am a college student, and use a laptop to play games, watch movies, surf the web, and do general school related work. The two computers are pretty different though. I like that the Sony has a really nice display and graphics card (7600), but I like the fact that the Lenovo has great built quality and a good keyboard. Which do you think would better suit my needs. And secondly, how good of screen in on the z61m? I know it's not glossy, which leads me to believe that it won't be that bright or vibrant. Any advice would be great.

Thanks.

 

If you're really into your gaming, consider the z61p. I believe it has a good video card, or at least a dedicated one, which is an improvement.

The Thinkpad is a business level notebook versus the consumer level of the Vaio. As such, the overall "quality" of the Thinkpad is naturally better, as well as its robustness and its feel. They're often compared to BMWs and I think the comparison is apt.

The Vaio is a beautiful machine, though, but it really comes down to what you want to do. I think the Thinkpad is best for a college student in that it's very work friendly, for papers and such. If I were in gaming, I would build a cheap desktop purely for gaming, but that's just me =)

Consider the Z61p for a more apples to apples comparison. That said, it's costly...but you don't look at a Thinkpad or Vaio without expecting a thinner wallet after a purchase!

 

what games will you be playing? maybe the Z61m can suit you... or Z61p with more powerful vid.card...

i once had that question. i went with thinkpad z61m... i do not like the white keyboard of the FE. also, i believe that the thinkpad has much build compared to vaio.

i think you can go with Z61m. at least you can do your work all day long without hurting your eyes from too much glare. also, you will have that professional look while being a student.

 

I mainly play games like WoW and flight simulator. I know WoW is not too graphic intensive, but flight simulator definitely is. My main concern with the Z61m is the screen though. Are glossy screens, such as the Sony, better suited for gaming? How does the Lenovo screen look while playing games? I've used a Dell Inspiron E1505, and was curious if the Z61m would be as good, if not better?

 

Glossy screen tend to have more vibrant colors and provide a more vivid image, but also have lots of glare and reflection. While I like my colors nice and bright, I hate reflection, and thus dislike glossy screens. It also looks a tad too "flashy" for my taste as well. A matte screen, as on the Thinkpad, is more customary I guess, more traditional. I think it tends to have an easier effect on the eyes for a long time. I guess a glossy screen looks more like a TV in some ways, so I guess it is better for gaming.

 

Thanks for the response about the glossy screen. I just really don't know what to do. I'm afraid if I get the ThinkPad, I am going to be disappointed with the screen. Has anyone seen the Z61m in person? What's the screen like?

 

The Z61m does have a dedicated graphics card option (ATI X1400). I have this one in my machine but I haven't played any games other than Hitman. Though I have heard it should handle most modern games well as long as the setting aren't set as high as possible. These X1400 machines have come down a lot in price over the last couple of months and I believe they can be had for $1200-1300. The Z61p, although it is a workstation class model, has the FireGL (sp?) graphics card that is more designed for running specific demanding programs such as CAD, etc.. It may not be a big help in playing games from what I hear from more knowledgeable people on the forum.

 

I have a z60m with the maxbrite 300nit screen and matte option. It's great for playing games and is very easy on the eyes, even while playing with reduced brightness on battery.

I was playing Wolfenstein Enemy Territory earlier this evening on battery power - no problems.